Branch to Seahawks for #1 in 2007

[Dendave]

NFL.com

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9652967


Pats trade Branch to 'Hawks for first-round pick


NFL.com wire reports

(Sept. 11, 2006) -- The New England Patriots ended the holdout of receiver Deion Branch by trading him to the Seattle Seahawks for a draft pick.

Branch was entering the last season of the five-year contract he signed as a rookie. He held out of the mandatory minicamp in June and all of training camp. He has been subject to a $14,000 fine for each day he holds out from July 28, the start of training camp.

Branch's agent, Jason Chayut, did not immediately return calls, and there was no immediate announcement of what round draft pick the Patriots will receive.

ESPN reported that New England would get a first-round pick in next year's draft.

In the 2005 Super Bowl, Branch had 11 catches for 133 yards against Philadelphia, helping the Patriots win their third championship in four years. Last season, he caught 78 passes for 998 yards and five touchdowns, all career highs. In four seasons, he has 213 receptions for 2,744 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Branch joins a team whose leading receiver, Darrell Jackson, missed the preseason. Jackson had not practiced until last week following his second knee surgery in four months, in February. Jackson played far more than expected in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Detroit Lions.

Seattle also has veteran Bobby Engram, former Minnesota Viking Nate Burleson and 2005 surprise D.J. Hackett in its receiving corps.

The last time the Seahawks traded their first-round pick for a veteran player was March 2, 2001, when then-general manager Holmgren traded for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

The Patriots are without their top two receivers from last season. David Givens signed with Tennessee as a free agent for five years and $24 million, including an $8 million signing bonus.

On Aug. 25, the Patriots gave Branch, who had been scheduled to make $1.045 million this year, permission to negotiate a contract with other teams and seek a trade until Sept. 1. The NFL Players Association filed a grievance on behalf of Branch after the Patriots did not trade him by the team-imposed deadline.

The grievance alleged that in allowing Branch to work out a contract with another team, the Patriots agreed they would trade him if Branch was comfortable with that contract and the draft choice compensation for him "was commensurate with what has been the value of similar players," union lawyer Richard Berthelsen said.

He said the New York Jets had offered a second-round draft pick for Branch, which Berthelsen said was of commensurate value.

[penguintheory]

Owned!!

[Hercules Rockefeller]

What a massive overpayment for a guy who has been in the league 4 years, and has 14 TDs and is yet to hit 1,000 yds receiving

[Killericon]

Anyone notice the Hawks have the most WR talent in the league?

Anyone?

This is scary.

[Derger_Louis]

What a massive overpayment for a guy who has been in the league 4 years, and has 14 TDs and is yet to hit 1,000 yds receiving

How was that a massive overpayment? Their 1st rounder is more thank likely going to be one of the last picks in the 1st round. Chances are, that they atleast go to the NFC Championship game, if not the Superbowl. If this happens to be the case, then they will be selecting 29-32, which is basically a high 2nd rounder. Remember that we gave up the 5th pick in the second round (#37) for Javon Walker who had a bad knee.

I don't see this as being much different than the trade we made to get Javon.

998 yards is close enough for me.

Deion Branch:

Receiving Stats
YEAR TEAM G REC YDS AVG LNG TD FD FUM LOST
2002 NWE 13 43 489 11.4 49 2 22 0 0
2003 NWE 15 57 803 14.1 66 3 40 0 0
2004 NWE 9 35 454 13.0 26 4 27 0 0
2005 NWE 16 78 998 12.8 51 5 51 0 0
Career 53 213 2744 12.9 66 14 140 0 0

Javon Walker:

Receiving Stats
YEAR TEAM G REC YDS AVG LNG TD FD FUM LOST
2002 GNB 15 23 319 13.9 30 1 14 1 1
2003 GNB 16 41 716 17.5 66 9 27 1 1
2004 GNB 16 89 1382 15.5 79 12 63 2 2
2005 GNB 1 4 27 6.8 9 0 2 0 0
2006 DEN 1 3 41 13.7 18 0 2 0 0
Career 49 160 2485 15.5 79 22 108 4 4

[fdf]

How was that a massive overpayment? Their 1st rounder is more thank likely going to be one of the last picks in the 1st round. Chances are, that they atleast go to the NFC Championship game, if not the Superbowl. If this happens to be the case, then they will be selecting 29-32, which is basically a high 2nd rounder. Remember that we gave up the 5th pick in the second round (#37) for Javon Walker who had a bad knee.

Good point. Trades like this are why New England has such a successful franchise.

[kappys]

How was that a massive overpayment? Their 1st rounder is more thank likely going to be one of the last picks in the 1st round. Chances are, that they atleast go to the NFC Championship game, if not the Superbowl. If this happens to be the case, then they will be selecting 29-32, which is basically a high 2nd rounder. Remember that we gave up the 5th pick in the second round (#37) for Javon Walker who had a bad knee.

