Yep - Another Deion Branch thread

[Pat_Nasty]

How is giving Branch the ok to seek a trade a "strongarm" tactic?

I think all it means is that the Patriots are giving Branch the permission to seek other teams and see what his value would be on the open market.

If Branch can find a suitor, then that team needs to come to an agreement with the Pats on compensation.

The Pats would likely want a late 1st or early 2nd rounder for Branch imo.

Best case is that the Pats want to keep Branch though and will simply say, ok so this was the most that you got offered, we'll match that.

If the Pats had met with Chayut + Branch and quietly arranged to give them a week to shop Branch around, without making a production of it in the media, it wouldn't be a strong-arm tactic at all. It would be a move designed to create dialogue between the two sides.

By making the statement publicly, and surprising Branch and his agent it it, the move has another affect: it puts public pressure on Branch, and sets him up to be taken down a few pegs. It makes Branch resigning a deal w/ the Pats or reporting to camp a public capitulation, rather than a compromise, as the media would see it as the result of the Patriots' proving to Branch that his market value isn't what he thinks it is.

 

[Pat_Nasty]

Gee..he hasn't shown up at all...OR sent any counter proposals..I think THAT pretty much says you don't wish to play for the club..what do you think?? If he wamted to play for the Patriots he would be in camp...silly..How does it make it worse?? If indeed that does happen..the Patriots will make moves to get another WR and Branch is negated totally..The team moves on without him..and if he sits out till the 10th game or NOT, it willl not matter. He'll be gone...he'll hate the team..but how has his actions said any less now??? There has been ZERO good faith..."I will honor the contract"...Right..Deion has run out on a limb...by bnot negotiating fairly and showing up..he's doing what is best for Him..What does he think the Patriots are foing to do, pay him more after his tantrum?? They given him opportunity galore TO return, but h seems to be enjoying his vacation away from football..Now, he needs to stop laughing and get serious!!

See, you're negotiating from a point of anger. The very fact of Branch's holdout makes you inarticulate in your apoplexy, and renders you incapable of approaching the negotiations from a practicle standpoint.

Branch's holdout doesn't mean he doesn't want to be resigned. All evidence points to his ideal turnout is that he's resigned to the Pats at a salary close to his demands. He's never said anything bad about the organization, and has remained close with his teammates. This isn't like the Javon Walker situation in which Walker said he'd rather retire than play for the Packers. A move seemingly designed to publicly knock Branch down a few pegs like this one seems liable to push it in that direction.

This would be highly unfortunate -- so long as Branch remains well-disposed towards the Pats, there remains the possibility of him aggreeing to compromise on his contract demands and resign, or simply reporting to camp and playing out the season. If the situation becomes more greatly polarized, as I believe this move might accomplish, then it's possible we're heading into territory where the only two possible outcomes are to trade Branch or watch him hold out.

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

If the Pats had met with Chayut + Branch and quietly arranged to give them a week to shop Branch around, without making a production of it in the media, it wouldn't be a strong-arm tactic at all. It would be a move designed to create dialogue between the two sides.

By making the statement publicly, and surprising Branch and his agent it it, the move has another affect: it puts public pressure on Branch, and sets him up to be taken down a few pegs. It makes Branch resigning a deal w/ the Pats or reporting to camp a public capitulation, rather than a compromise, as the media would see it as the result of the Patriots' proving to Branch that his market value isn't what he thinks it is.

Well, Chayut - whose theme song seems to be Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job And Shove It" - seems to be trying to make a name for himself via Branch at the Patriot's expense.

The Patriots, who have Major League written all over them, seem to be taking the tack, "We don't mind if you're trying to make a name for yourself. You just won't be able to do it at our expense."

Mr. Chayut's negotiating ploys have been (1) outright laughter, and (2) "insult me at your own peril, knaves!", in that order, to Patriot contract extension offers.

