FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When wide receiver Deion Branch returned to New England in October, quarterback Tom Brady reunited with his former "favorite" receiver. The only problem was that Brady had found another top receiver while Branch was gone: Wes Welker.

How have the two receivers gotten along in the two months since the trade?

“Mentally we have this competition thing in our heads that ‘Hey, I’m going to try to out-do you,’” Branch explained. “But it’s not a jealous thing if he gets 10 balls and I get three. I’ll try to make the best of those three balls, and he’s going to do the same thing with those ten [balls].”

When either makes a play, Branch said there is more of a quiet respect between the two than any competitive trash-talking.

“We’ll get in the huddle, and we’ll give each other [fist] pounds, but then it’s on to the next play,” Branch said. “Hopefully he’ll call my number again, but if he calls Wes, I’ll be over there to give him a block if I can.”

Branch said that he and Welker are not the only two players who rival each other; the competition extends off the field to Brady as well.

“Ask [Brady] next time about Ping-pong,” Branch said. “That guy is very competitive. Yeah, I beat him most of the time, but then he breaks the paddle so we can’t play no more.”