I don't see this as being much different than the trade we made to get Javon.



The Seahawks are thinking highly of their chances then. While you have to give them the benefit of the doubt, a couple of injuries, a bad run late in the season, or a number of possibilities to give then a mid first pick which I think would be a very high price for Branch.

[Kaylore]

Branch is good but I don't know about a first. I guess he's proven, but still...

[watermock]

New England is going to start feeling the effects of attrition. Of course, that's been said before.

[Popps]

Props to Seattle, a franchise that is constantly trying to make itself better.

Seattle's first round pick will likely be a very low first rounder. Branch has a chance to be their #1 receiver, almost immediately. Jackson is sketchy and injury prone... and they lost a big weapon in Joe J.

Again, I'm not sure what the logic is in HOPING your late first rounder might pan out.... over taking a fairly proven commodity for that pick if its available.

Seattle fans have to be pretty happy about this, I'd think.

[-Slap-]

How was that a massive overpayment? Their 1st rounder is more thank likely going to be one of the last picks in the 1st round. Chances are, that they atleast go to the NFC Championship game, if not the Superbowl. If this happens to be the case, then they will be selecting 29-32, which is basically a high 2nd rounder. Remember that we gave up the 5th pick in the second round (#37) for Javon Walker who had a bad knee.

We overpaid for Javon, too. You might notice we wanted to use that pick on Chad Jackson and we settled for Javon.

Beyond that, NFL teams operate under something called a salary cap. When you've already lavished a $49 million contract on one mediocre receiver like Nate Burleson, it doesn't behoove you to do the same thing on another smaller one.

Not when you've already been stupid enough to give a 29 year old running back $62 million when he's about two years away from turning into Eddie George.

[Derger_Louis]

Beyond that, NFL teams operate under something called a salary cap. When you've already lavished a $49 million contract on one mediocre receiver like Nate Burleson, it doesn't behoove you to do the same thing on another smaller one.

Please see below - did you really think he was going to get the full $49 million???

, Burleson's guaranteed money is $5.25 million and the contract is structured so it likely will be redone after three or four seasons.

After Burleson's contract is restructured, they will be just fine under this thing you call the salary cap.

Here is a link that explains why the contract was set up like it was, since you obviously missed the point of it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2383020

[ZachKC]

Crazy

[-Slap-]

Please see below - did you really think he was going to get the full $49 million???



After Burleson's contract is restructured, they will be just fine under this thing you call the salary cap.

Here is a link that explains why the contract was set up like it was, since you obviously missed the point of it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2383020

Still a horrible contract and only a moron would defend the Burleson signing.

Seattle chose a pair of very average wide receivers over the best guard in football. Utter stupidity.

[maven]

UPDATE

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2585050

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Deion Branch eased the pain of nearly $600,000 in fines for his holdout in New England by signing a $39 million, six-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday.

The former Super Bowl MVP missed the entire preseason with the Patriots before he was traded to Seattle on Monday for a 2007 first-round draft pick. He signed the contract with the Seahawks one day later.

Branch will receive $13 million in bonus and guarantees, according to a person in the league close to the negotiations who requested anonymity because the terms had not yet been announced. About $23 million is due to Branch in the first three years of the deal, likely making him a fixture in Seattle's currently crowded passing game.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

[Ballhawk]

What a massive overpayment for a guy who has been in the league 4 years, and has 14 TDs and is yet to hit 1,000 yds receiving

I actually think the Seahawks came out on front of this deal. Best case scenario is that 1st rounder is 24th maybe. How many late first rounders become good starters? Also I think this trade may just keep NE from going deep into the playoffs.

If the Pats didn't spread the ball around so much Branch would have hit 1K a couple times.

[WABronco]

Still a horrible contract and only a moron would defend the Burleson signing.

Seattle chose a pair of very average wide receivers over the best guard in football. Utter stupidity.

It's, in essence, a 4 year deal with just over 5 mil guaranteed. What's so moronic or horrible about it? Darrell Jackson, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram...best receiving corps in the NFL. And, on top of that, DJ Hackett was one of the most valuable 4/5 receivers in the league last year.

And no, they did not "choose" two receivers over Hutch...and they didn't choose Burleson over Hutch. They made a mistake in not franchising Hutch and they put too much trust in Hutchinson's loyalty and desire to remain a Seahawk. Holmgren was pissed, and probably still is. It's not like they didn't want the guy back...

Further more, Tim Ruskell has been one of the best GM's in the league since his hiring. Every...single...one of his FA signings have turned out to be PURE GOLD. His drafts have been PURE GOLD. Even after the Hutchinson thing, he's still got some mulligans left over if you ask me. His most recent signing--Julian Peterson--looks to be yet another great one. Peterson would not have been possible without the Hutch savings...

