The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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64 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2017 BY CHRIS BALAS I t appears Alan Branch, a Super Bowl standout and starter for the New England Patriots, will remain with the world champions. His agent was in the process of finalizing a two- year contract with the team, CSNNE. com first reported March 6 — the deal is reported to be worth $12 million over two seasons, according to Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network. Branch, an unrestricted free agent, is entering the 11th year of his NFL ca- reer, but he had one of his best seasons as the Patriots' top defensive linemen in 2016. He was one of the team's top five defenders in Super Bowl LI, ac- cording to Pro Football Focus. "[Head coach] Bill Belichick called Branch the team's most consistent in- terior defensive lineman, and late in the season the coach made it clear just how much value there is in having a player with Branch's stature [6-foot- 6, 350 pounds] and athleticism up front," CSNNE.com reported. Belichick seemed to indicate the team was leaning toward signing him. "Alan has done a great job for us," he said. "And along with his play, which is certainly significant, one of the things that's really been impres- sive about him has been his play time. So in addition to his overall produc- tion, he's played a lot more than he has in quite a while in terms of num- ber of plays. "From a production standpoint he's got, again, quite a few tackles, tackles for loss. It's hard to measure the dis- ruptive plays, but he's certainly got his share of those. "He's played very well for us in the running game. He's given us a presence in the pass rush of a long, physical player in the middle. That's all been really good, and he's played more plays so all of that is good." NFL NOTES • The Jacksonville Jaguars signed quarterback Chad Henne to remain their backup for next year. He's quickly becoming the next Todd Collins, a for- mer U-M quarterback who spent sev- eral years in the league, mostly as a No. 2 guy. "With nine years of NFL experience, Chad has an abundance of knowledge in professional football," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said in a state- ment. "Chad provides leadership to our offensive meeting room." • The Jaguars also re-signed former Wolverines offensive lineman Patrick Omameh. He suffered a season-ending foot injury in November. The NHL FORMER WOLVERINES ON NHL ROSTERS Through March 12 • Mike Cammalleri (Played at U-M from 2000-02), LW, New Jersey Dev- ils: Played in 55 games and notched 10 goals (three game-winners) and 20 assists … Stood minus-4 with 123 shots on goal for the 25-31-12 Devils … Was slated to miss several games after March 2 with a shoulder injury. • Andrew Cogliano (2006-07), LW, Anaheim Ducks: Registered 14 goals and 16 assists in 69 games played … Stood plus-5 with 154 shots on goal for 36-23-10 Anaheim. • Kyle Connor (2016), LW, Winnipeg Jets: Placed on injured reserve Nov. 14 following a lower body injury … Notched a goal and three assists in his rookie campaign for 30-33-6 Winnipeg … Stood minus-8 with 20 shots on goal. • Andrew Copp (2013-15), C, Win- nipeg Jets: Posted eight goals (one game-winner) and seven assists in 51 games played … Stood plus-11 with 61 shots on goal for 30-33-6 Winnipeg. • Luke Glendening (2009-12), C, De- troit Red Wings: Played in 67 games and registered three goals and 10 as- sists … Stood minus-11 with 72 shots on goal for 26-30-11 Detroit. • Carl Hagelin (2008-11), LW, Pitts- burgh Penguins: Recorded six goals Branch, who played at Michigan from 2004-06, recorded 14 tackles (four solo) and half a sack during New England's three-game playoff run to a Super Bowl title. PHOTO COURTESY NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS MICHIGAN IN THE PROS Alan Branch To Stay In New England