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August 2, 2006

Brady wants Branch back

While Patriots coach Bill Belichick is adamant about discussing only ``the players that are here,’’ quarterback Tom Brady found himself deluged with questions about Deion Branch and an article published on SI.com Tuesday that stated Brady is ``mad as hell about the contract-related absence of’’ the wide receiver.

Saying that the situation ``has maybe gotten overblown a little bit,’’ Brady yesterday clarified some of the comments that were made in the piece written by Michael Silver.

``When you build a relationship with someone for a long time _ and as coach said, the quarterback-receiver relationship is a little different _ he’s one of my favorite guys,’’ Brady said following the afternoon practice session at Gillette Stadium. ``Sometimes when I speak I do get a little emotional about things, but I love Deion. I love him as a person and as a player. The thing about it is I don’t make any decisions here, and I don’t lobby for things. I don’t go into Coach Belichick’s office and mention anything to him. He makes his own decisions and he and [Vice President of Player Personnel] Scott (Pioli), they do probably the best job of anybody in the league.’’

In speaking with the local media last Friday regarding Branch’s absence on the first day of camp, Brady similarly identified Branch as being one of his favorite players and spoke about the importance of the team establishing a sense of continuity as quickly as possible, pointing out that the Pats weren’t able to do that last preseason because of injuries.

But that’s where he stopped on the issue, saying ``I’ve learned that you just need to deal with it. You'd love to have everyone there every week, but that's just not the reality.’’

Brady was more outspoken in the SI article, written following Silver’s interview with him on Saturday. He was quoted as saying: ``Deion is the most important player on our offense. When I look at the elite receivers in the game, he is second to nobody. He doesn't get a lot of the credit, because we do spread the ball around here, and he doesn't feel a need to promote himself like so many guys at that position. But he is that good."

Brady, who has remained in constant contact with Branch, said he felt the need to come to his teammate’s defense when Silver implied that Branch wasn’t as good as some other receivers in the league and insisted he was not trying to use the SI story to help Branch’s situation by giving it some national visibility.

``I don’t come here with motives or plans or anything like that,’’ he said. ``You guys know me. I just speak my mind. This one I think just got a little overblown.’’

Branch, entering the final year of his five-year rookie deal, was reportedly offered a 3-year extension worth nearly $19 million by the Patriots, which he rejected. The team can fine him up to $14,000 for each day he misses camp.

Asked which side he was most upset with _ Branch for holding out or the Patriots for not being more proactive _ Brady said it’s really neither.

``Honestly, I don’t think I’m upset at anybody,’’ he said. ``I know that was probably characterized in the article and I didn’t ever say I was angry or anything like that. But no, I’m not angry. It’s totally out of my control. It’s in the control of the people that I want it to be in the control of _ my coach and the general manager of my team _ and like I said, they make great decisions, so I don’t have to worry about those. I just have to come out and try to play, and when Deion gets here, my job is going to be to get him going and get him up to speed and get our continuity back. And I’m excited when he does, and actually I’m very confident he will. I know Deion very well and he wants to be here as bad as anybody.’’

Brady spoke more about his connection with Branch: ``He’s a special player. In the biggest games, in the Super Bowls, he’s been my target. He’s been the guy I’ve been throwing to. I can’t say enough good things about him. He knows how I feel about him, and like I said, when it’s your quarterback and your receiver . . . (during the season) I see him more than I see my friends, my parents and my girlfriend combined.''

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 7:32 PM | Permalink