Deion Branch is Here to Calm Down Everyone Who's Panicking About Antonio Brown

TMZ – Deep breath Pats fans, the drama around Antonio Brown will NOT derail New England’s season … so says Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch.

Branch had 2 stints with the Pats (’02-’05, ’10-’12) and won 2 Super Bowls with Brady, Belichick and Kraft … so he knows the organization inside and out and he’s confident the legendary coach knows how to handle controversy.

“Everything starts with Bill,” Branch says. “It starts with your leader on the team. Coach Belichick, out of all the years he’s been coaching and been a part of numerous different organizations, trust me, this ain’t the first time something like this has came up with some of his players. He will do what’s best for the organization, that we all know.”

That’s what I needed. As Deion Branch is reminding us, this isn’t Bill Belichick’s first rodeo. Exactly how many rodeos you need before you learn how rodeos work, I have no idea. No one’s ever fully explained that old platitude. But I supposed it implies you need lots of rodeos. And however many rodeos are required to get good at rodeos, Belichick has had those rodeos and then some. And it’s a relief to be reminded of that fact by someone who has lived through some of his rodeos.

Much like the Kubler-Ross model of Grief, there are five stages to a Patriots Crisis. And they are:

1. Controversy. The team finds itself embroiled in some scandal, allegation or report of inner turmoil.
2. Outrage. The world demands swift retribution to punish the team for it’s “arrogance.”
3. Worry. Irrational fear that this will finally bring the Dynasty to ruin grips the fan base.
4. Calm. Belichick defuses the situation.
5. Success. Order is restored. The team blocks out the noise. They use the outrage as motivation. Winning follows.

Having the lightning rod wideout you just signed get hit with rape allegations in an unsworn civil filing two days after he walks in the door (and, oddly enough, the week she’s getting married) is less than an ideal situation. But as one of the greatest Patriots of this era reminds us, this is nothing that the head coach hasn’t dealt with before. In fact, he’s handled a lot worse.

Which puts us coming out of Stage 3 and transitioning into Stage 4. Because the more of these this franchise goes through, the faster we cycle through them. This particular crisis is barely into its second day and we’re already 80% of the way through the five stages. I mean, look at this smile. Does this look like the face of a man who’s worried he’s about to have the best wideout in the game taken away from him? Or concerned about the man he may or may not have living under his roof?

Hell no. That’s the contented smile of a guy who, like Branch, knows everything will be OK. And that by Sunday, we’ll be fully into Stage 5, Success. So thanks, Deion Branch. You haven’t saved us this much worry since you rejoined the team in 2010 after Randy Moss lost his mind. Once again, all of New England owes you a debt of gratitude.