branch traded

[Mike the Brit]

I think I'm one of the few that's bummed out about this. Not that the Pats did anything wrong or it won't work out well in the end, but I loved Deion and I'll miss him. I liked his swagger and shiftiness during games and humility after them. Brady must feel a bit strange not having his 1a and 1b out there anymore.

Don't jump all over me, I'm not saying the Pats are mortally wounded or anything. I'm just... bummed.

And you can jump all over me for this if you want, but... Good luck, Deion. Thanks for everything up until the last few months.

No, I'm with you.

Deion was great while he was here and healthy.

Wide receivers need to be adjusted to the offense (and the quarterback, in particular). Givens and Branch were just that -- even if Gabriel and Jackson are equally talented, they don't have that adjustment.

But it was obvious that this was where things were headed -- it's good to have it resolved.

 

[SamBam39]

morale:

We need to learn from this and get MUCH better in dealing with holdouts. Players are out to get paid...particularly guys who play WR and have only one legit career opportunity to cash in...QBs and DLs have much longer primes.

Lesson #1: The first offer should not be the final offer!!! This is not rocket science.

You determine a player's value to your team and start off with a lowball offer...when it's rejected, you then return with a compromise that is right in line with the level at which you intend to sign him.

The creativity our FO is known for was totally lacking throughout this process...I am a major kool aid drinker (see: avatar) but am not blind to this fact.

Now we're left with a ton of unused cap space and a FUTURE benefit, which when discounted to the present, is far less than the guaranteed first round value that Deion would represent if drafted today.

I guess I don't understand all the celebration here...I've never been one who thought we NEEDED him (if you've won a SB w/o him that ends the argument), but let's not pretend we wouldn't have been better off WITH him.

dude. first off, it had to be done at this point. ok?
second - we just got doug gabriel for a 5th rounder.
we've got the future and the present covered brother!
and don't forget we just drafted jackson in the 2nd round.
we'll be cool.
we all wish we could've kept deion but we would've had to over pay so bye!

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

So Basically, the Pats will never take a step backwards and will do things that the Cowboys, Steelers and 49ers have never been able to do which is maintaine a championship level, because your front office is not capapble of making a mistake and will always, no matter the situation come out on top of every deal?!?!?!

This is called a "straw man" arguement...look it up..

No where did I say we were perfect. We have had some busts, Terrell, Biesel, etc The current front office has done very well. The strategy also limits these failures, as they are players that are not at the core. We do not have a revolving door at the QB position for example.

I somehow find it difficult to believe that just becuse the system the Pats use has been a strong one, it's mistake proof. I find it hard to believe that the only two people needed to maintain a SB caliber team is BB and Tom Brady. I think it's been quite a run for the Pats and they have proven to make some great strides given the loses they've sustained over the last 5 seasons, however luck has played more then a little roll in your success and while the strength of your front office is obvious, it's not the only reason for the success.

Again, where do I claim its mistake proof? Please in our discussions do NOT put words in my mouth.

Any team that makes a run like ours, and all of the teams you mention qualify, have to be a bit lucky. But if the Pats weren't good, very good, even, luck alone would not help them win one championship, let alone 3.

There comes a point where the ball doesn't bounce your way anymore and players don't step up. Is that this year??? Who knows, but the loses have to take their toll eventually, it's the law of averages!!! Branch was your SB MVP in 04 and there is a reason he was the SB MVP!!

If we were losing Branch to FA next year, and we got a #1, are we not rebuilding for the future, so we can sustain?

maximizing value.

 

[the taildragger]

I thought Branch refused to make a counteroffer to Belichick's initial offer?

JR, we only have one side of the story, but according to J. Kraft the Pats put a $6M offer on the table and said take it or leave it...how is that smart negotiating? You should NEVER assume the other party will give in to your offer.

Here's the key concept most of us still don't understand: the hidden leverage was 100% with Branch...you can't force a player to suit up just because he's under contract...you can't hide behind pseudo-legality when you're dealing with a game built on passion, heart and willpower...which Deion obviously lost after the Pats told him to shop his ass around (figuring that nobody would take the Pats seriously).

 

[Pats726]

No, I'm with you.

Deion was great while he was here and healthy.

Wide receivers need to be adjusted to the offense (and the quarterback, in particular). Givens and Branch were just that -- even if Gabriel and Jackson are equally talented, they don't have that adjustment.

But it was obvious that this was where things were headed -- it's good to have it resolved.

I am bummed as well...although there was no way out of this at all given Branch's pig headed stance..What did people think would happen?? Will I miss him?? I'll miss his play..as the Patriot's will, but I do think they have to move on...Jackson and Gabriel.

 

[the taildragger]

Huh??? Who said the first offer WAS the final offer?? When a player does NOT want to be here and REFUESES to negotiate..what does a team do??

according to EVERYONE the Pats were not prepared to go beyond their initial offer because that would be considered "caving." I didn't make this up.

 

[Pats726]

I am sure the league pushed the Patriots on this..and I feel bad they caved in..I would have rather let him rot on the bench. Sorry..I just think he's a phony and and hope he falls on his face.
Just was in a Stop and Shop and saw his smiling face pushing some contests..frankly, I wanted to take that cardboard cutout and cut it to shreds...good riddance DB..you've showed your true colors..what a phony!!

 

[the taildragger]

dude. first off, it had to be done at this point. ok?
second - we just got doug gabriel for a 5th rounder.
we've got the future and the present covered brother!
and don't forget we just drafted jackson in the 2nd round.
we'll be cool.
we all wish we could've kept deion but we would've had to over pay so bye!

right, so we agree we would've been better off WITH him, and that we dont' necessarily need him.

glad we're fundamentally in agreement.

my point is that, had we been smarter, we may not have had to overpay to keep him. Only when things broke down did it become too late. Deion was on TV the night before this exploded expressing that he wanted to stay here...this was all reconcilable at that point.

sorry, but this isn't hindsight...I only hope our FO is able to admit it was mishandled or we're going to see this happen again...I have confidence they'll figure it out.