Branch is under contract. Not even he disputes this fact. The strong-arming has consistently come from his camp. It's disingenuous to argue it's the Pats who are doing the strong arming here.

BB has long since learned in this game no one is indispensable. That's a lesson that Branch and Chayut are going to learn through a rather painful and publicly humiliating experience.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do these things. Chayut, and by extension Branch, have managed to bungle this from the get-go.

When you're under contract to perform, and the other guy is the one paying the freight, leaving YOU with zero leverage, it's not too smart to look across the table, look into the other party's eye, promptly spit in it, and then say, "This is our position! You will do it our way - OR ELSE!"

So the Pats rightly say, "Let's see what 'OR ELSE' is...", extremely confident that it's nothing.

That, by any definition, is not strong arming. It may be hardball, but it's not strong arming.

 

[Willie55]

If the Pats had met with Chayut + Branch and quietly arranged to give them a week to shop Branch around, without making a production of it in the media, it wouldn't be a strong-arm tactic at all. It would be a move designed to create dialogue between the two sides.

By making the statement publicly, and surprising Branch and his agent it it, the move has another affect: it puts public pressure on Branch, and sets him up to be taken down a few pegs. It makes Branch resigning a deal w/ the Pats or reporting to camp a public capitulation, rather than a compromise, as the media would see it as the result of the Patriots' proving to Branch that his market value isn't what he thinks it is.

It was not a production in the media, it was basically a one line statement that avoided a media circus. If they had done it behind closed doors, sooner rather than later, it would have gotten out that he was given his right to seek a trade. The uptight Boston media would have had their panties in a wad about not being notified and would have beaten it to death. We would still be hearing about it.

Also, do you not think that a telephone call, albeit a short one, was placed to Chayut's office where they were told of the Pats decision to allow him to seek a trade prior to the statement being released.

 

[Pat_Nasty]

Well, Chayut - whose theme song seems to be Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job And Shove It" - seems to be trying to make a name for himself via Branch at the Patriot's expense.

The Patriots, who have Major League written all over them, seem to be taking the tack, "We don't mind if you're trying to make a name for yourself. You just won't be able to do it at our expense."

Mr. Chayut's negotiating ploys have been (1) outright laughter, and (2) "insult me at your own peril, knaves!", in that order, to Patriot contract extension offers.

Branch is under contract. Not even he disputes this fact. The strong-arming has consistently come from his camp. It's disingenuous to argue it's the Pats who are doing the strong arming here.

BB has long since learned in this game no one is indispensable. That's a lesson that Branch and Chayut are going to learn through a rather painful and publicly humiliating experience.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do these things. Chayut, and by extension Branch, have managed to bungle this from the get-go.

When you're under contract to perform, and the other guy is the one paying the freight, leaving YOU with zero leverage, it's not too smart to look across the table, look into the other party's eye, promptly spit in it, and then say, "This is our position! You will do it our way - OR ELSE!"

So the Pats rightly say, "Let's see what 'OR ELSE' is...", extremely confident that it's nothing.

That, by any definition, is not strong arming. It may be hardball, but it's not strong arming.

I don't deny that Chayut's bargaining tactics have been unprofessional at best, and inflammatory at worst.

While I find that frustrating, since I'm not invested in seeing Branch get $8 mil a year, but I am invested in seeing the Pats retain their best WR, I am less concerned in how he's handling things for his client than how the FO is handling things for the team.

Basically, I'm taking Chayut's antics as a given, and pondering how I think the Pats should best respond. Whether you want to call it "hardball" or "strongarming," I don't think the conforntational nature of the public statement is a wise move, as I feel it will further polarize the two sides.

I hope the resolution of these circumstances proves me wrong.

 

[Pat_Nasty]

It was not a production in the media, it was basically a one line statement that avoided a media circus. If they had done it behind closed doors, sooner rather than later, it would have gotten out that he was given his right to seek a trade. The uptight Boston media would have had their panties in a wad about not being notified and would have beaten it to death. We would still be hearing about it.

