And this is the whole point with Branch. Deion picked the wrong time to put pressure on the team. The Patriots, more than any team, put value on fielding a balanced squad at every position. BB has indicated he won't pay anyone top salary for his position even if he's the consensus top player.
For the Pats, it's a zero-sum game. Unbalanced salaries contribute to weaknesses at other positions. Some teams hide weaknesses on special teams, some in other areas. Eventually, they get exploited by better teams.
So, and as fgssand points out, the Pats have created a potential cancer. If Branch continues to put pressure on the team, his tenure with the Pats will be very short. The team cannot afford to create a "traditional holdout period" around mini-camp every year. They must end it now, practically and symbolically. We can discuss statistics all we want, but moving in a direction opposite to what made the Pats successful over the past 5 years is a major mistake. That will not stand with BB/SP. Deion picked the wrong time to take a stand. If they have to, they'll severe a limb with gangrene rather than let the body die, even if the lack of depth at WR is obvious. It's that important to their overall philosphy and ongoing success.
