Nick McDonald shows off his gift from Chad Ochocinco, a gift every Patriot received. (Nick McDonald, Twitter)

FOXBORO — Chad Ochocinco has battled through a long, arduous season.

He lost his father the week before the AFC championship, attending his funeral and returning too late to be active for the game.

He has sought out the advice and counseling of fellow diva receivers Randy Moss and Terrell Owens.

But say this for Ocho, he is still beloved by his teammates and he has returned that love with a symbol of something he holds near and dear to his heart – his music.

Every teammate received a pair of the Beats by Dre, courtesy of Ocho, a story first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and confirmed by Patriots offensive lineman Nick McDonald, who tweeted his appreciation Saturday morning.

@NMcDonald65 tweeted: Thanks ocho.. You the man

Ochocinco bought the 70 headphones for each of his teammates to have during the team flight to Indianapolis on Sunday for Super Bowl XLVI.

Beats By Dre, created by legendary hip-hop producer Dr. Dre, start at $100 each. Ocho owns a pair of custom gold-plated “Beats” valued at $2,400.

Ochocinco signed a three-year, $11.5 million deal with the Patriots on July 29, after being acquired in a trade with Cincinnati. The deal included a $4.5 million signing bonus. Clearly, Ocho is enjoying his first successful playoff run after first-round exits with the Bengals in 2005 and 2009.

Aaron Hernandez was a big factor in his last championship game, helping Florida beat Oklahoma in 2009. (AP)

FOXBORO — You would think when your nephew or brother is as successful as Aaron Hernandez is for the Patriots, you would automatically cheer for the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

But then again, Hernandez did grow up right on the border of Giants and Patriots territory in Connecticut.

Some thing he admitted Friday still plays a factor in allegiances as the two team square off in Super Bowl XLVI.

“My uncle is a Giants fan,” Hernandez said. “I have a few Giants fans in the family. D.J. [Hernandez, Aaron’s older brother] hopefully now is a Patriots fan.”

Hernandez played in the national championship in 2008, as the Gators beat Oklahoma and a year later, played in the Sugar Bowl, helping Tim Tebow and company destroy undefeated Cincinnati, 51-24.

“Yeah, big-game experience helps because you know what’s at stake and you know how to go about getting ready,” Hernandez said.

D.J. Hernandez played quarterback and wide receiver for the UConn Huskies before Aaron decided on a change of heart and attended Florida.

But Aaron has been a loyal Patriots fan from the get-go, which makes his first trip to the biggest of big games that much sweeter, though Hernandez said he did have allegiances to another team.

“I think Detroit Lions because of Barry Sanders but both of us kind of liked all teams,” Hernandez said. “I was a fan of the Patriots just because the first jersey I had was [Drew Bledsoe] and his first jersey was Barry Sanders.”

Fan loyalties aside, Hernandez will be ready to put aside family obligations for the week and concentrate on the task at hand when the team arrives in Indianapolis this weekend.

“I don’t think you have to worry about distractions coming into a game like this because if you can’t stay focused for the Super Bowl you probably got a problem but I heard there are a lot of distractions but I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Hernandez said, adding there’s a little more juice in preparations for this game.

“I would say a little more intense but you still have to approach it like it’s just another game and you can’t get too worked up or too excited just got to take it like a regular game and get mentally prepared and come mentally prepared and be ready to play,” he said.

Brian Waters broke it all down Friday, as the Patriots prep for the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. (AP)

FOXBORO — Brian Waters laughed out loud when told Friday that Osi Umenyiora was complaining that Matt Light does things to get under his skin.

Is it possible for the Patriots to play mental games and get under the skin of one of the most important defensive linemen in Super Bowl XLVI?

“There is a little bit of that but for the most part, it’s a physical game,” Waters said. “The mental part is making sure you know who you’re blocking from play to play. For them, they have their own assignments that they have to be accountable to. That’s probably the strongest mental part. All the other itty-bitty games that are played during the course of a game, there’s definitely going to be some of that gamesmanship at some point.”

Umenyiora and Light have quite the history. They got into a fight in the 2007 regular season finale. They got into it in Super Bowl XLII. And yes, they got into it again when the Giants visited Foxboro in November. What will happen in two weeks in Indianapolis?

“I don’t know what it is but it’s something he does that really gets under my skin,” Umenyiora said.

“Honestly, if we know who to block and the physical part is finishing and putting out and not getting outworked then I feel like we have a good chance,” Waters said. “What he’s talking about, I don’t know, you’d have to ask Matt. I’m sure they’d be able to explain a little bit better than me.”

