Patriots Receiver Branch is named MVP

New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch wins the MVP trophy at Super Bowl XXXIX.

By JIMMY GOLEN
The Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 7 -- The Super Bowl couldn't have worked out better for New England Patriots receiver Deion Branch: He won the game's MVP, and then he got to celebrate with a huge rooting section from his hometown.

New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch stands by a new car he won as photographers take pictures of him during a news conference after the presentation of the Super Bowl XXXIX MVP trophy to Branch in Jacksonville, Fla., Monday morning. In their second straight Super Bowl appearence the Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 on Sunday. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

"A lot of them didn't go to the game," Branch said Monday, a day after catching a record-tying 11 passes to help New England beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. "I didn't have enough tickets."

Jacksonville is the smallest market to host the Super Bowl, and it strained to house and entertain the estimated 100,000 guests who came for the game and the parties surrounding it. Local officials spent much of the week defending their efforts, and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue defended the decision to come to city without the warmth of Miami and San Diego or the nightlife of New Orleans.

"If you go to different places, different groups of fans can drive to the game," Tagliabue said, "including the Branch family."

Branch said 70-75 of his friends and family drove a couple of hours from Albany, Ga., to watch native son tie Jerry Rice and Dan Ross with 11 catches that totaled 133 yards. In all, eight of his catches for 106 yards came on New England's scoring drives.

"He's our biggest, strongest receiver. He does all the dirty work," fellow receiver Troy Brown said. "He leveled a guy on one of runs down the sideline. He doesn't get enough credit. He's a big-time playmaker. Our whole group of receivers doesn't get the credit they deserve."

Brown had been New England's most recognizable pass-catcher _ and he got most of his headlines for playing defense. And the Patriots receiving corps had been entirely overshadowed by Philadelphia's Terrell Owens, who made a gutsy _ and headline-grabbing _ early comeback from a leg injury to catch nine passes for 122 yards.

But it was Branch who walked off with a third championship ring and the Pete Rozelle Trophy that quarterback Tom Brady took home in the Patriots' last two Super Bowl wins.

"They say big players step up in big games," Branch said after the game. "All the hoopla was about T.O. He's a great player. He really sucked it up tonight. But I want to show I have the same type of talent as those guys."

Not that anyone with the Patriots doubted the third-year pro could be so dominant.

A second-round pick out of Louisville in 2002, he caught 43 passes his rookie year. He improved to 57 the following year, but missed seven games this season because of a knee injury. He finished with just 35 catches for 454 yards and four TDs.

Branch was so frustrated during the recovery process that he didn't travel to every road game.

"My teammates kept pushing me to get better," he said. "They were telling me, 'We're going to need you soon.' I'm just thankful they didn't put me on IR," knowing injured reserve would have ended his season.

Branch found plenty of free space against the NFL's best secondary. It didn't matter who was covering him or what defense the Eagles were playing.

He played a role in all four scoring drives. The biggest catch might have been the last one _ a leaping 19-yarder over the middle that set up Adam Vinatieri's 22-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

"They did a good job of getting him in the open zone," All-Pro safety Brian Dawkins said.

Branch has developed into one of Brady's favorite receivers, usually getting the first look when a blitz is coming or a big catch is needed.

In last year's Super Bowl, Branch had 10 catches and a touchdown in a 32-29 victory over Carolina. Now, he has helped the Patriots become just the second team to win three Super Bowls in four years.

"He's a very dynamic player," Brady said. "He can do it all _ getting open, doing great things after he caught the ball."

The kind of things Owens does.

Philadelphia's All-Pro receiver defied his doctor by playing just 6 1/2 weeks after surgery. With a metal plate and two screws in his right ankle, Owens was outstanding.

But Branch was better.

"I think Deion kind of put the Patriots receivers on the map a little more with tonight's game," receiver David Givens said. "He got us maybe a little more respect that we probably needed that we didn't have."

Story produced by
Doug Bell