Asante Samuel pays some tuition to Negotiation U

He says to the media:

Happy to be back?

“Happy to be back. I love my team, I love my fans, I’m happy to be back. I’m ready to play some football.”

When did you sign the deal?

“Both sides are happy, we came to an agreement, it worked out fine. Everybody’s happy, that’s what it comes down to.”

Was it the tender, or another one-year deal?

“We worked it out. We’re happy. Both sides are happy.”

Earlier, John Tomase wrote:

Unlike a year ago, when the Pats botched the Deion Branch negotiations and had no one to blame but themselves, this time the missteps belonged to Samuel, who painted himself as little more than a mercenary.
First, Samuel preemptively blasted the team during last year’s playoffs, which made for great copy but demonstrated a keen lack of common sense.
Then he demanded money on par with the eight-year, $80 million contract that top free agent cornerback Nate Clements signed with San Francisco, wanting $30 million in the first three years. The Patriots countered with $13 million in bonuses.
And then the real fun started. Samuel blasted the Pats for not offering what he could receive on the open market.
What he failed to grasp was he wasn’t a true free agent. Any team signing him had to send the Pats two first-round picks.

When defensive end Ty Warren [stats] signed a surprise five-year, $36 million extension earlier this month, he credited keeping the negotiations private as a key to completing the deal.
“It just goes to show that when things are handled behind closed doors, they run smoothly,” Warren said.
So now what?
Samuel needs to produce a reasonable facsimile of last year’s 10 interceptions to land the contract he expects in free agency. But he hasn’t left himself much time to work into game shape and is in danger of getting hurt or not performing up to par, especially during the first month of the season.
They say cornerbacks play on an island. Samuel’s actions over the last few months make that statement doubly true, because he’s basically marooned on one now.

Nice John, except the Pats DID NOT BOTCH Deion Branch negotiations.