[WABronco]

We overpaid for Javon, too. You might notice we wanted to use that pick on Chad Jackson and we settled for Javon.

We wanted Chad Jackson over Javon Walker? News to me...

Not when you've already been stupid enough to give a 29 year old running back $62 million when he's about two years away from turning into Eddie George

Do you think they really were going to let the league MVP go while the team's Super Bowl window is still open? They need to win now, not in 3 more years after they develop a whole new ground game.

I didn't agree with the signing initially, but again, it's not all guaranteed.

[Derger_Louis]

Still a horrible contract and only a moron would defend the Burleson signing.

Seattle chose a pair of very average wide receivers over the best guard in football. Utter stupidity.

Who is defending the Seahawks signing of Burleson ??? All I did was explain something to you since you didn't know what you were talking about. Does that make me a moron?

I don't know why you would say branch is average. He may not be worth the amount of money he is getting, but he is in no way average. Secondly, the Seahawks didn't choose anybody over Hutchinson, and if you were going to assume that, why wouldn't you include Julian Peterson ???

Didn't you get anything from that article earlier? The reason they couldn't match what Minnesota proposed, was because of the P-O-I-S-O-N P-I-L-L-S. Here, maybe this will help a little more - courtesy of Wikipedia:

In professional sports, a poison pill is a component of a contract, which one team offers a player, that makes it difficult or impossible for another team (which has the right of first refusal) to match. While it can often refer to a salary structure or clause that would affect all teams equally, it has taken on a new specific meaning of a clause that has unbalanced impact. For example, in March 2006, the Minnesota Vikings offered Steve Hutchinson, an offensive guard on the Seattle Seahawks, a 7 year, $49 million contract of which $16 million was guaranteed. This contract offer had two poison pills in it. One was the salary structure, which would require the team to pay $13 million in the first year of the contract. That salary structure would apply to both teams equally, as the Seahawks would also have to pay $13 million in the first contract year, were they to match the offer. The second was a clause that required Hutchinson to be the highest paid player on the offensive line, or else the entire contract would be guaranteed. Since the Seahawks had another offensive lineman with a higher salary and the Vikings did not, this clause would have required the Seahawks to guarantee $49 million, and it effectively eliminated the Seahawks' opportunity to match the contract offer. In the wake of this contract offer, similar clauses have appeared in other contract offers (including, ironically, a contract offered to Vikings wide receiver Nate Burleson by the Seahawks), and the term poison pill has come to be more closely identified with the asymetrical-impact clause.

Yes, Seattle should have just franchised him to begin with, and avoided the whole situation, but who would have thought this would have happened?

[-Slap-]

We wanted Chad Jackson over Javon Walker? News to me...

It shouldn't be news to anyone who watched the draft. We made a deal to acquire the 37th pick before the draft. New England traded up to 36 to get ahead of us and we didn't pull the trigger on Walker until after Jackson was off the board. Maybe those were a random series of coincidences.

Do you think they really were going to let the league MVP go while the team's Super Bowl window is still open? They need to win now, not in 3 more years after they develop a whole new ground game.

If Holmgren had any brains or balls that's exactly what he should have done. Instead he's got the next Eddie George on his hands. Alexander's contract is going to look totally ridiculous in two years. Maybe Holmgren figures its something the next regime can worry about.

[-Slap-]

Yes, Seattle should have just franchised him to begin with, and avoided the whole situation, but who would have thought this would have happened?

Somebody with a functioning brain?

[-Slap-]

How stupid can people be?

We can retain the best guard in football or we can acquire a couple wideouts who probably rank in the top 40 at their positions.

Its idiotic to devote that much money to one position. Especially since they don't have a bona fide number one receiver out of the entire bunch. How often do you think its feasible to go four or five wide anyway?

[-Slap-]

Didn't you get anything from that article earlier? The reason they couldn't match what Minnesota proposed, was because of the P-O-I-S-O-N P-I-L-L-S. Here, maybe this will help a little more - courtesy of Wikipedia:

I'm glad that article enhanced your education. Most sports fans have been aware of poison pills in contracts for several years now.

[Requiem]

Slap, I'm really glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Javon deal was forced with New England trading up to get Chad Jackson.

Afterall, is it a coincidence Denver had their tongues hanging out of their mouths at the combine in regards to this kid?

We brought him to workout for a reason. . .

[WABronco]

It shouldn't be news to anyone who watched the draft. We made a deal to acquire the 37th pick before the draft. New England traded up to 36 to get ahead of us and we didn't pull the trigger on Walker until after Jackson was off the board. Maybe those were a random series of coincidences.

I thought it had more to do with GB just forcing our hand. GB did have pick 36, after all. I was under the impression that Walker was the guy all along...and I really hope that was the case.

If Holmgren had any brains or balls that's exactly what he should have done. Instead he's got the next Eddie George on his hands. Alexander's contract is going to look totally ridiculous in two years. Maybe Holmgren figures its something the next regime can worry about

Right, and then they go back into their 10-6, lose in the first round ways...

