Richard Seymour analysis

If you are going to trade Seymour, shouldn't it have been done weeks ago?

Good move by Patriots. Get mid to high first round draft pick, free up cap space to re-sign top players on roster. This move makes good business sense for Pats.

Good luck to R Seymour.

If the Pats are moving more to a 4-3, then the whole in the d-line this creates is actually much less then if they stayed with the 3-4. Brace or Wright move inside to play with Wilfork and Burgess can play the pass-rushing end.

Making room for Julius Peppers.

Holy sheeet.... must mean they feel good about the recent draft of brace and pryor. now let's lock up wilfork and wait for the top 5 pick from raiders for 2011!

I don't think the uncertain labor situation had anything to do with it. Its a classic BB move cutting a veteran when his play doesn't justify his salary. Is Jarvis Green strong enough to play end in 3-4? (which is more like playing tackle). He weighs the same as Brett Keisel so not that much of a stretch. The 3-4 is like owning a exotic car, cool to own and drive but its so hard to find replacement parts.

GREAT TRADE!!! Seymour has been a shell of his former self over the last 3 or 4 years (yes he did have a good year last year) and it seems like he always has the chance of being out with an injury any given week. I think with all of the free agents we have at the end of the year the Patriots need to get top dollar. A 1st round pick from Oakland is top dollar!

Great Move Bill!

Mike, I am completely shocked over this. I understand depth and the value we most likely received but this guy is a monster on the field. I hope they plan on acquiring a rusher.

Mike,

When the dust settles, please re-acquaint us with the 2010 and 2011 draft picture (# picks by round). In addition to getting money for Wilfork, if we get a good crop of rookies in 2011, lower paid talent frees up cap room for Brady's extension?. . .. especially as you point out, we get a rookie cap in the new agreement.

This makes some sense if they resign Wilfork long term but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

Mike,
If there is no football in 2011, what happen to the draft pick? Can patriots use that pick in 2012...

I think its a good move. Good luck Richard, you have been nothing but professional. Thank you for all the great memories.

Pay Vince and I'll say "great move."

Guys, there was no way in hell that Richard was staying after this year anyway...we all knew that. I'd rather face reality now and get a 1st rounder than face reality later and get SQUAT.

All about maximizing value out of a highly valued, and highly priced talent. Seymour has been banged up from time to time, and that will likely increase as he turns 30. Great value for both teams with the 1st rd pick.
Now hopefully Wilfork can get his deal done.

So they just re-built the whole defense around Mayo and the 4-3.

I've seent this before; and when your future HOF linebacker key to the 4-3 misses six games with a leg injury, what have you got?

You've got bopkiss!

I don't think this move was to free up $$ for Peppers. If anything, I think BB sees the DL as very good as it is now. Sign Wilfork.

If anything, I think BB will try and deal for a DB. Pre-season showed some big holes there.

Why not get a first-round draft choice for the 2010 draft?? Forget about 2011, this defense needs help like yesterday, not two years from now!
I'd say Old Man Davis made out pretty good on this one. He Gets a premier defender NOW for this season and & doesn't have to pay until 2011!!
Jeez, Brady's contract runs out soon.. Lets see if we can get a first-round draft choice in 2015...NOT....I realy don't get htis one.. I think Richard will be dominate this year... Well, better lock up Brady, Moss,Wilkork & Mankins for the future or this will be a bad trade!!

I agree comletely with Reason... what they got in return has the potential to be huge and they gave up, in effect, one year of Seymour's services. This could prove to be a spectacular move.

The Pats are now $6 million under the cap. Enough to extend Vince, but not to get Peppers unless he'd restructure and the Pats sent other players to Carolina to create more cap space. There aren't that many Pats players with significant cap savings if cut or traded. (Trading Jarvis Green would take $2 million of the cap.) See Miquels' patscap.com. I'd rather see them address their "keeping Tom healthy" problem by upgrading at OT if possible (trading Light would yield $3,790,000 in cap savings).

Here's what I'll say : they got good value.

But (huge but) they also got good value for Deion Branch. But did that move cost them the SB in that year because they lacked WR depth ? I understand the value - but I just hope we're still playing to win the game (where's Herm when you need him ?).

Mike,
You're right that there is no guarantee that the 2011 pick will be in the top half of the draft BUT...in the last six years the Raiders picks in the first round have been #2,#7,#7,#1,#4,#7.....With competent leadership in KC and Denver and SD being tough and Al Davis being Al Davis, The is a pretty good chance that it will be a high pick......
If the Raiders don't/didn't sign Seymour to an extension they could be playing against him in a year when they give up a first rounder for him...
It will also make watching Oak-KC and Oak-Den games more interesting to watch as Seymour tries to sack Cassel or get blocked by Russ Hochstein.....

Give the Pats and BB credit for the courage to trade big name players. ESPN reporting that the Pats have signed G Kendell Simmons to take the spot vacated by Seymour.

Mike,

If there's a strike / lockout, that eliminates the 2011 draft in April, would the NFL have the draft at a later date, or skip it altogether and make all the college players free agents? Is there any chance that this pick becomes non-existent and the Patriots would have traded Seymour for nothing?

#15: The Pats would need to have $16M in free cap space to trade for Peppers.

