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Married. Mother of two. Part-time sports blogger looking for a way to get full-time money writing about the sport I love: football. More By Lovelykd
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Richard Seymour Got Punk'd by the Pats...Good Luck in Oakland
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Richard Seymour has a right to be mad as hell, he's gone from a perennial Super Bowl contender in the New England Patriots to a joke of a franchise in the Oakland Raiders.
Truthfully, you can't blame the Patriots for taking this deal; Seymour is an aging defensive lineman who has seen the injured list more than the line of scrimmage over the last few years, but still, it seems kind of cruel to trade him to such a poor team this late in his career.
The Raiders haven't seen the playoffs in six-years and don't look to be headed there any time soon—least of all this year.
Seymour is reportedly "angry" about the trade and likely feels a little unappreciated by the Patriots.
At the same time, however, Richard should know that Bill Belichick is less about loyalty than he is about longevity—it's the best man for the job, regardless of the name on the jersey.
That is how Bill works and that is what works for the Patriots; plug and play.
Honestly, it was pure brilliance on behalf of the Patriots front-office, the Raiders are likely to remain in the basement and are almost a lock to have a Top 15 pick in 2011—anyone who believes the Raiders are anywhere near being a playoff team is kidding themselves.
That said, the Patriots stand to get a top-flight player in 2011 without having to do too much wheeling and dealing on or before draft day. It's hard to argue with their decision.
As for Seymour, he needs to use his anger to play like a beast this season as 2010 is likely to see an uncapped year and his services could be in high demand from a team with a spot for a Pro Bowl caliber player such as himself who is stout against the run.
That said, the Raiders clearly won't have any chance of keeping Seymour beyond this year so it begs the question, why make the deal in the first place?
Did someone feel that he would make the difference between a 5-6 win season or a 8-9 win one? Either way, they wouldn't make the playoffs with what they have now. Jamarcus Russell is likely to be better, but will he continue to overachieve now that he has no competition to push him?
The Raiders cut Jeff Garcia but he wasn't likely to have made an impact on the field this season anyhow as he spent most of training camp injured and absent. However, that does leave only Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye as the backups.
Not sure if those two are the answer to anyone's quarterback question. If nothing else, the presence of Garcia would have been good for the maturation of Russell as a quarterback—not sure if Garcia was willing to take that role on, however.
Darren McFadden is talented and can be a playmaker...when he's healthy. However, that is something he has not been since arriving in Oakland. Add to that the sheer plethora of backs that Oakland has on roster and it's any wonder that there aren't cage matches for playing time.
The addition of Seymour will help their defensive line, as it was awful against the rush last season, but again, it's a one-year fix and it won't lead to a playoff appearance for the team; again, scratching my head as to the Oakland upside.
If anything, Oakland made a move that on the surface seems like a good one—they had a need on the line for a run-stopping defensive end and they met that need. However, wouldn't it have been better to address that in the draft instead of opting for another fast wide receiver?
Just a thought.
New England, for it's part, did need to consider the expiring contracts of players like Vince Wilfork (2010) and Tom Brady (2011) so they are looking ahead to the future and Seymour, with his injury warts and all, was the most expendable piece of the puzzle.
Good luck to Richard in his season of purgatory. Despite what Oakland fans believe, the Raiders will be lucky to hit six wins this season; 4-5 seems much more likely.
As for the Patriots, well, they will miss Richard in the run game, that is for sure. However, Bill knows how to make the most of what he has—that's precisely why he is one of the best coaches in the NFL.