Also, do you not think that a telephone call, albeit a short one, was placed to Chayut's office where they were told of the Pats decision to allow him to seek a trade prior to the statement being released.

Wait, you think the one-line statement "avoided" a media circus?

On the contrary it was designed to create one.

The Pats' usual protocol for this kind of situation is to keep everything quiet for as long as possible -- and they're usually pretty successful. Since making the statement, Branch's holdout has become an even bigger story, with every NFL news organization handicapping teams' interest in him. Usually, the Pats control the story by giving the media nothing to report. I don't see how you can argue that the statement in any way contained rather than fanned the flames of media interest in the story.

As for Chayut's prior notification -- yes, he likely received a phone call from the Pats' FO, but it was clearly not early enough to have prepared a statement when the media called him immediately after reading the Pats' statement.

 

[Pats726]

See, you're negotiating from a point of anger. The very fact of Branch's holdout makes you inarticulate in your apoplexy, and renders you incapable of approaching the negotiations from a practicle standpoint.

Branch's holdout doesn't mean he doesn't want to be resigned. All evidence points to his ideal turnout is that he's resigned to the Pats at a salary close to his demands. He's never said anything bad about the organization, and has remained close with his teammates. This isn't like the Javon Walker situation in which Walker said he'd rather retire than play for the Packers. A move seemingly designed to publicly knock Branch down a few pegs like this one seems liable to push it in that direction.

This would be highly unfortunate -- so long as Branch remains well-disposed towards the Pats, there remains the possibility of him aggreeing to compromise on his contract demands and resign, or simply reporting to camp and playing out the season. If the situation becomes more greatly polarized, as I believe this move might accomplish, then it's possible we're heading into territory where the only two possible outcomes are to trade Branch or watch him hold out.

What does it mean that he has decided to sit out and NOT report to the team's camp?? Gee...I really care about the team?? PLEASE!!! He and his agent have tried to hold up the team for unreasonable amounts of money. It shows he has NO interest at all about the team and possibly his future. Maybe you need a dictionary and understand what the word "agent" means..his spokeman has yapped about how the Patriots have exploited him. If Chuyut is saying things Deion doesn't agree with then Deion should have fired him. Deion can sit and laugh all he likes, but through his actions and his agent's words he has attacked the Patriots organmization. That has polarized things more so than anything the Patriots have done with this move. It's good taht he is is in contact with his teammates..too bad they haven't talked some common sense into his head. If he likes they can play flag football on their day off, but that fact really doesn' matter. I don't see Deion signing at all, given how dumb his decisions have been so far. I think in fact he holds out..and is Mr Irrelevent.
As for your personal attacks.. I ahve two words for you which I can't print here/

 

[Pat_Nasty]

What does it mean that he has decided to sit out and NOT report to the team's camp?? Gee...I really care about the team?? PLEASE!!! He and his agent have tried to hold up the team for unreasonable amounts of money. It shows he has NO interest at all about the team and possibly his future. Maybe you need a dictionary and understand what the word "agent" means..his spokeman has yapped about how the Patriots have exploited him. If Chuyut is saying things Deion doesn't agree with then Deion should have fired him. Deion can sit and laugh all he likes, but through his actions and his agent's words he has attacked the Patriots organmization. That has polarized things more so than anything the Patriots have done with this move. It's good taht he is is in contact with his teammates..too bad they haven't talked some common sense into his head. If he likes they can play flag football on their day off, but that fact really doesn' matter. I don't see Deion signing at all, given how dumb his decisions have been so far. I think in fact he holds out..and is Mr Irrelevent.
As for your personal attacks.. I ahve two words for you which I can't print here/

I am sorry you interpreted my words as "personal attacks." I didn't intend them as such. I merely meant to imply that your (understandable) frustration w/ Branch and his agent prevents you from achieving any distance from the situation, and looking at it pragmatically, or discussing it articulately.

