"Yes, he is a Super Bowl MVP. So are defensive backs Larry Brown and Dexter Jackson, both of whom disappeared from the radar screen so quickly that I'm expecting to see them surface as NFL Network studio analysts any second now.
Branch's individual honor in the Big Game With The Roman Numerals was more a concerted effort by the media to be different and give the award to someone other than Tom Brady than anything else. His 11 catches against the Philadelphia Eagles and 10 versus the Carolina Panthers in back-to-back Super Bowls reflect Brady's command of the big stage. It's impossible to know what they really tell us about Branch.
Compared to the rest of Branch's career, those numbers stand out like Randy Moss at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes convention. Branch's average National Football League season in his four years out of Louisville: 53 catches, 686 yards, four touchdowns.
Decent numbers. Alvin Harper numbers compared to Michael Irvin. John Taylor numbers compared to Jerry Rice. Not the kind of numbers that should persuade the dominant team of the decade to slide the chips to the center of the table and begrudgingly mutter, "all in."
Branch is not in Wayne's area code. Nor for that matter do we need our #1 WR to be. Deion's strength is as a cerebral WR. Not necessarily a highly portable skill in the NFL though as there are not that many cerebral offenses and even fewer QB's capable of running them. Most need help from a big, strong, fast, beats coverage kind of WR with dominant physical skills and durability, and that is something the twig will never be. He landed in the optimum situation for maximizing his finesse skill set, and while he gets credit for working hard at holding up his end early, his response now is to thumb his nose at it. Brady can adapt to life without Branch easier than Deion will adjust to life without Brady.
Fair to middling WR may be harsh, fair to middling #1 is not. But take him out of this system and away from this QB and he might just morph into precisely that.
