Pats' Branch has strong Super Bowl resume

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Deion Branch first set foot in the Patriots' locker room four years after he left, the Super Bowl XXXIX MVP got more than his fair share of weird looks.

"For some of the younger guys that didn't know me personally," the wide receiver said Thursday, "they were just staring at me because they probably had seen me play with this team in the past and it's like, 'This is the little dude that everybody was talking about on this team.' ''

Branch, who was traded from the Seahawks to New England in October 2010, was brought back to help ignite a passing attack that was missing something -- big-play capability. And the 5-9, 195-pounder hasn't disappointed.

The 10-year veteran, who played college football just down I-65 from here in Louisville, Ky., seems to have a penchant for coming up with mammoth performances when the spotlight reaches white-hot proportions.

"Deion is a big part of what we do," quarterback Tom Brady said.

"As you saw in the Denver game , when he makes those big plays down the field -- and he's made some big ones in AFC Championship Games and Super Bowls -- he's a very clutch player. He always seems to show up for the big games. I've always enjoyed working with him.

"He told me last week how excited he was to be back in this game, and how grateful he was, that he went away from our team and didn't really experience what he wanted to experience at the other place. Now he's back and we have this opportunity again.

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"He just kept telling me, 'Tom, you don't know how happy I am to be back playing for this team and in this game.' It's great for all of us."

Particularly for Brady, who wasn't happy to see Branch shipped off after a contract dispute. There's an unmistakable synergy between them, a rapport that took years to cultivate. It's easily evident on the field, and the 32-year-old Branch's numbers certainly validate it.

In his 26 regular-season games since returning to the Patriots, Branch has 1,408 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has contributed 103 yards and a touchdown on five receptions -- including a 61-yard score -- during the Patriots' run to the Super Bowl, again displaying that chemistry.

"When you play with someone that long, it's like an old married couple," fellow wideout Chad Ochocinco said. "They're good, man. They're really good. They are always in sync."

That's because they spent an inordinate amount of time in the classroom and on the practice field. Branch said he and Brady go over the simple things often, such as what to do even on the easiest of routes such as a slant or a hitch. They also frequently discuss what each should expect when they see a particular coverage.

"Like last week, I messed up on a play during practice," Branch said, "and we came back this week and he gave me a certain look -- the same look he gave me in practice [before]. And we hit it this week. It was just off one conversation. 'All right, next time don't do that. Do this.'

"So the communication level that we have is open. He takes advice, he gives it. So we are always talking, always communicating with each other."

Communicating right on back to yet another Super Bowl together.