Branch's recommendation swayed Stallworth
As he was considering his options in free agency, receiver Donté Stallworth kept hearing ringing endorsements about the Patriots. One of them came from someone who might be considered an unexpected source: Deion Branch.
"Deion is a good friend of mine, we came out together [in the draft], and he had nothing but great things to say about the organization," Stallworth said yesterday on a conference call.
Given that Branch held out of 2006 training camp in a contract dispute and ultimately was traded to the Seahawks for a first-round pick, some might think his positive comments on the Patriots were surprising. But Stallworth didn't take them that way.
"Not at all," he said. "He played football on the football field, but this is a business at the end of the day and you can't take anything personal. We've both been in the game long enough to know that."
The 26-year-old Stallworth said he also heard favorable reviews from former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, as well as safeties Mel Mitchell and Tebucky Jones, two former teammates in New Orleans who spent 2006 with New England on injured reserve. Stallworth added that he is looking forward to playing with Kelley Washington -- his former teammate at the University of Tennessee -- and that past reports of a rift were overblown.
Stallworth also addressed a Philadelphia Inquirer report from earlier this month that indicated he is in the NFL's substance abuse program.
"All of that stuff is in the past," he said. "There was a situation a couple of years ago, but there's nothing that's going on now that will affect me in preparing to help this team win ballgames."
As for why he chose the Patriots over other suitors -- including the Eagles, Dolphins, and Titans -- in free agency, Stallworth pointed to New England's recent history of winning. He also is enticed by the idea of catching passes from Tom Brady, and recalled meeting Brady at the ESPY Awards in 2004 as the two were connected through their roots in Northern California (Stallworth grew up in Sacramento, Brady in San Mateo). They spoke again last week, with Stallworth telling Brady that he "couldn't even imagine how it feels to win a Super Bowl."
"I would say it's certainly interesting that for so long guys took below-market deals to be with the Patriots, because that was the way they had to do it, and then they go out in free agency," Vrabel said. "If it makes the team better, that's great. I'm not trying to speak for everybody, but I think it was a little shocking. But I'm glad that it happened."
Asked if he was concerned about how the signings might play out with players who have been with the team in prior years, Vrabel said, "I don't think we're real concerned. I think Tedy Bruschi said it best, in Bruschi fashion -- 'Put your money somewhere and come to work like everybody else.' It can't be put any better than that. I called Tedy right after I saw that and I said, 'I wouldn't expect anybody else to say that but you,' and it has a lot of truth to it. Just come to work like everybody else does, and we'll get to work, and be ready to move forward."
"The communication has been good and positive with Reche's coaches, as well as with Reche and Tom [Brady]," Fleming said. "Reche has no reason to think the moves have anything to do with him, but that they were made to improve the whole corps. He looks at it as an opportunity to improve from a talent standpoint with those weapons around him. He's confident in Tom's ability to spread the ball around and excited to work with Tom in another offseason program."
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com. 
