Questions About Deion Branch

by: Michael Steffes

The beat writers all got their first chance to talk to Deion Branch today, and the reports from all of them agree he was kind of non-committal as to when he is coming back. The opinion formed by most was, not soon.

First off, he is NO LONGER eligible to be put on the PUP list. That needed to happen last Saturday when the roster was trimmed. The only option is IR, which would end his season.

But rather than go off hunches formed by the writers, I suggest Seahawk fans simply study the perfect guinea pig, Mike Mckenzie. Mckenzie, a cornerback for the Saints, suffered the exact same injury in week 16 of the regular season. That would be three Sundays before Mr. Branch. He saw action in the Saints final two preseason games, and is expected to start against the Bucs on Sunday.

I understand that every injury is unique, and people heal differently, but this is a pretty good barometer as to what we can expect from Deion. After all, a corner and a wide receiver do very similar things. So, if you are thinking that the team may have made a mistake not sitting Deion for the first 6 games, you might be right. Of course, if Mike Mckenzie can stay with Joey Galloway on Sunday, well then week 3 or 5 seems pretty darn reasonable. ~END~