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Fourth round pick Tyvon Branch’s father “life long Raider fan”: Thoughts from a Readers’ Side
On Sunday, I questioned the Oakland Raiders selection of Tyvon Branch in the fourth round. I have since come to see that he will likely be a good pick up for special teams play where the Raiders do have needs. LDizzle came across a nugget of information and ran with it. Come to find out that Tyvon Branch’s dad is one of the Raider Nation.
Raider 4th rd pick Tyvon Branch father “life long Raider fan”
By Ldizzle
Special to Thoughts from the Dark Side
(Story originally reported by Donnie Webb of The Post Standard)
Tyvon Branch watched the draft this weekend with his family in Cicero New York. He had hoped to maybe slip into the second round on Saturday, but had to wait through the third round on Sunday before the phone mercifully rang. Branch said he took the call from the Raiders outside, then heard pandemonium break out inside as his family watched his name scroll across the television screen.
“It was incredible,” Branch said of the moment.
The Raiders selected Branch with their second overall pick of the draft behind Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, who was taken in the first round with the fourth pick. The Raiders moved up four picks to get Branch in a trade with the Cowboys.
“It was definitely out of the blue,” said Branch on Monday. “It’s a great team. They’ve got a lot of tradition out there. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Nobody is looking forward to it more than Branch’s father, Todd Branch. Tyvon said his dad is a life-long fan of the Raiders. He said the family home is filled with Raiders stickers and blankets.
“He was happy,” Branch said of his father. “It couldn’t have worked out no better for me.”
UConn was the only Division I football program to offer Branch a scholarship coming out of Cicero-North Syracuse High School. He played in 48 games for the Huskies with 31 starts and finished with 230 career tackles. In his final college game at the Meineke Car Care Bowl this past season, Branch made a team-best 10 tackles.
Branch was voted second-team All-Big East Conference as a senior.
According to his draft profile at NFL.com, Branch had exceptional workouts prior to the draft. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Branch turned in a 40-yard dash time of 4.31 seconds, fastest of all defensive backs. Branch was a track star at C-NS where he won New York state championships in the 100 and 200 meters.
The league Web site said, “Branch’s strong workout numbers compare to only five other players at his position and four have played in the Pro Bowl while the fifth is a quality contributor in the NFL.”
Oakland defensive coordinator Rob Ryan told the team’s official Web site at Raiders.com that Branch will play safety.
“He’s a good, solid player,” Ryan said. “You talk about his versatility and that jumps off the tapes when you watch him. He’s a hard-hitting young man who’s really fun to watch. We’ve seen about every game they played this year and really we’re excited about him. I know our special teams coach Brian Schneider is real excited about his return ability also.”
Branch figures to return kicks in Oakland. He led the Big East Conference last season in kick returns with an average of 28.89 yards per return. Branch returned two kicks for touchdowns, the first time that’s ever happened in one season by a UConn player.
LDizzle is a regular contributer to Thoughts from the Dark Side. I you would like to contribute, contact me at mvnraider at yahoo.com.
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16 Responses to “Fourth round pick Tyvon Branch’s father “life long Raider fan”: Thoughts from a Readers’ Side”
April 29th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
[…] Branch- SON of a RAIDER FAN Thoughts from the Dark Side | MVN - an Oakland Raiders blog » Blog Archive » Fourth round pick Tyvon… __________________ "While there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a […]
April 29th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I can’t say that he isn’[t going to be a quality contributer to the special teams and in a few years the defense too. But really this pick was not needed at all. We lost two picks to move and get this guy who A)we don’t need and B)might have been there if we didnt trade up. we could have got an alright DT at pick 104.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
you think Mcfadden will return puts for us? Reggie Bush is a very exciting punt returner and I think Mcfadden could do the same
April 29th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Napoleon Harris wasnt a bust, but in he’s not what we needed at our MLB we needed a speedy guy with a killer instinct and now we have that in Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. I also have to disagree with who ever says Robert Gallery’s a bust, if anything he’s a warrior. How many different coaches has he had, different systems and positions every year. For the first time in a long time for Gallery he’s playing i the same position, where he had alot of sucess last season and he’s still in the same zone-blocking system. I mean give the man some credit he’s stuck with he could’ve easily done what other players and more specifically other O-line men have done and asked for a trade or to be released, like Levi Jones asked the Bengals this weekend. So in my opinion Gallery’s not a bust, he’s not the most talented but he never complains and thats something Lane Kiffin and Greg Knapp have said its not something im making up. I understand LDizzle and other people would’ve preffered Larry Fitzgerald or Roy Williams but maybe these guys wouldnt have worked out with us, hell if we would’ve gotten one of them then they might be called busts by the media because i dont think they would’ve of had much if any sucess with the QB’s we’ve had lately(after Rich Gannon and before JaMarcus Russell). But, then again thats just my two cents. Me personally i prefer looking at the future, it looks alot and when i say alot i mean alot brighter than our past withJ. Russell, Dmac, and Fargas leading our offenese. Also Kirk Morrison, Derrick Burgess, Thomas Howard, Nmandi Asomughua, and now our newest leaders in DeAngelo Hall and my personal favorite and most underrated pick up by any team this offseason Gibril Wilson.
GO RAIDERS!!!
April 29th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
[…] Read more. Posted in Blog, Draft, Oakland Raiders | […]
April 30th, 2008 at 4:32 am
Reggie Bush returning kicks because he can’t run the ball well.I think DMC will make some returns, but not too often!!
