When the Patriots traded standout DT Richard Seymour to the Raiders for a 2011 first round pick, I thought to myself "Brilliant!" They turned a 30 year old defensive lineman who will be a free agent at the end of the season into a probable high first round pick. That is a no-brainer and you make that trade almost every time. Of course, after watching the Patriots defense play on Monday Night Football it hit me that Belichick has made a huge mistake. The Patriots have aspirations of winning the Super Bowl this year. Tom Brady is in the prime of his career and you can't waste years of players of his caliber. I'm not saying that this year will be a waste for the Patriots but after watching their defense play it is going to put a lot of pressure on the offense to win games. The pass rush was almost non-existent and to top it off their best player on defense (MLB Jerod Mayo) sustained a knee injury that might keep him out for the season. The defense the way it is currently constructed would make me hesitant to pick them in a playoff game (even more if they don't get home field advantage) over teams like Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Baltimore, etc. that can run the ball and control the clock. The Patriots better win the Super Bowl this year or you can look to this trade as a major reason why they didn't.
Now, if they NFL Bargaining Agreement is changed before 2011 and a rookie wage scale is put in place, then the trade is Brilliant again!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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2 comments:
Did you drink a guiness right before you thought of "brilliant"...haha.
I agree that it is a good trade for both teams. Seymour is 29 not 30 although he will turn 30 during the season and proved on Monday night that he is still an elite defensive lineman. He really helped the Raiders and is already the best lineman they have had since Howie Long.
For the Patriots, you are right, they better win it all this year because they essentially traded away their best defensive player for a draft pick 2 years down the line. Hard to do that and sacrifice years of Brady's career and now Brady will have to take this team all the way without the benefit of a strong defense which he has had in the past.
Well, the way the Raiders draft I have no problem with them giving away picks...ROFL. Seymour is going to be sorely missed in my opinion. They better have homefield advantage in the playoffs or they will have a tough time getting back to the SB. The Steelers and Ravens are going to be tough outs if the Patriots get matched up with them.
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