The Patriots have given Deion Branch permission to seek a trade, most likely to give the WR a dose of reality. The team is thinking that if Branch can see his relative value, that he’ll realize that Patriots’ offer to extend his contract for three years and $19 M is a fair offer. This news actually helps Branch’s value because it means that he’ll likely return to the field faster, whether it be for the Pats or for another team…Daunte Culpepper appears to be all the way back from the devastating knee injury that sidelined him last season. Don’t pull the trigger on Culpepper or any QB too early, unless you are getting really good value in the middle rounds…Willie Parker will start out as the team’s goal-line back. This really helps his value heading into the season, making him a solid third round pick…KC guard Will Shields should be back for Week 1, which is good news for Larry Johnson owners…The Rams signed Stephen Davis, which hurts the value of Tony Fisher and, given Davis’ redzone abilities, may affect Steven Jackson as well. Jackson is a big player, so there’s no reason to think that he won’t be used on the goal line, but the presence of Davis gives the team an option, and that’s a bit worrisome.