Any word on the grievance the NFLPA files against the patrirats when they turn down the Jets proposal for Branch.
I don't understand what the grievance is. The Patriots signed him to a contract in which he has to offer. They are not obligated to trade him or rework his contract and as far as I can tell, are willing to have him return to the team whenever he is ready to get his head out of his ass. So what exactly does Branch have to complain about?
i think it is most likely just a ploy from his agent to get the patriots to understand that he doesnt want to play there. If he makes enough fuss and has the patriots think that he will be a dsitraction during the season and then they will lose him for nothing then they might be more apt to make a deal.....sounds good for us. If we got Branch for J mac and a 2nd I would grade this offseason as an A+ for tannenbaum condsiderings he literally started with bones and has built a pretty solid body of a team for the future. I for one and VERY excited about the season.
No way we get Branch. If he forces his way out of New England he'll wind up in Seattle. Note by the way that Seattle helped us out bigtime by making a 1st round offer for JAbe when Atlanta was trying to screw us. This looks like the return favor in my opinion. Kudos to Tannenbaum for finding some friends in the NFC.
I don't know. I think Branch has some chance to succeed in the grievance. If New England told him to look for a deal, and then upon getting one asked for unreasonable compensation that is bad faith and they may get ruled against. The "value" of a WR has been poretty much set over the last few years as a 2, so if the offers were at least that New England stands a chance to lose in arbitration.
I have a hard time seeing how Branch could succeed. He's the one in breach of contract, not the Patriots.
Branch sits out the first 10 games this year and then becomes a FA. If the Pats want something for him, they need to trade him or sign him to a new deal.
Who gets to say they want "unreasonable compensation"? They want two 1st roudners. Why does Branch or some other team get to tell them he's worth less?
The compensation is the crux of the grievance. The pats stated they wanted something reasonable for a player of his caliber; two number 1s is not reasonable.... The grievance alleges 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, Berthelsen said. He said the Jets' offer of a second-round draft pick for Branch was of commensurate value, citing the Dolphins' acquisition of quarterback Daunte Culpepper for a second-round pick as an example. http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/dropped_pass_jets_mark_cannizzaro.htm
But that paragraph is straight from Jason Chayut's mouth and, even with that slant, is an absurd case to try to prove. Branch is looking to get this into a forum where they can initiate settlement discussions with the Patriots. There's no other way he can come out of this on the plus-side.
Sorry, but the Patriots do not have to trade him and can ask for anything they want in a trade. There is no NFL rule that says a player has to be traded if they want a trade, nor that the Pats have to offer something "reasonable" to another team that wants to trade for a player they have under contract. The Pats played a game with Branch and, essentially they lost. They let him seek trade offers thinking he would not get anything more than they were offering in terms of a long term deal. They were wrong. However, he is still under contract to them for this year and has no option but to play for the Pats or sit. What the Jets did, which was smart, was drive the price up if NE wants to sign him. If NE doesn't offer similar money next year when he is a free agent, he walks. But he will not be a Jet this year. Maybe next year, but not in 2006.
But no team is going to sign him and give up two 1st rounders, and thus they would be in the same situation that the Jets and the Seahawks are in.
Teams that have wound up with a player franchised over multiple seasons have generally had issues down the road. Nobody points at it but I'm convinced that the Ram's repeated franchising of Orlando Pace had a huge negative effect on their locker-room and affected their gradual deterioration from a great team to a mediocre one.
The grievance was over the Pats' denial of NY's offer? I thought it was filed by Branch himself over their refusal to give him the money he wants.
