Hawks move makes "win now" more than a mantra

OK, never mind what happened this past Sunday.

The Seahawks just got Deion Branch.

Forget the offense's touchdown-less game. Forget Shaun Alexander's fumbles. Forget the offensive line's struggles.

The Seahawks are too interested in right now to worry about the past. That goes for last February and last week. They're moving forward with confidence and flair and wisdom.

For undeniable proof, we have Monday's big news. A day after a mundane season opener, the defending NFC champions traded a 2007 first-round pick to New England for Branch, a former Super Bowl MVP. It's a move that makes sense in the present and in the future, and that sound you just heard was the rest of the NFL gasping over how committed the Seahawks really are to winning a championship.

The beautiful thing about this deal is the Seahawks didn't have to make it. No matter how poorly the offense performed at Detroit on Sunday, it still will be a productive unit. Even if wide receiver Darrell Jackson limps through the season, the Seahawks still have enough weapons to get by.

But who wants to merely get by seven months after a Super Bowl defeat? Go ahead and sing the chorus once more: The Seahawks' time is now.

It's one thing to keep belting out those words. It's far more inspiring to see the franchise support it with such a dramatic action.

When asked about this deal Monday, Seahawks president Tim Ruskell immediately said it was "a chance to get a good football player."

That pretty much says it all. Ruskell finalized an aggressive deal that had been in the works for weeks while also remaining smart about the team's long-term goals. He's fast becoming a master at balancing the need to win now and the need to protect the franchise.

Most cap-conscious teams would've played it safe and skipped on Branch. Sometimes, you wonder whether NFL teams would rather have a string of 10-win seasons than win one title. They overprotect themselves and fail to realize the real goal is to win the big game. Ruskell has a plan to chase the trophy now and be in a position to stay highly competitive later.

With this move, he surrendered one of his great loves — a good draft pick — to get Branch. A good team with a good plan doesn't often offer a first-round pick, but this was the right decision for several reasons.

First, the Seahawks are deep enough now that they don't require immediate-impact players with their high picks. Look at their most recent first rounder, cornerback Kelly Jennings. He's a reserve as a rookie, and it's the best thing for the team. Better team, better competition, longer road to playing time for youngsters.

They can develop Jennings properly this way. And they can also realize that the immediate success of the team is not so dependent on draft picks. So, in some instances, they can give up one and take a chance on a player the caliber of Branch.

"I'm big on draft picks," Ruskell said. "I will always be big on draft picks, but this is a known commodity. The first round can be a crapshoot from top to bottom."

The Seahawks will have to make some tough choices in the future, for sure. When they finalize Branch's new contract, he will join Jackson and Nate Burleson as receivers making considerable money on this team.

But that's a manageable future problem. And Branch is a proven No. 1 receiver whose production shouldn't slip anytime soon.

Before Monday, with Jackson's knee still a question mark, you had to wonder if the Seahawks had a true go-to receiver. They do now, and with good health, the quartet of Branch, Jackson, Burleson and Bobby Engram will make quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's job much easier.

"I think it's exciting," Hasselbeck said. "It puts fear in the opposing team, and it's a good thing."

Branch is 27 and coming off his finest season (78 receptions, 998 yards, five touchdowns). He's known as a big-game player. In the 2005 Super Bowl, he caught 11 passes for 133 yards and earned game MVP honors.

And he fits well with the Seahawks, too. Seattle likes to spread the ball around in the passing game and use all of its talent. New England did the same, and Branch never complained.

He is a team guy, which is what made his ugly holdout and contract squabble with the Patriots so shocking. But these things happen in the NFL, sports' most brutal business.

On a scale of wide-receiver contract disputes from Hines Ward (rightly upset) to Terrell Owens (greedy and ignorant), consider Branch far closer to Ward than T.O.

"He has a lot of respect with us and with guys around the league," Burleson said. "Any time you go to the Super Bowl and come away with the MVP, that sets your reputation. There's pretty much nothing you have to prove. Some guys go their whole careers just trying to win a Super Bowl, let alone star in one.

"I heard he's a great guy. He's not going to be a cocky athlete. With the attitude he has and the things he's achieved, this is nothing but a positive."

It's more than a positive. It's potentially a shrewd, championship-stirring decision.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com.