Oh Sheila, Ye Have Little Faith

Sheila Lennon says, "We Needed Deion Branch:"

On the Patriots, two words: Deion Branch. Unlike Reche Caldwell, he'd have caught those critical passes. Bob Kraft lost yesterday's game when he traded Branch to Seattle rather than pay him what he was worth as the reliable go-to guy, the critical receiving end of Brady's magic.

Branch and Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck never got on the same wavelength.

Cornerback Asante Samuel is Kraft's next test. The intercepting playmaker ends the season as a free agent.

The net loss of Caldwell's two drops was probably less than 10 yards. That's not the problem. The Pats defense gave up 455 total yards and 38 points on seven long scoring drives. That's the problem. Since the Pats don't throw money at wide receivers with bad attitudes, they'll have money to address that problem next year.