Besides, it's not Holmgren making the calls. It's Ruskell. Holmgren barely has any say left in terms of player-personel decisions.

[WABronco]

Slap, I'm really glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Javon deal was forced with New England trading up to get Chad Jackson.

Afterall, is it a coincidence Denver had their tongues hanging out of their mouths at the combine in regards to this kid?

We brought him to workout for a reason. . .

Just like we did with Sinorice Moss, Santonio Holmes, and Maurice Stovall...

Am I the only one that thinks that Javon was the WR of choice? I mean, were we not going after a legit Lelie replacement from the get-go?

[Requiem]

Just like we did with Sinorice Moss, Santonio Holmes, and Maurice Stovall...

Am I the only one that thinks that Javon was the WR of choice? I mean, were we not going after a legit Lelie replacement from the get-go?

Had Javon not been acquired and we spent #37 on a rookie receiver, I think Lelie would still be playing here this year.

Holmes was gone by #37, and Moss went a few picks after to the Giants. . . and Stovall went #90 to the Bucs.

Denver really, really liked Holmes and Jackson. I don't think there's a coincidence that New England traded up in front of us to get him. I think that forced us to get Javon Walker.

[Play2win]

Seattle condemned its fans to over TWO YEARS of the inability of buying or drinking BEER while attending their NFL GAMES...

DENVER had their new stadium up the next season, without missing a beat...

That shows the difference between the CLASS of these two organizations...

[WABronco]

How stupid can people be?

We can retain the best guard in football or we can acquire a couple wideouts who probably rank in the top 40 at their positions.

Its idiotic to devote that much money to one position. Especially since they don't have a bona fide number one receiver out of the entire bunch. How often do you think its feasible to go four or five wide anyway?

Losing Hutchinson was not something they wanted...period. They made a mistake by not franchising him and they paid for it...they're moving on. They didn't hatch some wacko scheme that had them ditching Hutch for Burleson...that's just the way it turned out. They tried to restructure Walter Jones' deal so they could beat the poison pill, but the arbiter canned that idea at the last second. After he chose to sign that deal, there was nothing Seattle could do...

Per John Clayton, the pecking order was Alexander, Hutch, and then Rocky Bernard. They wanted to retain Hutchinson. They lost him, and they've moved on.

[Derger_Louis]

I'm glad that article enhanced your education. Most sports fans have been aware of poison pills in contracts for several years now.

Did I ever say, that no one knew about poison pills? The poison pills in the Hutchinson case as well as the Burleson case are taking things farther than what has been used in the past, just like the below article mentions:

http://vikings.scout.com/2/508556.html

But i'm sure you were expecting this the whole time, right?

[Play2win]

Slap, I'm really glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Javon deal was forced with New England trading up to get Chad Jackson.

Afterall, is it a coincidence Denver had their tongues hanging out of their mouths at the combine in regards to this kid?

We brought him to workout for a reason. . .

We were able to get our "Chad Jackson", except better in everything that CJ brings to the table That Matters, his name is BRANDON MARSHAL... ;D

[WABronco]

Had Javon not been acquired and we spent #37 on a rookie receiver, I think Lelie would still be playing here this year.

Obviously. Did we not contact one Terrell Owens before hand, though?

Holmes was gone by #37, and Moss went a few picks after to the Giants. . . and Stovall went #90 to the Bucs.

Yes, the point I was making is that we weren't just zeroed in on one guy...or at least I didn't think so.

Denver really, really liked Holmes and Jackson. I don't think there's a coincidence that New England traded up in front of us to get him. I think that forced us to get Javon Walker

Sinorice Moss also said himself that Shanahan told him that he'd make a great receiver in Denver's system.

I also don't think there's a coincidence that Green Bay traded that pick to New England...

[Derger_Louis]

Just like we did with Sinorice Moss, Santonio Holmes, and Maurice Stovall...

Am I the only one that thinks that Javon was the WR of choice? I mean, were we not going after a legit Lelie replacement from the get-go?

I was under the impression that we were targeting Javon the whole time as well, and the others were just back up plans in case we didn't get him. But who knows.

[Requiem]

Green Bay dealing #36 to the Patriots made our need to get a receiver (one who we probably thought could make an impact) even bigger with who we had on board. It seems to me, Denver felt a lot better trading #37 for Walker than using it on Sinorice or another guy. Made perfect sense to me, but I've always felt that New England kinda f'ed us over. I had been under the impression that Jackson was going to be the guy at #37.

Green Bay got a butt-load of ammo from two consective trade, but I'm happy Javon is here.

You know I was all over Jackson though big time.

