See Ya Seymour

On the morning after cutdown day, Patriots’ fans awoke to the shocking news that the team traded away standout defensive lineman Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a first-round pick in 2011. This was Seymour’s final year under his existing contract and it was highly probable that he was going to sign elsewhere in 2010. Perhaps the Patriots’ management looked at the situation as better to move an asset a year too early than a year too late. Like other guys who came through Foxboro and considered their worth higher than the Patriots valued (Milloy, Branch, Samuel and Hobbs), the team made a calculated decision that it was time to move on a player that wasn’t returning and may be past his peak. Seymour may no longer be a perennial All-Pro but remains an above-average defender. Perhaps in the long term it’s a wise business decision, but for this year Seymour’s absence doesn’t make a defense already in transition any better. Last year the defense (especially the secondary) was below average. With the trade of Vrabel and the retirements of Harrison and Bruschi, there were already big holes that have to be worked out as the season plays out. They traded for Derrick Burgess, brought in Leigh Bodden and Shawn Springs via free agency and have invested heavily in the secondary in the past two drafts. They also drafted Ron Brace and Myron Pryor this year to bring depth to the interior line.

As regards this move, there are many lemmings in the media and yahoo fans who give Belichick a free pass for every move he makes. Winning three Super Bowls does build a lot of public trust. Granted, nothing stands still and the defense is in the process of integrating new bodies into the mix. But the window of opportunity to remain contenders doesn’t stay open long. By moving an established block on the interior line for an unknown immediately diminishes the chances of the Patriots to contend in the here and now. Time will tell whether the Patriots’ defense will come together and perform better without Seymour. Let’s not forget how poorly they played with him in the lineup against some of the better offenses last year (especially the Pittsburgh game). The one thing going in the Patriots’ favor is the coach: he remains one of the best defensive minds in the game and his teams are highly intelligent and generally get better as the season unfolds. Time will tell…