courtesy of googleimages

By: Jessica Lander, YawkeyTalkies editor

Since being the sixth overall pick in the 2001 draft to the Patriots, Richard Seymour has been one of our best on the defensive line. In eight seasons with the Patriots, Seymour started 105 of 111 games, was an integral part of the defense that led New England to 3 Super Bowl Championships, and reached a career high of eight sacks and 57 tackles. He received honors by being elected to the Pro Bowl five consecutive seasons (2002-2006), and being selected to the All-Pro first team 3 consecutive seasons from 2003-2005, and the All-Pro second team in 2006.

However, with his contract coming to an end in his 2009 season the Patriots made the decision to trade Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a first-round draft pick in 2011.

Some might say that in his more recent seasons, Seymour’s performance has gone down hill, as his age goes up. Although, in his defense (no pun intended), in the 2008 season he tied his career high in sacks. Still, he was not named to the Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection teams in 2007 or 2008.

 Seymour has also battled through various injuries almost every season since being drafted: 2003 leg injury, 2004 MCL right knee injury, 2005 left knee injury, 2006 left elbow injury, 2007 left knee surgery, 2008 back injury. With more likely to come as he reaches 30 on his next birthday, the Patriots were unlikely to re-sign the defensive end (making 3.7 million this season) when they could pay less for someone with less wear and tear. To make the trade even better, 2011 might also bring a rookie cap, making a first-round pick that much more valuable.

 The Pats should be able to fare without him for one last season having made a decision that will serve them better in the future. We can also rest assured with four veterans remaining on the defensive line for at least this season. However, it is hard to ignore the obvious trend of deterioration on the Patriots defensive line after also trading Mike Vrabel and losing Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi to retirement. Those remaining are Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Vince Wilfork, and Mike Wright. It might also need to be noted that Wilfork’s rookie contract is also up after this season, and that this was a probably a huge factor in the decision as Belichick thought it more important to re-sign him over Seymour, obviously. The Patriots also acquired Derrick Burgess from the Raiders in pre-season and have two rookies, Ron Brace a local from BC and second-round pick, and Myron Prior a sixth-round pick.

 Loading ...

Popularity: 4% [?]