[Play2win]

Losing Hutchinson was not something they wanted...period. They made a mistake by not franchising him and they paid for it...they're moving on. They didn't hatch some wacko scheme that had them ditching Hutch for Burleson...that's just the way it turned out. They tried to restructure Walter Jones' deal so they could beat the poison pill, but the arbiter canned that idea at the last second. After he chose to sign that deal, there was nothing Seattle could do...

Per John Clayton, the pecking order was Alexander, Hutch, and then Rocky Bernard. They wanted to retain Hutchinson. They lost him, and they've moved on.

Years ago, if they replace Kitna and didn't replace Ahman Green, they might not have wallowed away in mediocrity for the last decade or so...


If Seattle wasn't so obsessed with being a BASEBALL TOWN, it might have been able to field a decent 53 man roster...

[WABronco]

You know I was all over Jackson though big time.

As was I...

I'm much happier with Walker however. As soon as I caught wind of the potential Javon-to-Denver deal, I pretty much dropped everything else...

This is weird though...I thought everybody had the same line of thinking as I do. Weren't there radio reports during and before the draft even started that there was a Javon deal in the works? I mean, why the hell would Shanahan do the ol' lock-down on Javon when he was at Shanny's house? I feel like I'm going crazy here...

No matter...what's done is done.

[Requiem]

I'm actually happy the way it turned out, if Brandon proves out well. . . I'd rather have Jay-Walker-Brandon than. . . Jay-Sinorice-Brandon, or something.

Too bad Kiwanuka didn't fall to #37, I was pooping myself when he slid. I really believed at one point in time we were going to make a move for him, but how stupid was I to ever think that.

A possible starting RE for 10 years, top ten talent. . . at #32? Of course we're not going to get him.

:(

[-Slap-]

Just like we did with Sinorice Moss, Santonio Holmes, and Maurice Stovall...

Am I the only one that thinks that Javon was the WR of choice? I mean, were we not going after a legit Lelie replacement from the get-go?

Well, I don't know. The Broncos seemed to think there was a lot to like about Chad Jackson. He totally blew away all the other receivers in the ball catching drills at the Combine. Obviously he lacks the experience and proven production Javon Walker has, but he would have been cheaper. Especially considering he was projected into the first round, but the strength of the draft pushed him into the top of the second round. That's a built-in discount right there. He's also faster than Walker and he doesn't have the surgical knee.

As far as guessing how Ashley Girlie would have reacted? Who knows or cares?

[Play2win]

Javon Walker + Brandon Marshal > Chad Jackson

[WABronco]

Years ago, if they replace Kitna and didn't replace Ahman Green, they might not have wallowed away in mediocrity for the last decade or so...


If Seattle wasn't so obsessed with being a BASEBALL TOWN, it might have been able to field a decent 53 man roster...

Replace Kitna? With whom? There was no-one to replace him. Green was nothing special during his Seattle days...and without that trade there's no Steve Hutchinson for Seattle.

Being a baseball town had nothing to do with it...their FO was a collection of scrubs and morons.

They've got their **** together now though.

(aside from that whole Hutchinson thing...I don't know what that's all about:approve: )

[-Slap-]

Javon Walker + Brandon Marshal > Chad Jackson

Why do people assume we wouldn't have drafted Marshall if we drafted Jackson?

That's absurd. We would have still drafted Marshall regardless.

[WABronco]

Why do people assume we wouldn't have drafted Marshall if we drafted Jackson?

That's absurd. We would have still drafted Marshall regardless.

I agree here. Marshall spoke very highly of his Denver visit, and Shanahan indicated that Marshall was a top target on draft day.

[Play2win]

Replace Kitna? With whom? There was no-one to replace him. Green was nothing special during his Seattle days...and without that trade there's no Steve Hutchinson for Seattle.

Being a baseball town had nothing to do with it...their FO was a collection of scrubs and morons.

They've got their **** together now though.

(aside from that whole Hutchinson thing...I don't know what that's all about:approve: )



Seattle wanted to be a baseball town soooo bad, that is for sure...

You can take that to the bank, er, I mean, The SAFE... ;D

[WABronco]

Seattle wanted to be a baseball town soooo bad, that is for sure...

You can take that to the bank, er, I mean, The SAFE... ;D

Well, after finally being able to associate winning and positive feelings with baseball--after a few odd decades--can you really blame them?

'95 was magic...:thumbsup:

[-Slap-]

The Seattle Pilots blew in and out of town in one season.

[Play2win]

Why do people assume we wouldn't have drafted Marshall if we drafted Jackson?

That's absurd. We would have still drafted Marshall regardless.

Brandon and CJ have similarities... Big, Physically strong... supposedly "Bull" WR's, maybe lacking in route running ability...

Well, from what I understand, Marshal doesn't have any deficiency in his route running ability, that CJ has never really shown great expertise in... let alone ball awareness...

