Extending a Branch

While watching Randy Moss and Brett Favre mostly not connect (with one large exception) in their loss to the New York Football Jets on Monday night, a news flash on the bottom of the screen reported that the Pats had traded a fourth-round draft pick to Seattle to bring back fan favorite and Tom Brady buddy Deion Branch.

BRANCH AND BILL: Good times.

I don't know a Pats fan who doesn't like Deion Branch. Bringing back the former Super Bowl MVP and clutch receiver certainly lessens the sting of the Moss trade. A little.

Branch was traded to the Seahawks after the 2005 season after holding out for a better contract. The Pats offered him a three-year deal that would have paid him more than $4 million a year. It seemed like a fair offer to a player who was very good, but not elite. Branch didn't agree so the Pats sent him to the Northwest for a first-round pick. That was a trade I had no problem with. The Seahawks turned around and gave Branch almost $40 million. A ridiculous amount of money. That's why the Pats continue to be one of the top 10 teams every year and the Seahawks don't. They don't make stupid decisions. They are not always right, but rarely stupid.

The problem with the Branch trade was that Belichick, for one of the few times, did not seem to have a plan on how to replace him. Brady spent 2006 throwing passes to guys like Reche Caldwell and Doug Gabriel. Somehow the team still made the playoffs but got knocked out by Denver. It was then that Belichick went out and got Welker and Moss and created the greatest passing attack the league had seen.

Meanwhile out in Seattle, Branch struggled through injuries and because the Seahawks rarely got to play in big games he never got to show off his best attribute -- making clutch plays. My impression from afar was that Branch's years in Seattle were not very productive. But a look at his numbers shows he pretty much matched what he did with the Pats.

Now that Moss is gone and Branch is back many of the spouting heads see the Pats returning to the ball-control offense of 2001. That may be the case. Although it might help if Antoine Smith was still carrying the ball. Either way, the events of the past two weeks have merely been a distraction from the real questions facing the team.

Can the defense stop anyone? Have they made any strides since last season's playoff beating? Come 1 p.m. on Sunday those questions will really have a chance to be answered.

The forecast is 62 degrees and sunny. Time to start packing the trunk.