You choose to infer from Branch's holdout that he doesn't care about the team, but that's looking at things enitrely from a fan's perspective. If his teammates agreed with that assessment, they wouldn't have such positive things to say about him to reporters last Sat. night. They wouldn't still be publicly referring to him as their "friend." See, they understand that playing football is Branch's job. If they're not judging him, why should we?

You have to realize that nobody in the Pats' organization takes Branch's holdout as the "middle finger" to the organization that you do.

 

[Pats67]

I am sorry you interpreted my words as "personal attacks." I didn't intend them as such. I merely meant to imply that your (understandable) frustration w/ Branch and his agent prevents you from achieving any distance from the situation, and looking at it pragmatically, or discussing it articulately.

You choose to infer from Branch's holdout that he doesn't care about the team, but that's looking at things enitrely from a fan's perspective. If his teammates agreed with that assessment, they wouldn't have such positive things to say about him to reporters last Sat. night. They wouldn't still be publicly referring to him as their "friend." See, they understand that playing football is Branch's job. If they're not judging him, why should we?

You have to realize that nobody in the Pats' organization takes Branch's holdout as the "middle finger" to the organization that you do.

Very well said, and entirely correct.

 

[Willie55]

Wait, you think the one-line statement "avoided" a media circus?

On the contrary it was designed to create one.

The Pats' usual protocol for this kind of situation is to keep everything quiet for as long as possible -- and they're usually pretty successful. Since making the statement, Branch's holdout has become an even bigger story, with every NFL news organization handicapping teams' interest in him. Usually, the Pats control the story by giving the media nothing to report. I don't see how you can argue that the statement in any way contained rather than fanned the flames of media interest in the story.

As for Chayut's prior notification -- yes, he likely received a phone call from the Pats' FO, but it was clearly not early enough to have prepared a statement when the media called him immediately after reading the Pats' statement.

What would the reaction have been if a day or two after he was secretly allowed to find a trade it got out because it would have as a member of some other teams front office would tell somebody that just got a call from Branch's agent seeking a trade.

 

[Pat_Nasty]

What would the reaction have been if a day or two after he was secretly allowed to find a trade it got out because it would have as a member of some other teams front office would tell somebody that just got a call from Branch's agent seeking a trade.

Well, the Pats are pretty good about keeping lids on these things until they're pretty close to happening. I would imagine teams could be informed that any leaking to the press would cause the deal to be killed.

But even if it did leak to the press, while it would have been a big story, it could hardly have been any bigger. All the press would know is that the Pats were shopping Branch around -- the details of them being given a week to find a better offer wouldn't be out there, and thus, the move wouldn't look nearly so much like the bluff calling it is, and it thus wouldn't be nearly so much of a capitulation on Branch's part if he then resigned w/ the Pats.

In that situation it could be spun as "Branch resigns w/ Pats because he didn't want to play elsewhere." Now, if he resigns, the story is very publicly "Branch find out his value isn't what he thought it was, accepts deal with Pats."

The Pats FO is usually very, very quiet about its negotiations -- and avoiding this kind of press is a big reason for it.

 

[scout]

Didn't want to start another Branch thread, and wasn't sure this was posted. Truth and Rumors says the Patriots are asking 2 number ones for Branch. Seems the Patriots really value the guy. Also, Fort Worth Star Tel. speculated that if Dallas cut Owens they would save $5 million and could make a run on Deion. Meanwhile, the Eagles don't consider Branch one of the top recievers. Sorry, if any of this was already posted, didn't want to spend all day reading posts on Branch.

 

[Pats726]

I am sorry you interpreted my words as "personal attacks." I didn't intend them as such. I merely meant to imply that your (understandable) frustration w/ Branch and his agent prevents you from achieving any distance from the situation, and looking at it pragmatically, or discussing it articulately.