 

[CrazyDave]

For those who questioned those of us who were saying that Chayut was doing a brilliant job of representing his client ...... you were wrong.

Funny, I don't think Chayut did anything great. We got rid of a player who was greedy, who wanted to be overpayed, and DID NOT want to be here.
And we got a first rounder for him.
WE got what WE wanted. No offense, but I think YOU were wrong.

 

[flutie2phelan]

a) Look at it this way: It's Draft Day 2002. Pats make a deal: trade their 2002 2nd round pick for a 2007 1st round pick, plus they get the services of a good receiver from 2002-2005 for negligible money!

Okay.

Still another way to look at is
a 3-way trade:

Pats gave Branch and a 5th ...
Pats got Gabriel and a 1st.

How does that compute?

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Guys, it is done with!

Once again I will attempt to take a neutral path and say, Branch is gone, We all saw how crappy Chayut has been, It's done, Time to focus on the future of the Pats.

Did I mention our nice, shiny two #1 picks for next year. Hopefully, our #32 to go with their #16 (Value Area).

 

[Brownfan80]

I've blamed Chayut for this for too long. Even the week before the season, I thought that Branch, in his own mind, wanted to get back with the Pats, and wouldn't really leave Brady and go elsewhere.

I gave that douchebag the benefit of the doubt until the season began.

This is just the final straw. He is SOOOOOOOO DEAD TO ME!

Who the heck would have EVER thought that Branch turned out to be the worst motherf#cker that we EVER dealt with in the Belichick era?

There've been alot of weird situations during BB's tenure. Bledsoe. Glenn. Milloy. Law. Deion. Some other ones also to lesser degrees. I guess when your method is clear cut and the players don't agree it can get a little messy. But at least we got a first for Deion. Several of those other guys we didn't get much for.

 

[Kdo5]

Great deal. I mean we wouldnt get him back this was the best possible scenario that nobody thought would happen, a 2nd rounder at the most would be offered. Branch may be superb but when its all said and done the Patriots made the right move by getting a first rounder then nothing.

Anyone remember that 2004 draft? Wilfork...Watson...first rounders? Haha, great stuff.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Or the team called Reiss before they sent out a press release because he's their mouthpiece and this is what he gets in return. Did you ever think of that? Seriously, this is a huge story that the beat writers have been all over. How do you think Reiss got it before everyone else? Did he name a source? No, because that source is the Patriots PR Department. You know, I don't even mind how he does it. I just mind that none of you will admit that's what is going on when it's so obvious.

Well Mr.. Borges or his apologetic claquist. If this this is so, than Mr. Reiss is doing his job and all your bad mouthing leads to you NOT DOING yours.

I'm so glad for the results of your non-homerism, which as you state leads to NO NEWS scoops. Way to go, Mr. Cloacal Cavity NO NEWS. Thats the way to do your job...

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

according to EVERYONE the Pats were not prepared to go beyond their initial offer because that would be considered "caving." I didn't make this up.

If memory serves me correctly, the made a second offer after the first. As with the first, this received no response from Team Branch. Is that smart negotiating?

Speaking of which, Branch had a full year to go on his contract. Demanding that the team tear up the final year of the contract (because said agent proved incapable of negotiating the contract his client ostensibly "wanted") and give them what they demanded is not, in my opinion, smart negotiating.

The only negotiations that occurred in this drama, smart or otherwise, were put forth by the team. That was the only area of negotiation!

Now, did branch get what he wanted? Maybe. Certainly looks like he got the money he wanted, if indeed Seattle voids the last year of his current contract. He may or may not find himself in the limelight again. While his seasons may now be shorter, he will have more time for golf!

Did Chayut get what he wanted? Oh, sure, to a degree. But he'll now find that his reputation precedes him, and we'll see how well he makes out with that.

Did the Pats get what they wanted? Well, this was doubtless a case of making the best of a bad situation. However, they did get the minimum for what they wanted as compensation for the trade, so not all is lost for the team.

Did the Pats' organization take a PR hit of devastating proportions? That's doubtful. You'll of course have players (and their agents) who are more concerned about the money than anything else. The Pats will undoubtedly avoid them, for the most part. Their focus will continue to be "Patriot-type" players.

And I don't see how this will cause the "Pats are cheap" myth to come to the fore. Their offers were substantial, in line with their assessment of the talent level involved. Remember, this is still the team that has a bigger "middle class" than anyone else in professional football.

They'll be just fine.

 

[Johnny Z]

He got more than Javonna Walker garnered, so there is a gawd after all.

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

Sorry for the double post....

 

[PlattsFan]

Well, it's certainly good it's over. I don't think any of us can really evaluate Deion in an absolute sense. We really need to see him in a new situation to see who's right about him. Was he a pretty good receiver who was overrated due to a couple of good Super Bowls and the exposure of playing with Tom Brady? Or was he an excellent receiver who's numbers were depressed by the "spread the ball" style of the Patriots offense? We'll find out more when he's in Seattle.

For me, I'll just say "thanks for the fine work, Deion." He played well and hard when he was here.

 

[Handel]

Get a life.

Wtf!

It should be indeed a late first round pick.

 

[Infinsible]

It's fun watching you all shed a tear today. :rocker:


You will all miss Branch. Now I hope Seattle goes to the Superbowl, so you'll only get a 31st or 32nd pick.