Branching Out

Apparently when talking about former Patriots, puns are requisite (remember all of the Ty Law headlines during the offseason). I am following suit here in discussing the effect of Deion Branch. It works out pretty well considering that the biggest thing Branch allowed the Seahawks to do was to spread out the Giants defense.

Branch sat out the Arizona game and was activated and used against the Giants in the exact way I predicted the day after he was traded to the Seahawks. The spread offense did not open things up for the running game, but it did mitigate the pass-rush as expected (the Giants did not tally a single sack). The addition of Branch and use of spread formations also really helped out Nate Burleson.

Darrell Jackson nabbed two more touchdowns. Anyone who said D-Jack was an average #1 receiver or complained that he should be traded or let go looks pretty silly now. He has grabbed 17 balls for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns through 3 games. He is on pace for 90 receptions, 1232 yards, and 16 touchdowns. Those numbers might not be realistic, but when healthy, Darrell Jackson is one of the best receivers in the NFL. More important than anything else, D-Jack is already responsible for 12 first-downs. That includes several key third-down catches in each of the first three games.