You choose to infer from Branch's holdout that he doesn't care about the team, but that's looking at things enitrely from a fan's perspective. If his teammates agreed with that assessment, they wouldn't have such positive things to say about him to reporters last Sat. night. They wouldn't still be publicly referring to him as their "friend." See, they understand that playing football is Branch's job. If they're not judging him, why should we?

You have to realize that nobody in the Pats' organization takes Branch's holdout as the "middle finger" to the organization that you do.

I'm sorry I took it that way...but it is frustrating as a fan to understand what is going on and what moves are needed or not.
I tend to think I am looking at it quite rationally and hopefuly with a restatement you may understand a bit more.
Firstly, in regard to agents, they speak FOR the players and say or do things on their behalf. If a an agent tells a team a player wants XXX, the team knows he is speaking FOR the player. The same can be true of other things an agent has said. In this case, Jason Chuyut went around to various writers basically telling them how Deion had been exploited by the Patriots and how bad that was. Now, I assume that Deion agrees with this and that is fine if he does. But if that is true, THAT certainly is an attack on the organization. And since Deion has not fired the agent nor has had him retract those statements, then it is quite fair to think Deion feels the same way. So, when you say Deion has not attacked the organization, it's not true at all. If that is the case, why would Deion wish to continue to play for an organization that has so exploited him??
One might mention that Deion stated in April that he would honor his contract and he has yet to report to the team. I don't think THAT is honoring a contract, do you???
Parties also negotiate in good faith and the Patriots have made two offers to him and yet there have been NO counter offers. How is not countering an offer making it clear one wishes to play for a team??
I think the opposite may be true as his holdout says much to the front office.
But what about the demand not for the Patriots to Franchise him?? A Franchise tag would give Deion one of the top five salaries of wide receivers...and keep him a Patriot. Are fans to believe he does not wish to be one of the top 5 paid??? I think that is ridiculous as that is what this holdout is about, so
in fact, it MUST be about not wanting to play for the team; how else to interpret that demand???
If in fact he wants Reggie Wayne money or that of Randle El, why doesn't he complete his contract with the Patriots and get to free agency so he can get money as they did, WHEN he is allowed to?? Why is Deion so special that he doesn't have to complete the 5 years of his contract before that??
Actually, I really do think the FO takes it like that..the "middle finger"...as they should..for it truly is that...and everything in the negotiations have pointed to that. No, I don't at all expect the players to say anything at all about him; not the way, not the time. THAT is expected. I certainly would not expect the FO to say anything at al either, would you?? But what Chuyut and Branch has done is basically that. The situation has been polarized when 1---There have not been any counter offers from Chuyut & Branch 2---Branch has kept away from camp and honoring his contract and 3---Demanding "pie in the sky" unrealistic demands from the team. I think those actions, plus the trashing of the organization has totally polarized the Patriots. What move should the Patriot team make then??? Just let him sit out??? What they have done is taken Chuyut's demands money wise and given them an opportunity to find a deal for Deion..since OBVIOUSLY he doesn't wish to play here. What action of Branch makes you think he really wishes to be here?? NONE of his actions have been in that direction at all. Frankly, Chuyut is the one who has exploited Branch and hopefully he will understand and dump him as his agent.

 

[Sporin]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si...2006/08/patriots-savvy-receiver-strategy.html

8/28/2006 11:51:00 AM
Patriots' savvy receiver strategy

If you needed proof that the Patriots know what they're doing with Deion Branch, check out Saturday's preseason game. New England suited up receivers Reche Caldwell, Troy Brown and Bam Childress and the offense looked unstoppable. On the opposite side of the ball the Redskins' highly compensated free-agent receivers, Brandon Lloyd and Antwaan Randle El, couldn't do anything. It was only an exhibition game, but the Pats' 41-0 win didn't give Branch any leverage.

The best teams spend big money on quarterbacks and that's about it. Free-agent acquisitions at other skill positions get fans excited but don't generally improve teams. If a team's offensive line is in bad shape, Jerry Rice and Don Hutson could line up at receiver and wouldn't catch the ball.