Just because his name is "Chad" Doesn't mean he is going to be the next CJ... Sh!t, he doesn't even have gold teeth... ;D

[Play2win]

Well, after finally being able to associate winning and positive feelings with baseball--after a few odd decades--can you really blame them?

'95 was magic...:thumbsup:

Yes, indeed... and I have had many good times at SAFECO... ;D

[Popps]

Thrilled to have Walker.

You build championship teams via the draft AND free agency these days. That's just the way it goes. The staff likely focused on Walker after meeting with Owens and figuring out he was as bad as advertised.
Walker would come cheaper, is younger and would likely match the production in our offense.

It was a great move, and the best use of a 2nd round pick a fan could ask for. Draftniks may not have liked it... because they just enjoy the process of the draft. But, a quick glance through our last 10 years will tell you that we have acquired exactly NO wide receivers worth a **** through the draft.

We have not drafted a receiver, or even a tight end (with the hopeful exception of Sheffler) that was worth a **** FOR A DECADE... maybe longer. Lelie was as close as we came, and we had to use a mid first rounder on him. (Ugh.)

Shanahan did the same thing with cornerbacks for years. He kept throwing draft picks at the problem, then got tired of it... and finally went out and just paid for a dominant corner. No surprise, he's our best player.

Walker will likely end up our #1 WR. We'll be paying him the going rate for #1 WRs who produce. That's life. Those who want to sit around and hoard their cap dollars should have been rooting for Arizona the last ten years.
Shanahan has played it close to the cap since he got here, and isn't going to change.

Seattle went out and did the same thing. They're close to a championship, and they're taking it very seriously.... not sitting back on their hands, hoping to remain slightly above average for years by hiding their money under their mattress.

Again, props to them. They went out and landed players like Grant Winston and others... and played in a Superbowl. Now, they're making aggressive moves to WIN one. If you're a Seattle fan, it's good times. If it doesn't work out, then you rebuild and try again, later. Better to take a shot while you're close than sit stagnant because you're too afraid to make a big move or two.

[Play2win]

Thrilled to have Walker.

You build championship teams via the draft AND free agency these days. That's just the way it goes. The staff likely focused on Walker after meeting with Owens and figuring out he was as bad as advertised.
Walker would come cheaper, is younger and would likely match the production in our offense.

It was a great move, and the best use of a 2nd round pick a fan could ask for. Draftniks may not have liked it... because they just enjoy the process of the draft. But, a quick glance through our last 10 years will tell you that we have acquired exactly NO wide receivers worth a **** through the draft.

We have not drafted a receiver, or even a tight end (with the hopeful exception of Sheffler) that was worth a **** FOR A DECADE... maybe longer. Lelie was as close as we came, and we had to use a mid first rounder on him. (Ugh.)

Shanahan did the same thing with cornerbacks for years. He kept throwing draft picks at the problem, then got tired of it... and finally went out and just paid for a dominant corner. No surprise, he's our best player.

Walker will likely end up our #1 WR. We'll be paying him the going rate for #1 WRs who produce. That's life. Those who want to sit around and hoard their cap dollars should have been rooting for Arizona the last ten years.
Shanahan has played it close to the cap since he got here, and isn't going to change.

Seattle went out and did the same thing. They're close to a championship, and they're taking it very seriously.... not sitting back on their hands, hoping to remain slightly above average for years by hiding their money under their mattress.

Again, props to them. They went out and landed players like Grant Winston and others... and played in a Superbowl. Now, they're making aggressive moves to WIN one. If you're a Seattle fan, it's good times. If it doesn't work out, then you rebuild and try again, later. Better to take a shot while you're close than sit stagnant because you're too afraid to make a big move or two.

There are only so many cards you can be dealt, and only so many you can HOLD, but only, in this case, we're dealing with a 53 card deck...

[-Slap-]

Replace Kitna? With whom? There was no-one to replace him. Green was nothing special during his Seattle days...and without that trade there's no Steve Hutchinson for Seattle.

Being a baseball town had nothing to do with it...their FO was a collection of scrubs and morons.

They've got their **** together now though.

(aside from that whole Hutchinson thing...I don't know what that's all about:approve: )

The Hutchinson thing was pretty big if you ask me.

I have a very hard time believing this organization has any clear direction whatsoever. Two years ago they were willing to send Shaun Alexander to anybody winning to cough up a second round pick (the whole League passed), now they're giving him $62 million on a long term deal?

Sounds like they've got a real blueprint in place alright.

Hey, I'm not saying their front office hasn't done some things well. I loved the Tatupu selection and I was a big fan of the Peterson signing, too.

On the other hand, this surplus of wide receivers is just a bad idea all the way around. About all they're going to accomplish is some guys will start bitching because they're not getting enough reps. Who goes diva from this group first?

Meanwhile they commit $62 million to a 29 year old running back, then they let the reason for his success walk away.

Now they struggle to move the ball, against Detroit of all people, and suddenly they realize the running game is not going to be what is once was, so they overpay for a player at a position of established strength and weaken next year's draft class significantly.