Meanwhile, Waters played nine seasons with future hall of fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. On Friday, he was asked to compare Gonzalez to Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.

“Totally different,” Waters said. “I think that there’s a little bit of Tony in both of those guys. I think both of those guys are definitely, not to knock Tony because I have a great amount of respect for Tony but both of those guys are tremendous athletes to go along with their skill. Tony, to me, is by far the best tight end to ever play. These two guys give you something that a lot of teams haven’t ever had to my knowledge. I don’t know the history of football, you probably could ask [Bill Belichick] or some of the older coaches about it, but to be honest with you, I haven’t seen a duo like this since I’ve been in the league by far.”

Gonzalez is regarded as the best pass-catching tight end while Gronk and Hernandez are known as exceptional runners with the ball in their hands.

“Gronk’s ability to block, amongst Aaron’s versatility, their intelligence for their game – they clearly have a great understanding for [Tom Brady], a feel for the game and how he’s looking at the game and connecting with both of them,” Waters said. “The way they finish each play and their ability to make plays outside, inside, red zone, middle of the field, the ability to catch the ball in front of them, over their shoulder – they have an unbelievable amount of skill that they use and they’re just getting better. They’re at the beginning of how good they’re going to be.”

Justin Tuck says he wants to 'take the head off the snake' and get to Tom Brady as he did here in Super Bowl XLII. (AP)

FOXBORO — Tom Brady has been called a lot of things in his career.

On Friday, Giants defensive end Justin Tuck called him the head of the snake that is the powerful Patriots offense.

“The way to kill a snake is to take off its head,” said Tuck, who is a cousin of another pass rushing specialist – Adalius Thomas. “The way to kill an offense as potent as that … is to take care of Brady.”

Tuck, who added he has a ton of respect for Tom Terrific, was a force in Super Bowl XLII and again on Nov. 4 when the Giants beat the Patriots, 24-20.

Deion Branch got a really good laugh out of the analogy that Tuck provided.

“I have no reaction to that,” Branch laughed. “Hey, if that’s the analogy that they’re taking, then that’s what it is. I think our job is to protect our guy, protect the snake, make sure he doesn’t get his head cut off. That’s Justin, he’s a great player. Trust me, we truly respect that guy, respect what he’s done for the league, what he’s doing for his team but no, we can’t worry about that part. We have to worry about what we’re doing and the snake will do his part.

“That’s just part of the game plan. We’re going to try and take advantage of every opportunity they give us. If we have to sit in and max-protect, that’s what we’re going to do. If our front line can handle the guys without max-protecting, then I’m pretty sure we’ll do that as well. It’s just all about taking advantage and making adjustments on the sidelines.”

Is Tuck right with the snake analogy?

“I don’t know,” Branch giggled. “I know a snake is dead if you cut it’s head off, a real snake, though. But Tom’s not a snake, Tom’s not a snake.”

But Branch confirmed that the Patriots offense will do everything possible to keep Brady’s head and that of the offense in place.

“We can switch positions with the linemen,” Branch said. “Overall, there’s a lot of things we can do. We’ll make those adjustments on the sidelines if we have to go to a quick game, if we’re getting pressure, if we have to max-protect and then give Tom enough time to push the ball down the field. You can do a lot of things, screens, draws, a lot of things to slow the rush down, chip the guys. I think we did a good job and I know the guys will do a good job next week.”

Vince Wilfork will be looking to harass Eli Manning (10) on Super Sunday. (AP)

FOXBORO — No one says it like it is on the Patriots defense quite like Vince Wilfork.

Asked what he thought of Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Wilfork said the Patriots will see a more mature quarterback than they saw in Super Bowl XLII and – for that matter – on Nov. 4 at Gillette Stadium.

“You’ve seen him grow,” Wilfork said. “You’ve seen a guy not making the bonehead mistakes. He’s protecting the football and that’s first and foremost. When you can protect the football offensively, you have a good shot. And I think with the guys surrounding him that can make plays – that’s all they have to do is protect the ball and they’ll find themselves in pretty good shape. So it’s just a team that’s going to grind it out for 60 minutes. They going to play for 60 minutes and you know what, if we make a mistake or anyone that faced them made a mistake, it’s going to cost them so it’s going to be a tough, tough game for us but at the same time it’s going to be very, very exciting.”

Forget “elite,” Wilfork put Manning used the word “great” to describe his play leading the Giants to playoff road wins in Green Bay and San Francisco.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Wilfork said. “He’s been a first pick in the draft. I’ve always watched him. He does everything you’re looking for as a quarterback. I’ve seen it firsthand what he can do in the fourth quarter of these games. He’s done a great job bringing his team back. He’s a great leader. You always hear that coming out of New York, the guys really have a lot of respect for him and so do I.”

