I'm thinking this move was made to allow New England to give Branch the finger until he decides to return to the team, rather than to facilitate a Branch trade. I could be wrong, but I'd have to check the TGG archives to see if I ever have been before. By the way, I posted this in the NFL Forum. This absolutely kills me. => http://www.douggabriel.com/
I still maintain that I wasn't wrong about that. I don't care what anyone says, Miami didn't win 7 games last year.
Right. He said no to the pats but he said yes to the deal we offered. We were unable to negotiate trade terms with the pats, as were the Seahawks, who matched our offer to Branch.
I think the Jets want Branch out of the division and so they made the offer for him to help Seattle in prying him free. They scratched our back with JAbe, no reason not to return the favor if it gets the Pat's best receiver out of here. BTW, I like our FO right now. They're aggressive and don't mind stepping on people's toes from time to time. That's the kind of attitude you need in the dog-eat-dog AFC East. It's why I liked Parcell's running the Jets even though I didn't care for him personally.
Yeah, you have to be this aggresive. It's funny, I'm not a Mets fan, but this front office is kinda reminding of Omar... I just like the fact that we are not settling for a shitty season, that they are trying to do something, even if they are only temporary fixes. I think that's what made the pats so good in the last few years, is that even with injuries and set backs, they were still able to come out and produce with no names or rejects.
He's not going to win the grievance if it comes to that. As others have said this is just his way of indicating exactly how unhappy he is with the current state of affairs. The Pats have to know at this point that his valuation of himself was more accurate than theirs. The remaining question is: are they willing to have him as a disruptive influence over the next couple of seasons or do they sign him to the deal the Jets and Seahawks offered? I'm guessing he gets signed this week, with some kind of face-saving figleaf for Pioli and Belichik who have generally not gotten caught out like this. Belichik has lived by the sword, with his treatment of vets like Drew Bledsoe, Lawyer Milloy and Antowain Smith. If he doesn't watch it one of these ploys is going to backfire on him and then he'll die by the sword. My guess is he punts on this one and brings Branch back in happy.
Wow... So if we get Branch, which would please me, then we really do need to move Coles, right? Branch is a little better than Moss, but is still tiny. We'd need a big body in there, right?
I'd rather Keep him. Why not have more than 1 good receiver? Coles, Branch, Cotchery.......McCari....wait.....scratch that one.
What if the Branch thing backfires? What I mean is...maybe the Jets are expressing interest in Branch, merely to make the Pats give up more to keep him, as another poster suggested somewhere... My point is, what if this backfired, by making a different team who is seriously interested in Branch, give the Pats more to 'beat' the JETS. Hate to have division rivals come out on top again as a result of our 'interest.'
" Branch a long shot to return: Grievance may be heard before opener " . . . Branch a long shot to return: Grievance may be heard before opener By John Tomase / Boston Herald Sports Writer Sunday, September 3, 2006 - Updated: 11:06 AM EST The odds of Deion Branch opening the season in a Patriots uniform became even more remote yesterday with the news that his grievance against the team will likely be heard Saturday, one day before the opener against Buffalo. Attorney Jeffrey Kessler said yesterday that if Branch loses, he?ll file a second grievance alleging the Pats violated a provision in the collective bargaining agreement to negotiate in good faith.Branch is taking his battle to court to force a trade to the Jets, who offered him a six-year, $39 million deal with a $13 million signing bonus. That contract would begin immediately and replace the $1.05 million he?s due in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.The Jets have offered the Patriots a second-round pick in return. Branch?s first grievance contends the team reneged on a verbal agreement to trade him if it received adequate compensation.?The team did not have to make this deal with Deion,? Kessler said. ?Having made this deal, we want the team to live up to it. That?s all.? Branch?s side plans to highlight a number of players traded in the past year for second-round picks or lower, such as Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper (second), Broncos receiver Javon Walker (second) and Eagles wideout Donte? Stallworth (conditional third or fourth, plus backup linebacker Mark Simoneau). Players Association attorney Richard Berthelsen also noted that Branch was selected at the end of the second round with the 65th overall pick in 2002.The goal, Kessler said, is to force the Patriots to accept the second-round pick and send Branch to the Jets. Only if Branch?s side loses that hearing will it proceed with the second grievance.?The team hasn?t negotiated in good faith, as evidenced by the fact that it made an agreement to trade him, but never intended to go through with it,? Kessler said.As proof of the oral agreement, Kessler cited the Aug. 25 press release in which the Patriots announced their intentions to let Branch seek a trade. The release read, ?The New England Patriots have given Deion Branch permission to seek a trade and negotiate a contract with other clubs. This permission will extend until Sept. 1, 2006.? Said Kessler: ?The Patriots agreed with the player and his agent that if he could find a team where he could work out his player contract, and that team was willing to provide the Patriots with the type of draft-choice compensation that other teams have received in the past for comparable players, they would make the trade.?Barring an unforeseen reconciliation between now and next weekend, Branch will be sidelined when the season begins. What once seemed inconceivable - that he?s played his final game for the Patriots - now appears increasingly likely.The Patriots had hoped to show Branch he wasn?t worth as much as he thought on the market, but the last week disproved that. The Seahawks offered Branch the same deal as the Jets, but the Jets made their offer first. The Patriots? most recent offer to the Super Bowl MVP was a three-year extension worth $18.75 million that included an $8 million signing bonus spread over two years. Branch would still have played this year for $1.05 million and earned $15 million in the next three years, vs. $23 million in the same time frame from New York or Seattle.The Seahawks, incidentally, remain interested in resuscitating talks and may part with a first-round pick.Kessler has experience arguing grievances involving the Pats, including wrangling Bill Belichick out of his Jets contract. ?Ironically enough, I have represented him,? Kessler said. ?I have a perfectly good relationship with the coach.? > http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=155742 * * * yes, i know there is already ANOTHER thread re Deion Branch but, i thought it MIGHT be time to lock/close that one & start a new one . that one has more than 400 resp.'s . page after page, etc. ugggh. if not, pls just add this post to that thread. thanx ~
Who cares? If it backfires, what's the worst it could be? He winds up in Miami? He can't hurt us in Buffalo. Miami is a total crapshoot for any player at this point. Maybe Culpepper is good, maybe he craps out. While I like Harrington, I don't exactly fear him either.
What's really interesting about this is that if true the Pats are further validating Branch's demand for a top end contract. What kind of receiver is actually worth 2 first round picks? Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and a raft of other top end talent have been traded for less. So if I read this right the Pats are strengthening Branch's hand, nor weakening it. This is going to be very interesting to watch over the next week or two.
