The relationship between Tom Brady [stats] and Deion Branch goes back to 2002. There was a break from 2006 to early last season when Branch was in Seattle, but the quarterback and the receiver have picked up like they never were apart.
That was clear when Brady found Branch for six catches for 125 yards in the 38-20 win Sunday against the Eagles, including an ad-libbed 63-yarder. Often, the two seem on the same page on the field, which is no surprise to coach Bill Belichick. He praised Branch and Brady for being intelligent, lauding them for knowing what to do when it all breaks down. That’s what makes the duo special.
“I’d say both of them probably would do the right thing, or what you would want them to do if you haven’t told them what to do,” Belichick said. “What they would do is most of the time what you would want them to do. That puts them pretty much on the same page to begin with.”The six seasons together have helped hone that partnership. Most of Branch’s 628 receiving yards in 2011 is the result of locking eyes with Brady, rather than simply beating his man.
“Deion is a very instinctive receiver,” Belichick said. “He has a great sense of timing, of when the quarterback is ready to throw the ball, when he needs to be open, how to get open. Tom has that same sense of what the receiver would expect him to do and what he should do in certain situations, and that’s almost always what Deion would do. Those guys almost always do what, if you had gone over it, what you would have wanted them to do.”
During an interview with NFL Network yesterday, Branch offered a nod to his motivation. “We want to do everything we can for the team,” he said, “and also for our quarterback.”
Price was wrong
The Patriots [team stats] continued their search for a third receiver Sunday. They came up empty. No receiver other than Wes Welker and Branch caught a pass, and recently signed Tiquan Underwood had a big drop. Has Taylor Price, the 2010 third-round draft pick, fallen so far that Underwood is already ahead of him?
“What went into it was Tiquan played more than Taylor did,” Belichick said. Without Chad Ochocinco (hamstring), the thought was that Price would step in. Instead, he didn’t step on the field. “Maybe it will be that way this week, maybe it won’t,” Belichick said. “It (wasn’t) that way the week before, so we’ll take it week-to-week.”