The trade yesterday of disgruntled wide receiver Deion Branch to the Seahawks for a first-round draft choice in 2007 resolves a difficult situation, but doesn't solve a pressing problem -- the Patriots' obvious need (after Sunday's nerve-rackingly narrow 19-17 win over Buffalo) for a speedy wideout who can stretch opposing defenses.

Branch, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX, certainly can do that. The Patriots' leading receiver last year with 78 catches for 998 yards and 5 touchdowns, tied a Super Bowl record when he caught 11 passes, for 133 yards, against the Eagles. He also had a huge game in Super Bowl XXXVIII, against Carolina, making 10 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown.

It was that sort of production that prompted Branch to insist that the Patriots renegotiate and extend his contract, which was in the final year of the original deal he signed as a second-round draft choice out of Louisville in 2002.

But the two sides couldn't come to terms, he skipped minicamp, never came to training camp, and, as the negotiations went nowhere, the club finally said that, if Branch could arrange a deal with a team willing to offer something satisfactory to the Patriots in return, they'd trade him elsewhere.

So now he's off to Seattle, leaving the Pats with the following lineup of wide receivers: 35-year-old Troy Brown; free-agent acquisition Reche Caldwell, who caught 76 passes in four years with the Chargers; Bam Childress, who was activated off the practice squad last week; second-round draft choice Chad Jackson, who has been sidelined almost all summer with a hamstring problem; and Doug Gabriel, obtained 10 days ago in a trade with Oakland, where he caught 37 passes last year for 554 yards and 3 TDs -- all career-highs.

Not a particularly impressive -- and certainly not an intimidating -- group.

The Patriots already had lost their number-two receiver from last year, David Givens, who signed with Tennessee for number-one money after catching 59 passes for 738 yards and 2 TDs. Combining his numbers with Branch's, that's 137 receptions, 1,736 yards, and 7 TDs that will have to come from somewhere else.

It's not likely that they'll come from the wide receiver corps.

Yes, the Patriots have a couple of talented tight ends who can get downfield in Ben Watson and Daniel Graham. And running backs Kevin Faulk, Corey Dillon, and even rookie Laurence Maroney, are receiving threats.

But there's nobody who can blow past a cornerback and go down the sideline, or take two DBs with him as he streaks down the middle of the field. Nobody that strikes fear into the opposing secondary, the way Branch does.

Tom Brady is as good a quarterback as there is in the NFL. But sticking him with such a mediocre array of wideouts is like putting cheap tires on an Indy racer, or making LeBron James play with four guys from the Rec League.

Some people are comparing Branch's departure from New England with that of Lawyer Milloy just prior to the season opener in 2003.

To me, the loss of Branch is much more severe.

While many in the media were critical of the Pats when they let Milloy go in a salary-cap move, I was not -- instead pointing out that the veteran strong safety, while popular, was hardly irreplaceable. In 2002, when the Patriots missed the playoffs, Milloy had no interceptions, no sacks, and no fumble recoveries. Even worse, for a player who had the reputation of being a fierce hitter, he wasn't credited with forcing a single fumble. Plus, the Pats had signed Rodney Harrison to take over Milloy's position.

There is no such replacement for Branch.

Which is not to say that the Patriots should have gone to any lengths to sign him. To begin with, he was signed -- a pertinent point which seems to have been largely overlooked as the fan frenzy over the negotiations mounted in recent weeks.

Branch was under contract. He should have reported to camp, should have been ready to play against the Bills in the season opener. It's disturbing to me that, by failing to honor that contract, by being a malcontent, by being petulant, he has gotten what he wanted -- a new deal with a new team. He has been rewarded as much for bad behavior as he has for good play.

So it's tempting to say "good riddance."

But, after watching Brady struggle to find open receivers Sunday against the Bills, there's a nagging fear that the Patriots, while in the right, may have made the wrong move in letting Branch get away.

jdonalds@projo.com / (401) 277-7340