If you look at every champion since 2000, none has had a big-impact receiver. Only two of the last six champs had a wideout with more than 1,000 yards receiving: Troy Brown (1,199 for the Pats in '01) and Keyshawn Johnson (1,088 for the Bucs in '02).

The Pats have had success with their cold-blooded approach to negotiating in the past. In recent years, they got rid of Lawyer Milloy and Ty Law just before those players' price tags eclipsed their productivity. The same could be said for Branch, who is very talented but would ultimately be forgotten if he left New England. Not to open up a can of worms, but the same theory applies to running backs: See James, Edgerrin in Arizona.

 

[Willie55]

I'm sorry I took it that way...but it is frustrating as a fan to understand what is going on and what moves are needed or not.
I tend to think I am looking at it quite rationally and hopefuly with a restatement you may understand a bit more.
Firstly, in regard to agents, they speak FOR the players and say or do things on their behalf. If a an agent tells a team a player wants XXX, the team knows he is speaking FOR the player. The same can be true of other things an agent has said. In this case, Jason Chuyut went around to various writers basically telling them how Deion had been exploited by the Patriots and how bad that was. Now, I assume that Deion agrees with this and that is fine if he does. But if that is true, THAT certainly is an attack on the organization. And since Deion has not fired the agent nor has had him retract those statements, then it is quite fair to think Deion feels the same way. So, when you say Deion has not attacked the organization, it's not true at all. If that is the case, why would Deion wish to continue to play for an organization that has so exploited him??
One might mention that Deion stated in April that he would honor his contract and he has yet to report to the team. I don't think THAT is honoring a contract, do you???
Parties also negotiate in good faith and the Patriots have made two offers to him and yet there have been NO counter offers. How is not countering an offer making it clear one wishes to play for a team??
I think the opposite may be true as his holdout says much to the front office.
But what about the demand not for the Patriots to Franchise him?? A Franchise tag would give Deion one of the top five salaries of wide receivers...and keep him a Patriot. Are fans to believe he does not wish to be one of the top 5 paid??? I think that is ridiculous as that is what this holdout is about, so
in fact, it MUST be about not wanting to play for the team; how else to interpret that demand???
If in fact he wants Reggie Wayne money or that of Randle El, why doesn't he complete his contract with the Patriots and get to free agency so he can get money as they did, WHEN he is allowed to?? Why is Deion so special that he doesn't have to complete the 5 years of his contract before that??
Actually, I really do think the FO takes it like that..the "middle finger"...as they should..for it truly is that...and everything in the negotiations have pointed to that. No, I don't at all expect the players to say anything at all about him; not the way, not the time. THAT is expected. I certainly would not expect the FO to say anything at al either, would you?? But what Chuyut and Branch has done is basically that. The situation has been polarized when 1---There have not been any counter offers from Chuyut & Branch 2---Branch has kept away from camp and honoring his contract and 3---Demanding "pie in the sky" unrealistic demands from the team. I think those actions, plus the trashing of the organization has totally polarized the Patriots. What move should the Patriot team make then??? Just let him sit out??? What they have done is taken Chuyut's demands money wise and given them an opportunity to find a deal for Deion..since OBVIOUSLY he doesn't wish to play here. What action of Branch makes you think he really wishes to be here?? NONE of his actions have been in that direction at all. Frankly, Chuyut is the one who has exploited Branch and hopefully he will understand and dump him as his agent.

Very well said.

