Branch Could Be A Cap Casualty

From Frank Hughes of The News Tribune:

RENTON – With former Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander coming to town this weekend with the Washington Redskins, he will serve, in this dismal Seattle season, as an acute reminder about the ruthless nature of the NFL.

When a player’s most productive seasons are over, teams generally have very little patience with keeping them around.

When their salary skyrockets to heights that are not proportional to their output, teams generally have very little patience with keeping them around.

And when those two dynamics converge, teams have zero patience – as Alexander learned only too abruptly last offseason, when Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell cut short Alexander’s eight-year, $62 million contract by six years and unceremoniously released the 2005 MVP.

Which brings us to Seahawks wide receiver Deion Branch, who says he realizes that his situation is quite similar to Alexander’s, given the amount of money Branch is scheduled to make and the injuries he has sustained during his time in Seattle.

Ruskell acquired Branch, the 2004 Super Bowl MVP for New England, from the Patriots in 2006 for a first-round pick, then negotiated a six-year, $39 million deal that was front-loaded. He is the highest-paid receiver on the team.

Branch had a mediocre first season in Seattle, showing up late because of the trade and then taking time to learn the offense. He finished with 53 receptions.

Last season, he started 11 games, but was bothered by injuries to his foot and calf that kept him sidelined for five regular-season games and the team’s wild-card playoff victory over Washington. When he came back against Green Bay in the playoffs, he almost immediately tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

That forced him to miss the beginning of this season. When he returned for the fourth game, he played only one quarter before suffering a heel injury that cost him five more games. He has only seven catches for 85 yards and no touchdowns this season.

Given that he is making $4.1 million in 2008, and is scheduled to make almost $5 million next season, Branch knows there is a chance that the Seahawks will decide that he is not worth the risk.

“You have to respect it as a business,” Branch said. “That’s how I look at it. The thing is you try not to let the business side affect your game.

“My biggest thing is for me to come in every day and do my job and not worry about what the personnel department is doing with anybody. With the business side, let them take care of that. And we take care of what goes on on the football field.”

It would be one thing, Branch understands, if the Seahawks were 8-2 and competing for a playoff berth. Instead, they are 2-8 and fighting for respect.

Bobby Engram is 35 and probably not returning. Koren Robinson is always a question mark. And Branch has not proven that he is worth the type of money that is typically paid to a No. 1 receiver. He said they all realize this could be the final six games this receiving corps is together.

“Nobody is nave to the fact that there will be moves made,” Branch said.

In a way, Branch said, he understands the final six games are like a tryout. Stay healthy and be productive and it may make the team reconsider any doubts it may have. Get injured again, or fail to show the ability to make plays, and he knows he could be looking for another job – at a drastically reduced rate.

“Trust me, I think about that now,” Branch said. “Do I focus on it? No. Because you can’t control injuries. But to answer the question, every day is not guaranteed. With that, I am always out trying to prove something to myself. I think everyone across the league knows that I can play football. It is just all about if I am on the field or not on the field.

“As long as I am on the field, I am good. But if I am not on the field, then, hey, it is crazy.”

Extra points

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck returned to practice on Thursday, as did cornerback Josh Wilson, who left practice Wednesday after twisting his ankle. … Redskins coach Jim Zorn said Alexander might not be activated for the game Sunday. The Skins’ fourth running back, Rocky Cartwright, has to play because he’s the team’s kick returner.

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