Branch an impact player

FOXBOROUGH -- Welcome back, Deion Branch.

After sitting out the entire exhibition season, the Super Bowl MVP returned to action in a big way last night, finishing with a team-high seven catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.

''Deion is setting a standard for our receiving corps," quarterback Tom Brady said. ''He has a great understanding of playing receiver, he's like a point guard playing receiver. He understands defenses, running routes, and has a lot of great, physical skills. He's strong, quick, has great hands and great vision. The mental part of the game comes easy to him."

Naturally, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was happy to have Branch back in the huddle.

''He's a good playmaker for us. He came up with a lot of good catches and a couple of good runs after the catch," Belichick said. ''We all know we want to get the ball in his hands."

No kidding. As part of their offensive script, the Patriots called for a long pass to Branch on their first play. ''We almost hit him," said Belichick.

But the hits came in a hurry on the Patriots' next drive.

On the first play, Brady found Branch down the left sideline, then the 5-foot-9-inch, 193-pound receiver left Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in another zip code with a stop-and-start move that resulted in a 29-yard gain.

''That was a route Tom and I worked on all camp," said Branch. ''It shaped up just right and we made the plays."

Asomugha called it an in-up-and-out move.

''He's real good after the catch; that's probably his best asset," said Asomugha, a first-round pick of the Raiders in 2003. ''If you're not right on him in coverage when he catches it, you have to prepare for a lot of moves. He's quick.

''That play, I was figuring it would be an easy play. Then he turns it up and catches you off guard."

Two plays later, Branch caught a 10-yard pass to set up second and 5 from the Oakland 14.

''The flow of the offense was going so well," Branch said.

After Corey Dillon was tackled for a 4-yard loss, Branch hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass. He caught the ball at about the 3 and squirted past three defenders.

''It was a basic curl route and they brought up the zone coverage," Branch said. ''I just caught the ball and made a play."

Not bad for a drive's work: three catches, 57 yards, touchdown.

''It was the game plan, the coaches put me in the best position to make plays," Branch said. ''Troy [Brown] could do the same thing. David [Givens], too. Coach sets us up in certain positions to make plays, and that's what I did."

Said Brown: ''He's a great player. He gets open and catches the ball, which is what you do as a receiver. And he does a great job getting yards after the catch. It's fun to watch a guy like that."

Branch's concern entering the game was staying fresh.

''The main thing I was worried about was getting up too much for the first game and being tired that first series," he said. ''I managed that pretty good."

Although he wasn't completely happy with his performance.

''It's OK, I think I made a couple of mistakes here and there," Branch said. ''Certain coverages, I think I could have ran better routes against."