 

[shakadave]

I'm sorry I took it that way...but it is frustrating as a fan to understand what is going on and what moves are needed or not.
I tend to think I am looking at it quite rationally and hopefuly with a restatement you may understand a bit more.
Firstly, in regard to agents, they speak FOR the players and say or do things on their behalf. If a an agent tells a team a player wants XXX, the team knows he is speaking FOR the player. The same can be true of other things an agent has said. In this case, Jason Chuyut went around to various writers basically telling them how Deion had been exploited by the Patriots and how bad that was. Now, I assume that Deion agrees with this and that is fine if he does. But if that is true, THAT certainly is an attack on the organization. And since Deion has not fired the agent nor has had him retract those statements, then it is quite fair to think Deion feels the same way. So, when you say Deion has not attacked the organization, it's not true at all. If that is the case, why would Deion wish to continue to play for an organization that has so exploited him??
One might mention that Deion stated in April that he would honor his contract and he has yet to report to the team. I don't think THAT is honoring a contract, do you???
Parties also negotiate in good faith and the Patriots have made two offers to him and yet there have been NO counter offers. How is not countering an offer making it clear one wishes to play for a team??
I think the opposite may be true as his holdout says much to the front office.
But what about the demand not for the Patriots to Franchise him?? A Franchise tag would give Deion one of the top five salaries of wide receivers...and keep him a Patriot. Are fans to believe he does not wish to be one of the top 5 paid??? I think that is ridiculous as that is what this holdout is about, so
in fact, it MUST be about not wanting to play for the team; how else to interpret that demand???
If in fact he wants Reggie Wayne money or that of Randle El, why doesn't he complete his contract with the Patriots and get to free agency so he can get money as they did, WHEN he is allowed to?? Why is Deion so special that he doesn't have to complete the 5 years of his contract before that??
Actually, I really do think the FO takes it like that..the "middle finger"...as they should..for it truly is that...and everything in the negotiations have pointed to that. No, I don't at all expect the players to say anything at all about him; not the way, not the time. THAT is expected. I certainly would not expect the FO to say anything at al either, would you?? But what Chuyut and Branch has done is basically that. The situation has been polarized when 1---There have not been any counter offers from Chuyut & Branch 2---Branch has kept away from camp and honoring his contract and 3---Demanding "pie in the sky" unrealistic demands from the team. I think those actions, plus the trashing of the organization has totally polarized the Patriots. What move should the Patriot team make then??? Just let him sit out??? What they have done is taken Chuyut's demands money wise and given them an opportunity to find a deal for Deion..since OBVIOUSLY he doesn't wish to play here. What action of Branch makes you think he really wishes to be here?? NONE of his actions have been in that direction at all. Frankly, Chuyut is the one who has exploited Branch and hopefully he will understand and dump him as his agent.

Very well said indeed.

 

[Pats726]

Thanks...I just don't understand what and why Branch is doing what he is?? I wish I knew, because it makes NO sense. And what should the Patriots have done differently?? Cave in and pay him money way out of line??? No..they are doing what they can..vut it has been VERY hard negotiating with someone who really wshes to. The that they were so so far apart is the reason they have sought this trade as Branch is just leeping away totally from it all.

 

[Miguel]

726, the explanation that makes the most sense to me is that Branch does not want to be a Patriot anymore. That's a WAG on my part.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I don't think he wants out, I think Felger may have hit on the problem today. He is sick of people blaming Chayut for this. He thinks Chayut is probably in over his head as a negotiator and so he overplayed his hand in not countering the team. Maybe he believed they were so far apart there was no point, who knows. But Felger believes the little engine driving this drama is Deion Branch himself. He thinks he has been unhappy about his rookie deal for a while (probably since 10 minutes after the MVP trophy presentation in 2005). I don't doubt his agent shared and even encouraged the myopic view that in the year his name and Jerry Rice's were mentioned in the same breath he needed to be paid like the next Jerry Rice.

The Patriots performance this week didn't bolster his case. Neither did what the Eagles said and then did today. They were thought to be the best benchmark on what a well run franchise with a dire need for a #1 might be willing to pay for a Deion Branch. Their answer was no more than NE already offered.