“It’s part of the position and you watch the San Francisco game and I watched that and he was getting drilled and just stood in there and kept making the throws, trusting his protection and came through when they needed him,” Brady said. “He’s certainly a great leader for that team and plays at an extremely high level. You don’t get to this game without playing at a high level. He seems to always do it down the stretch. I have a ton of respect for him. He’s a great competitor. He’s a great quarterback for that team.”

Manning is the biggest reason why Wilfork understands why some can’t buy the Giants as underdog. The Patriots are favored from anywhere between three and four points in Super Bowl XLVI.

“I would see why people would say they need to be favored –they’re a heck of a ball club,” Wilfork said. “It seems like the later in the season it gets, the better they get. They peak at the right time. I understand and trust me, I see the same thing that they see. I watch film a little bit more in depth than those guys and the Giants are a real good football team. They’re coached very well and they have playmakers everywhere.
What impresses Manning’s counterpart so much is his toughness. Tom Brady has watched Manning stand in the pocket and pay the price to get the ball where it needs to go.”

Bill Parcells sits atop an impressive coaching tree in Super Bowl lore.

FOXBORO — As he does often when asked to reflect on his days with the Giants, Bill Belichick reminded everyone that a lot can change in 21 years in the NFL.

“That was a different time, the game was different then what it is now,” Belichick said Thursday.

But the men from the staff of Bill Parcells on the Super Bowl XXV champion Giants continue to make their mark in the league and once again that will be on full display on football’s biggest stage.

The defensive coordinator, of course, was Belichick. He has since won three Super Bowl titles as head coach of the Patriots, winning five AFC championships in the process. Tom Coughlin was wide receivers coach on that team before leaving immediately after Scott Norwood‘s kick sailed wide right to take the reigns of the Boston College football program.

Coughlin turned BC into a perennial bowl-caliber team while producing NFL-ready talent, a trait that continues today. Coughlin moved on to take the Jaguars to a pair of AFC championships before taking on the Giants head job, replacing Jim Fassel after the 2004 season.

“That staff worked pretty well together,” Belichick said. “My relationship with Tom in those those years with me coaching the secondary and him coaching the receivers, we really worked together. We helped each other out.”

In all there were four assistants on that Giants staff under Parcells that would become an NFL head coach. In addition to Belichick and Coughlin, there was defensive line coach Romeo Crennel and linebackers coach Al Groh. Giants offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt was the head coach of the Patriots from late 1979 through 1981.

“Being able to have that give and take with conversations like, ‘Tom this is a tough pattern, or we’re really having tough time defending this route. Or we can tell your corner is lined up like this it’s going to be zone. We can tell when he jams, it can be tough on a route.’”

What was interesting Thursday was how appreciative Belichick sounded of Coughlin for speaking up and how grateful Belichick was to Parcells for creating an environment that fostered that kind of communication among coaches.

“That reinforces some things. On your side of the ball you think you’re coaching the best you can, and that’s what you’re doing. But when the guy working against you is telling you that this is really hard or that this is harder than that is. Then it gives you another perspective from an offensive standpoint and not just a defensive perspective.

“There was a lot of that. It wasn’t just about what you were doing. It was a team effort. It was a special team, not just with the coaches but with the players. “

Tedy Bruschi and the Patriots rallied in the snow four years ago before heading to Super Bowl XLII. (AP)

FOXBORO — Just like four years ago, Patriots fans will have the chance to send off their team to Super Bowl XLVI in super fashion with a rally at Gillette Stadium.

The rally itself will begin at noon with gates to the stadium opening at 10:15 Sunday morning. And like four years ago, there will be a replay of the AFC championship game for fans to relive the thrill and their incredible good fortune that Lee Evans dropped a pass and Billy Cundiff hooked a kick left with 11 seconds remaining.

The Patriots and sponsors Dunkin’ Donuts and Covidien are inviting fans to the free event, where they can see the team off to Indianapolis to take on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. Just prior to the players boarding busses for the airport, Patriots President Jonathan Kraft, Bill Belichick and the entire team will greet fans from the Gillette Stadium field.

The Patriots Cheerleaders, Pat Patriot and the End Zone Militia will take part in the festivities, and complimentary coffee and hot chocolate will be provided.

The event is free and open to the public. Gillette Stadium’s Patriot Place Gate (located near the ticket office and the The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon) will open at 10:15 a.m. Parking is free. No tailgating will be allowed.