Pats are weaker without Seymour
New England’s odds to win the Super Bowl haven’t gone down on WagerWeb.com, but I would argue the team is certainly weaker now that defensive end Richard Seymour has been traded to Oakland.
It was a shocking trade, really, the Pats dealing a five-time Pro Bowler for a first-round pick in 2011. And the team still really hasn’t said why it did it. Coach Bill Belichick praised Seymour’s play but said he wouldn’t address whether the deal was completed after Seymour didn’t report to Oakland on Monday.
Raiders coach Tom Cable said that Seymour had to resolve some things with the Patriots before the trade could be finalized.
Seymour’s contract is up after this season, so that obviously played a huge role. Seymour has been a stalwart in New England since being drafted sixth overall in 2001. He played on three Super Bowl winners with the Patriots, recording 39 career sacks and being selected to the Pro Bowl for five straight seasons beginning in 2002.
Raiders owner Al Davis wanted immediate help for a defense that has struggled to stop the run in recent seasons. Since going to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, Oakland has had the worst run defense in the NFL, allowing 141.7 yards per game on the ground and 122 touchdowns rushing. The Raiders have allowed a 100-yard rusher in more than half of their games the past three years.
Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison said that Seymour is unhappy that he was traded to the Raiders.
“Who would be thrilled to go to the Oakland Raiders?,” Harrison, now an NBC analyst, said. “Maybe somebody who’s happy to just get a chance but not a guy like Richard Seymour, a five-time Pro Bowler. For a veteran player to go to Oakland at this juncture it’s just difficult.”
The Pats have now lost Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, Seymour and Mike Vrabel, among others, from last year’s defense. At 29, Seymour, who led the team with eight sacks last season, would seem to have several prime playing years left. But defensive tackle Vince Wilfork’s contract, among several others, is also set to expire after the season, and the Patriots will probably now devote time — and the money they will save by parting with Seymour — to keeping Wilfork.
Meanwhile, it certainly is a risk for the Raiders, as that 2011 pick could potentially be in the top five. And is Seymour really going to make Oakland a playoff team this year? Not likely.
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(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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