He may yet get a better offer from a mis-managed franchise he would live to wish he never heard of. But as the league digests the permission to seek a deal and pundits start talking to their team contacts and assessing Deion interest in more detail, the concensus will be while many think we should pay whatever it takes to retain him (and we are being arrogant in refusing to do so because many GM's are wildly jealous of not only what we've done but how we've done it when they could not) - they don't see him as an elite #1 either. Felger had the guy who just wrote that Kraft piece for SI on today and he told Michael that around the league the real knock on Branch is that GM's fear his success is as much a product of the system and the QB in NE as it is his talent. Away from that they fear he is a nice #2. And that kind of talk alone will dampen the interest of most teams who were inclined to kick his tires.

 

[SamBam39]

Thanks...I just don't understand what and why Branch is doing what he is?? I wish I knew, because it makes NO sense. And what should the Patriots have done differently?? Cave in and pay him money way out of line??? No..they are doing what they can..vut it has been VERY hard negotiating with someone who really wshes to. The that they were so so far apart is the reason they have sought this trade as Branch is just leeping away totally from it all.

I think we can all speculate til we're blue in the face, but we're never gonna really understand all the inner workings of each side here. We'll just never know - period.

I think it may be that this is all much more simple than we may think. Branch thinks he's entitled to a larger salary than the Patriots do. Branch saw Seymour hold out and get a new contract, and he wanted to try the same thing - to show the Pats he was unsatisfied, and see if a holdout would force the issue a bit and get them to sign him to a more lucrative deal. The idea seemed harmless enough, given Seymour had done it, and that Branch's income clearly didn't match his production. He also felt his value was high and the Pats didn't want to lose him. I remember him being 'undecided' if he was going to report to camp. That, I think, was an indicator of just how harmless he tho0ught this all would be. But what I think happened was there were certain principles that the front office holds to, and that hurt him, and there is a big disagreement in his actual value, and that also hurt him, and then I think he has since become embarrased and doesn't know how to save face from here. I think he loves the pats, and just misjudged things. I think when an agent acts or speaks, it isn't always actually refelctive of how a plyer feels about the organization - the player is just letting the agent try negotiating tactics to 'play hardball' and get him a good deal - they kind of leave it up to the agent. My guess is somehow Branch will wind up bnack with the team, and then it's 50-50 if they can agree to an extention. I think the organization and especially Brady really want him to stick around, but the front office will not waste money paying him more than they think he's actually worth just to make him happy. I think Deion is going to have to want to stay here, and humble himself a little for it to happen. If not, if he stubbornly stays focused on trying to land a fat contract - wherever that may be, then he will likely follow in the footsteps of Milloy, Law, Bledsoe, Glenn, Woody, Vinitieri, Andruzzi, Washington, Etc, Etc, Etc. Basically the patriots place a value on what they're willing to spend on something, and it doesn't matter who you are, they are not going to overpay - that is a huge reason for their success and some of the major principles they manage the organization by. It has hurt each us fans each and every time they have stuck to their guns and let a talented player go, but each and every time they have been proven right in their evaluations and we have been as good or better after the fact. Weren't we all shook up when Bledsoe left? Whne Milloy left? Law? Yes. But they wouldn't be making these plays if tghey didn't know they have an equivilant answer to turn to after the loss. It's never clear what that answer is at the time it's happening, but it isn't long before we see the answer. The front office always has the greater good in focus. It's so unbelievalby great, that it even drives us fans crazy! But that's why they're winning. David Patten was good with the Pats, but he wasn't that good before or after. Same with many other players. The Pats 'coach them up and get them to buy into the Patriot way and utilize them perfectly within a system'. When Brach was drafted, he was a good fit, not a highly sought after great player - most people thought it was a huge reach when they picked him. I don't want to lose him and we all hope this gets settled somehow, because right now it see,s like we're really not as good without him, but I also have total faith, that, come the future, the Pats are going to be just fine - great even - just like they always are. If a deal needs to get done - they'll do it. But they are not gonna change their ways.