You can smell the panic.

[Clockwork Orange]

Slap, I'm really glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Javon deal was forced with New England trading up to get Chad Jackson.

Afterall, is it a coincidence Denver had their tongues hanging out of their mouths at the combine in regards to this kid?

We brought him to workout for a reason. . .

Actually, all accounts leading up to the draft had the Broncos with Santonio Holmes higher on their draft board than Chad Jackson. There was some speculation that the Broncos were considering him at 15, though they obviously had Laurence Maroney ranked higher.

Also, the Broncos had had preliminary talks with the Packers about Javon Walker weeks before the draft. I have no doubt that the trade down from 22 was made specifically with the idea of getting a 2nd rounder higher than Philly's to offer to Green Bay.

[Clockwork Orange]

Just like we did with Sinorice Moss, Santonio Holmes, and Maurice Stovall...

Am I the only one that thinks that Javon was the WR of choice? I mean, were we not going after a legit Lelie replacement from the get-go?

You're not alone, though I think that Terrell Owens was the original target way back in February. Back when Shanahan & Bowlen were having meetings with Owens & Rosenholdout. It was then that they decided that Owens wasn't going to be worth the headaches and the money he was going to demand (a recent article said that the Broncos officials got no indication from Owens that he had changed at all).

I believe that Walker was plan B. I don't have a problem with the Walker trade at all, as I think he's going to do some great things for this team.

[youcandoit1687]

Anyone notice the Hawks have the most WR talent in the league?

Anyone?

This is scary.

id take larry fitzgerald, anquan boldin, and bryant johnson over all four of them, hell i might take fitz and boldin over the four. everytime seattle was mentioned with branch i thought to myself wtf? they already have 3 very capable receivers in burleson engram and djack with seneca wallace being a decent #4. i really dont get that, branch is pretty much a carbon copy of engram and djack. makes no sense to me to have 4 receivers with that skill especially with shaun alexander and mack strong. i doubt theyre in 4 wides more than 10% this year. they are a two back, zone cutback running team.

[Popps]

Jackson has had injury troubles and been a little inconsistent. Burleson remains a bit of a mystery. They obviously wanted another threat, and didn't feel like any of the guys they had were outstanding.

Remember, Brady had Branch, Brown and Givens (among others) to throw to during their strongest days. Nothing wrong with having more than one decent receiver. Bronco fans probably just struggle to remember what that's like. That should all change this year.

[WABronco]

The Hutchinson thing was pretty big if you ask me.

I have a very hard time believing this organization has any clear direction whatsoever. Two years ago they were willing to send Shaun Alexander to anybody winning to cough up a second round pick (the whole League passed), now they're giving him $62 million on a long term deal?

Sounds like they've got a real blueprint in place alright.

Hey, I'm not saying their front office hasn't done some things well. I loved the Tatupu selection and I was a big fan of the Peterson signing, too.

On the other hand, this surplus of wide receivers is just a bad idea all the way around. About all they're going to accomplish is some guys will start b****ing because they're not getting enough reps. Who goes diva from this group first?

Meanwhile they commit $62 million to a 29 year old running back, then they let the reason for his success walk away.

Now they struggle to move the ball, against Detroit of all people, and suddenly they realize the running game is not going to be what is once was, so they overpay for a player at a position of established strength and weaken next year's draft class significantly.

You can smell the panic.

If you can believe it, Seattle still wanted Alexander to "prove it" after the franchised him. He wasn't a tough runner, he wasn't a hard worker, he wasn't a complete back. Evidently, they felt he proved something with his MVP performance. He was still a very productive back before his franchise tag-year, but he wasn't irreplaceable. Personally, I think they could've gotten by this year with a platoon of Maurice Morris and Leonard Weaver. People always think I'm crazy when I say that...

I can understand their unwillingness to not re-sign him though.

As far as the WR position is concerned, there's some question as to whether or not DJack's knee is going to cooperate this year. If Jackson is healthy, they're planning on using a 4 WR formation quite a bit (I believe it was called "Eagle set" or something like that). They are a very explosive offense, and I guess they feel that the addition of another proven weapon outweighs the potential benefits of a late first round pick. I wasn't a fan of the Branch-to-Denver rumors, but I think Branch will be a good fit in Seattle. He's a reliable receiver, and his quickness and YAC ability figure to be dangerous in the 'Hawks scheme.

I've said in other threads--I don't think they even have a serious first round-type need. Center (Spencer might move to guard), cornerback, and maybe a backup TE is all I can think of...

I watched some parts of the Detroit game. Shaun Rogers is the reason the offense struggled (who was matched up with Pork Chop Womack--the temp Hutch replacement). That and the entire Detroit D was jacked out of their minds. They escaped with a win...and I seriously doubt that their offensive struggles will continue. I fully expect them to beat down 'Zona and end all this sleeper-talk bull****...

