Seymour prepared for his lead role

By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 9/10/2003

FOXBOROUGH -- In an understandably subdued locker room, Richard Seymour was smiling Monday, almost laughing. There was little to joke about, not after the Bills had routed the Patriots, 31-0, in the season opener Sunday afternoon. Seymour was just being Seymour. Easygoing, unfailingly good-natured, and polite. Quick with a smile.

On a day when it was easy for players to lumber around Gillette Stadium acting sullen, Seymour was a refreshingly congenial presence. The recently named defensive cocaptain prefers to lead by example. Sometimes that can be as simple as standing tall at a locker stall and talking honestly. After being blown out by Buffalo, the overriding message was to move on from the loss and "the Lawyer Milloy situation."

"It's one game on our schedule and we just have to bounce back,' said Seymour. "There's 16 games in all. Nothing's been decided in one game. I definitely think we have some things that we have to concentrate on and come out and correct, and we'll do that. Our confidence isn't shaken.

"I think we were prepared for this football game. We were ready to go, but it just didn't happen for us. On all sides of the ball, we couldn't get anything going. Sometimes it's like that. We just have to hang in there and keep our heads up and not get down and not self-destruct from within."

Despite one game of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Seymour said the impact of a move like the one made by Milloy is overrated. Not even a Hall of Famer, he said, could have helped the Patriots in Buffalo. And Seymour is "real sick" of the questions about Milloy.

But the departure of the former New England defensive captain left an undeniable leadership void. For his part, Seymour does not feel any pressure to fill that void. It's still too early in the season -- and in his tenure as defensive cocaptain -- to change his style.

Besides, what message would that send?

"Seeing that I'm a young player and it's only my third year, I think I lead more by example at this point," said Seymour. "My manner in the locker room and all around, I'm kind of a low-key, laidback type of guy. But when I get out on the football field, there's a difference in the way that I carry myself. There's more of a swagger out there. There's more of an attitude. I think there's a switch that you have to be able to turn on and off."

Seymour transforms into an intense, ferocious player on game days because he is driven to "be the best." Once he accomplishes that, Seymour said, he will be driven to remain on top. That drive took Seymour to the Pro Bowl last season, after he started all 16 games at defensive tackle and tied for the team lead with a career-high 5 1/2 sacks. This season, the Patriots are trying to make better use of his speed and size as a pass-rushing end. At either position, Seymour has the ability to become a perennial Pro Bowler. But a postseason trip to Hawaii was the farthest thing from anyone's mind in Buffalo. In his Monday morning press conference, coach Bill Belichick said probably every player made a play he wishes he could have back. When asked why the defense was unable to at least control the damage in the second half, Seymour said fatigue may have been a factor. After all, the Patriots defense was on the field for 19 minutes and 20 seconds of the first half. Seymour finished with three tackles, two assists, and a sack.

"As a team, obviously it wasn't good," said Seymour. "But individually, I'm not saying I had my best performance, but I was solid. I will say that.

"We're going to go in and watch the film. I'm tougher on myself more than anybody's tough on me. Sometimes I have to be like, `Take it easy on yourself.' But I'm ready to go this week, get this bad taste out of our mouths."

The Patriots will head down to Philadelphia for their next game Sunday afternoon. Only then will Seymour truly see whether he and his teammates have moved on from the Buffalo debacle.

"I think if you can win your individual battles, then the team can win the war," said Seymour. "Everyone really has to look at it in those terms. Everybody just has to have that attitude. So I'm going to go out and do whatever I can to win a football game. I'm not going to play outside of myself. But I tell you what, I'm going to go out there and play tough, smart, physical, aggressive football and leave it all out on the field."