Originally published October 1, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 1, 2007 at 2:02 AM
Danny O'Neil
Branch filling the shoes of Hawks' top receiver
The writing wasn't on the wall, it was on Darrell Jackson's shoes. "I want D.B. money." Jackson scribbled those words across the tops...
![]() |
Seattle Times NFL reporter
SAN FRANCISCO — The writing wasn't on the wall, it was on Darrell Jackson's shoes.
"I want D.B. money."
Jackson scribbled those words across the tops of his sneakers last year and then wore them against Arizona immediately after the Seahawks signed Deion Branch.
Now, Branch has stepped into Jackson's shoes, taking over his spot at flanker and while the pair didn't go toe-to-toe Sunday, it was possible to measure them head-to-head.
Branch caught seven passes, Jackson three. Branch racked up 117 yards receiving in the first half while San Francisco gained 87 yards as a team. Branch caught a 65-yard pass to set up the Seahawks' first touchdown while the 49ers offense crossed midfield only three times.
This is what the Seahawks envisioned when they traded for Branch. This is why they felt OK trading Jackson for the fourth-round choice last April that netted an offensive lineman who has yet to dress for a game. And this was an afternoon that showed why the Seahawks' decision to acquire Branch and ax Jackson won't be one that ends up listed along with franchise mistakes that includes losing a Pro Bowl guard for nothing in free agency.
"There's a bunch of reasons why he's here on our team," Matt Hasselbeck said of Branch.
Branch is a player with fingers so sticky he made a one-handed catch in the first quarter and feet so fleet he turned San Francisco's $80 million cornerback into toast as he beat cornerback Nate Clements for a 65-yard gain.
Branch is versatile. The kind of guy who answered questions after the 23-3 victory Sunday while knotting his tie and explaining the secret to his 20 receptions over the past three games.
"Practice," Branch said.
Somewhere Allen Iverson winced. Practice? Yes, we're talking about practice.
That was something Branch didn't get enough of last season, arriving in the middle of the second week, activated for the third week and trying to play catchup. That's not the kind of hurry-up offense anyone wants to run.
![]()
"I understood the situation," Branch said.
No training camp last year. No excuses this year and instead of talking about an improved rapport, Hasselbeck and Branch have been showing one.
"Practice," Branch said. "That's where the game is won."
Practice is something Jackson wasn't much for by his final season with the Seahawks when he was recovering from a knee injury and spent as much time watching workouts as participating in them.
He was hurt and he also was harboring a belief the team owed him money, and so this summer the Seahawks traded a productive receiver to a team they play twice a year for a second-day draft choice used to select Mansfield Wrotto.
The Seahawks won the stare down, but lost a productive pair of hands. That's life in the NFL. A reality Branch saw from the other side a year ago when New England wouldn't give him a contract.
"It's the NFL, man," Branch said. "It's a big business. Stuff like that happens."
A franchise is shaped by how it responds to those types of decisions. The Seahawks were willing to give Branch a paycheck the Patriots wouldn't, and New England ended up with safety Brandon Meriweather, chosen with the Seahawks' first-round pick. Meriweather has seven tackles in three games this season, and the Seahawks have a receiver who is grabbing hold of seemingly every opportunity in Seattle's offense.
And all those questions after Branch failed to catch a pass in the season opener have been answered over the past three games when Branch showed the form that made him a Super Bowl MVP.
"He's come in and he's started getting that production," Hasselbeck said. "I'm glad he's with us."
Branch is stepping into the shoes Jackson filled for so many years as Hasselbeck's favorite receiver. But you could read that change one year ago when Jackson was wearing those shoes with Branch's initials, saying he wanted the same kind of cash and that is part of why Jackson was on the other sideline Sunday.
Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com
| Branching out | ||||||
| Since Week 1, when he didn't catch a single pass, Seahawks wide receiver Deion Branch has become a favorite target of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. A game-by-game look at Branch's receiving numbers: | ||||||
| Date | Result | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lg | TD |
| Sept. 9 | At Seattle 20, Tampa Bay 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sept. 16 | At Arizona 23, Seattle 20 | 7 | 122 | 17.4 | 37 | 0 |
| Sept. 23 | At Seattle 24, Cincinnati 21 | 6 | 77 | 12.8 | 42 | 1 |
| Sunday | Seattle 23, at San Francisco 3 | 7 | 130 | 18.6 | 65 | 0 |
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
doneil@seattletimes.com | 206-464-2364
Danny O'Neil: Wake me up when Favre makes a decision

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new truck? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Seattle may allow homeowners to build backyard cottages
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Relative: Police say woman with McNair bought gun
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Mariners Blog | What the Seattle Mariners learned on their road trip
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
- Brier Dudley | Brier Dudley | Learning hard lessons from Boeing giveaways
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
209 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
140 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
115 - What Mariners learned on this road trip
110 - Seattle may allow homeowners to build backyard cottages
84 - FBI denounces rumors: Palin not investigated
77 - Bellevue ordinance would fine retailers for not collecting runaway shopping carts
56 - Bicyclist fatally hit by SUV outside Bremerton
56 - 2 wounded in Central District drive-by shooting
54 - Mariners did their part, now they need help
51
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Seattle may allow homeowners to build backyard cottages
- Researchers stunned by inmates' success raising endangered frogs
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- 250 gather in field near Twisp for fairy congress
- New laws help tenants evicted due to foreclosure
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- The People's Pharmacy | Estrogen mimicker found in sunscreen
- Seattle safety project: A snake shelter on Beacon Hill