April 30th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Bush would be fine if there were other weapons on NO. That’s why DMac will do well in Oakland - He’s not the only option! When you have a receiving TE like we have and a running game in place - slot back DMac will tear it up along with the receiver pickups we made. The young O-Line we have will do fine as they continue to develop.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:31 am
Anyway… This is a great feel-good story!
I bet that kid plays exceptionally hard for the Raiders.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:15 am
This is a typical AD pick and I hope the kid can make special teams. We need quality players that can contribute right away, especially since he was our 2nd pick in the draft and we had to trade up to get him.
April 30th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Multi-talented Tyvon sounded like a good pick to me.
With Chris Carr gone, Tyvon would be ideal to return kicks.
Free Safety in certain packages might also work out well.
Good to hear that his dad is a Raiders fan.
Play with passion! Go Get em’ Tyvon!
April 30th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Not true raidz. It was the plan to let him fall to us with our set pick in the fourth. We obtained info that St Louis was taking Branch at 101. Al wanted him - al moved up to get him.
Tyvon Branch was considered one of the top value picks by NFLDraftCountdown.com
http://www.nfldraftcountdown.c.....reach.html
April 30th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
xlxAMxINx it wouldn’t surprise me at all if STL was looking to take him because they have taken our players plenty (C Long, Orlando Pace).
April 30th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Thanks for the link on the draft steals and reaches. Good info there. Funny thing is though that you notice what the next steal is after the Raiders getting Tyvon Branch? It is the Rams getting Justin King who was projected to go even as high as the end of the 1st. So they may have had their eye on him all along. Hard to say.
April 30th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Man… we have the returns on this year, and it’s about time to have that as a weapon again. Tim Brown came in as a rookie and smashed the total yards gained as a rookie, a record that stood since Gayle Sayers hit it in his rookie campaign. Now, we have this kid whose dad bled Silver and Black for his life, Tyvon Branch, who not only has legs to carry the rock kicked off but runs the gunner ship around the outside. This guy’s our “reach” or “value” pick, a guy with the element of surprise: a diamond in the rough or plain tough luck, kid. He IS an upgrade. (I loved Carr’s motor but his tank couldn’t carry him the distance.) On another vain (or is that vein?) we have DeAngelo Hall (of Fame) with his trophy pose and trash-talk, and he brings the funk to the field. Before (either of) our new rookie(s) donned the black cap, Hall was the pick to return the punts if the opponent kicked from their (say about) 25 yard line. McFadden adds a whole new dimension that will only have an exponential affect to our (special teams potentially and) offense. Nothing like a little field position and running game to enhance JaMarcus Russell’s first season at the helm. Number 20 will have a big impact for our team, and no I don’t want him to have an Adrian Peterson type of season. I want #20 to hit the field like Darren McFadden does and no other, like the brothers before him in Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson did for themselves. Same goes for Michael (don’t think he’s Reggie) Bush. This time we have our running back duo stepping on the gridiron as (essentially) rookies together. What better support (we have a tight end—and it’s Miller time, baby) than a running game that can tighten a defense for our gunslinger to rifle at his outside targets, showcasing his new weapons? What made our pass defense number one in 2006? Our offense. What could change the perception (lies, damn lies, and statistics) as a run defense? Our offense putting us in the lead. This year, we may lead the league in coverage sacks, all of a sudden bolstering our perceived pass rush. I think over the next two years we address the depth and talent of both our lines, and we hit the field this season with what we’ve got and whomever June brings with our cleats on our feet. No more running without our feet on the ground (thank you, Fargas, and last preseason Echemandu). I don’t buy into the media spin on our run defense. Football teams are dynamic. Maybe we already have our big three: quarterback, running backs, and the tight end. How you like dem apples. Thank you New York for Gibril Wilson and McFadden and the rest of our team’s speed depth.
Just a thought.
Raider on,
Guamanian Raider
May 1st, 2008 at 3:46 am
We didn’t especially need a CB, but we are actually pretty thin at Safety, which is what we are looking at him for. I agree, we could have addressed DT, but I think that the coaches feel that Sands will bounce back this year and I think he will too. It would be nice to see this guy at KR, too, because we haven’t had a great KR in a long time. I admit I wasn’t a fan of this pick at first, especially when I heard that he was a CB with a 4.3 40. Figured it was just another Al Davis workout warrior pick. But the more I learn about him the more I like him. He has real skill, and considering that he was projected as high as 2nd round, the fact that we got him in the 4th I think he was a steal.
Welcome to the raiders, Branch. I’m pullin’ for ya!
May 1st, 2008 at 9:27 am
uconn fan here. i firmly believe you got yourselves a steal in Branch. if you want kickoff returns, you got it covered now. give him a few blocks and he is gone. hes got that breakaway speed.
maybe more importantly, if you wanted a solid tackler, you definitely got it. he is one of the best special teams gunners i have ever seen and will only get better there. and wherever you stick him on defense, he is gonna make plays. i would favor moving him to safety because he is excellent when facing the offence and excellent against the run. he had 89 and 79 tackles in 07 and 06 respectively. thats a lot for a cornerback.
basically, he is going to immediately be one of your surest tacklers, escecially against the run, whether it be at safety, special teams, or at cornerback . the kick returning ability is an added bonus.
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