These moves are very easy to criticize, and I don't blame you. I may have drank a little bit of Ruskell kool-aid, but I'm still going to wait a bit before I make conclusions.

[-Slap-]

I can only imagine what Seahawk message boards looked like as they divided into Keep Hutch and Keep Shaun camps.

[BroncoBuff]

Jackson has had injury troubles and been a little inconsistent. Burleson remains a bit of a mystery. They obviously wanted another threat, and didn't feel like any of the guys they had were outstanding.

Remember, Brady had Branch, Brown and Givens (among others) to throw to during their strongest days. Nothing wrong with having more than one decent receiver. Bronco fans probably just struggle to remember what that's like. That should all change this year.

I like the deal. Jackson and Burleson are nowhere near what Branch is ... I'm worried about my boy D.J., though ... after an excellent pre-season where he earned some face time, he's back to 3rd string status ...

A first-rounder is a hefty price to pay. But Branch has proven - against NFL talent and in the playoffs - that he's definitely worthy of a first-round pick, whereas the Hawks' top pick next year might flame out (half of first-rounders do).

Plus, they get him NOW, while they're on the brink ... instead of two-three years down the line when they might be mediocre again.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

I like the deal. Jackson and Burleson are nowhere near what Branch is ...

Jackson's hit 1,000 yds 3 times in 6 seasons, we're all still waiting for Branch to his his 1st. Amazing that people say 1,000 yds isn't what it used to be and it's much easier to attain than in the past, but Branch should get credit for being just barely shy of it last year. Jackson's also had 6 or more TDs 4 times, the next time Deion hits that will be his first as well. Hell, even Burleson has a 1,000 yd season in his career.

The way people talk about Deion, you'd think he'd gone to multiple Pro Bowls or at least cracked the Top 20 at some point in receiving yards in a season.

[youcandoit1687]

thank you herc, hes clutch tho, something that stonehands jackson didnt prove until last year in the div and C games. i would have totally understood these two new acquisitions(burleson and branch) the year before but this year its a little bit of a headscratcher as to why they wouldnt spend that money and that pick somewhere else. what are their WRs salaries now? burleson was what 6/42?

[WABronco]

thank you herc, hes clutch tho, something that stonehands jackson didnt prove until last year in the div and C games. i would have totally understood these two new acquisitions(burleson and branch) the year before but this year its a little bit of a headscratcher as to why they wouldnt spend that money and that pick somewhere else. what are their WRs salaries now? burleson was what 6/42?

Branch is 6/39 mil

Burleson is 7/49 mil on paper

Not sure about Jackson, but it's not as big. DJack is the best receiver of the bunch though, if you ask me. Since he's gotten over his dropsies, he's become no. 1 material.

[Clockwork Orange]

Burleson is 7/49 mil on paper

Pretty stupid when teams start throwing money around just for the sake of being vindictive. If you're gonna go that route, at least nab a player who's worth it.

I realize that Burleson will never see anywhere near all that money, but still, what message did they send with that move? Steal an intregal piece of our team and we'll return the favor by nabbing an average receiver off your roster!! Ha ha!!

Obligatory "Nate Burleson = ratings" mention here. :yayaya:

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Steal an intregal piece of our team and we'll return the favor by nabbing an average receiver off your roster!! Ha ha!!


and we'll give you a 3rd round pick in the process too

[BroncoInferno]

Why do people assume we wouldn't have drafted Marshall if we drafted Jackson?

That's absurd. We would have still drafted Marshall regardless.

I don't think Jackson had anything to do with the Walker aquisition. Even if Shanny really liked Jackson, he's been down the road with rookie WRs enough to know you can't count on them for immediate production, which is what I think he was looking for. I think Clockwork has it right...we traded down with SF at least in part to give us a higher 2nd than Philly to insure the deal would happen.

[DrFate]

The way people talk about Deion, you'd think he'd gone to multiple Pro Bowls or at least cracked the Top 20 at some point in receiving yards in a season.

There are some people on this board that are really overrating Branch. He simply hasn't been that productive. As much as I have slammed Lelie I don't see how he didn't have more value than Branch. The Hawks were crazy to give up a 1st for what amounts to a marginal #2 WR.

[Popps]

Branch has benefited from the SB exposure, obviously. But, it's no surprise he comes with more perceived value than Lelie. He's really been a more complete receiver, and it's widely known that Brady spread the ball all over the place. His numbers in NE were just indicative of having a lot of talent around him.

Seattle looks at him and sees upside for a #1 receiver. They're getting him for a low first rounder, they'll set up a nice long contract, and have a good receiving weapon with some playoff experience and a proven track record.

Not the greatest move ever, but again... this is a franchise that realizes how close they are, and are doing everything they can to shore themselves up. They're not playing it conservative.