Cris Carter names the one Patriots player every NFL fan should know before Super Bowl LI

Most casual football fans don't know who the 6-foot-6, 325-pound man in the middle of the Patriots defensive line is.

And frankly, why would they?

Alan Branch has played for four teams in his 10-year NFL career, and he only had 1.5 sacks and 26 solo tackles in 16 games this season. Needless to say, you're not going to see too many No. 97 jerseys in the crowd at Houston's NRG Stadium Sunday.

But before Super Bowl LI, Fox NFL analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter thinks fans should become familiar with the defensive tackle's name.

He thinks we're all going to be hearing it called out often when New England takes on the Falcons.

In Carter's eyes, Branch is the key to the Patriots' run defense, and that makes him an x-factor in Super Bowl LI.

"Only football people know his name — he's a better Vince Wilfork than Wilfork was the last couple of years," Carter told FoxSports.com after appearing on Garbage Time with Katie Nolan.

For all the deserved talk about the excellent Atlanta offense and its two top-flight running backs, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, the build up to Super Bowl LI hasn't featured much talk about the Patriots' sound run defense.

It's surprising because the New England defense hasn't allowed a rusher to go for more than 90 yards since the 2015 season — the streak is at 25 games heading into Sunday's championship showdown against the Falcons.

Needless to say, that is abnormal.

And a big reason —  literally — for that success is Branch.

 

"The key to great run defense is gap control, and while Branch is also a threat in the pass defense rushing the quarterback, it's his ability to control two gaps in the middle of the line that makes him so valuable to the Patriots," Carter said.

The big man's work in the trenches frees up opportunities for players in the spine of the Patriots defense — middle linebacker Dont'a Hightower and free safety Devin McCourty — to make plays. Both players were 2nd Team All-NFL (AP) this year.

That strong spine is no accident.

"They're strong like a baseball team, right up through the middle," Carter said. "Those are the players that allow them to play their excellent bend-but-don't-break defense."