#11: The CBA mandates a draft in the year after the CBA expires, regardless of whether or not football is actually played.

Mike: Is it possible the Pats could basically use that 2011 pick to trade into the 2010 draft?

I think Pioli had more to do with the Pats success than I realized. The moves with Smith, O'Callaghan and Thomas were what you'd expect from the Raiders or Lions, getting little or no value for very capable players. Just look at what these 3 guys cost (3rd, 5th and 6th round picks) and what they got for them (one 7th round pick.) They have 1 (one!) back-up quarterback and he's and undrafted rookie. Seymour for a 2011 1st round pick may be good, but by the time that pick can help, Brady will be on his way out. It's time to win now while Brady is near his prime.

Richard Seymour had been very quiet about the Wilfork situation
despite the fact he has had contract disputes of his own in the past.
He remained out of training camp one year until his contract was
adjusted.

Is there any possibility that Richard demanded an adjustment to
his contract or a promise not to franchise him next year. He may
have threatened to sit out the start of the season.

The Pats plan to score 50 points a game so defense matters no more.

Clearly a lot of the moves the Pats are making are geared towards the fact that so many contracts are up at the end of this year. I do appreciate the forward-thinking and I know it's always difficult to balance building for the future with winning now.

However, this team is (was?) a legitimate Super Bowl contender with some large questions on defense and an offense that could easily get derailed by a couple of OLine injuries if the backups aren't up to snuff.

With lots of changes inevitable next year, this year might be our best chance to get back to the Super Bowl for a while. Right now, I don't see that getting rid of Seymour, Hochstein and O'Callaghan improves our chances of winning a championship.

Can I get some "Peppers" with that deal?

NFL has stated that the 2011 draft will occur even if there is no labor agreement. The possibility of a lock out is real, but it will not cause the Patriots to lose their draft pick.

On the other hand, if there is no new labor agreement, there will no adjustment of rookie salaries, making a potential top 5 pick substantially less desirable.

Additionally, the possibility of a lock out will hurt the talent pool in 2011. In 2010 Juniors will be more likely to enter the draft because their big pay day may not be there if they wait until 2011. These players will no longer be available when 2011 arrives. Also, Juniors in 2011 will stay out of the draft if it looks like there will be no labor agreement.

So I'm guessing all the fair weather fans are looking for a new team to support. Look no further than the team that refuses to kiss Belichick's rings - Rex Ryan's New York Jets.

See ya guys, it's been lousy. BB knows much better than any of us how to make a team stay consistently competitive and he's not afraid to make tough, unpopular decisions.

If Brady stays healthy they will be putting up a huge amount of points to offset any defensive deficiency the trade of often injured Seymour would create. This is a "brilliant" move by Belechick.

OK. I get it. We don't have the LBs to play the 3-4. Wilfork/Brace at DT with a rotating set of fresh DEs and Mayo at MLB. -- Unless we're trading for Peppers...

I think it's clear. Bill is going to flip that first round pick to the Panthers for Julius Peppers.

Unless we're getting Peppers this makes no sense to me whatsoever. To begin with, we're dangerously thin at LB. Guys like Seymour who are playing in their contract years tend to give you excellent performance, and we need that from the DL this year. Maybe Bill likes what he's seen from Burgess, Banta-Cain, Wright et. al., but this is a strange move. Not the kind of move you make when you're trying to compete for a championship in 2009 and 2010.

Typically savvy move by BB. Cold hard analysis says Seymour's best years are behind him. So find a star-struck owner willing to pay dearly for some Patriots Aura (Al Davis on Line 1!) and soak him good. We all know that first-round pick will be traded for a fistful of second- and third-rounders, right?

Also, I'm hearing that sixth-round rookie Myron Pryor has wowed the coaches in the preseason. Look for him to take up a lot of the slack, with clueless announcers saying, "Who *is* this guy?"

In Bill we trust.
Thanks for the memories Tedi B.
Now, go break down that linebacker film.

Seymour had "0" sacks last season ??

It was impossible to extend everyone. They must feel highly of Brace's! He surprised BB with his agility to play DE as they thought he was stricly DT. Myron Pryor also surprised people with his motor and play at DT. It was a move that was hard because I'm a Big Seymour fan but needed because it's better to get SOMETHING NOW than get NOTHING LATER. As long as we sign Wilfolk I'm cool with the move. Without Vrabel, Bruschi, Harrison and now Seymour on the defense it will be hard to win a Super Bowl with so many inexperienced guys.

Everyone talked about the D being old but nothing beats experience. We may have the speed of a youngsters now but great veterans like those above react quicker because they read the plays quicker.

This will be an interesting season to say the least!!

3 Things you Can Always Rely On: death, taxes, and the Raiders sucking every year.

This 2011 1st rounder is as close to money in the bank as you're going to get in the NFL. Plus, if the contract negotiations go the owner's way, we could possibly get a top 5 rookie AND at an affordable price via a rookie salary cap. Not bad for a guy you were going to lose after this year anyway.

I don’t think this is mortgaging the present for the future; young guys like Brace and Pryor will step in and I don’t think that the loss of Seymour is going to be all that great. As a whole, I don’t think the loss in production via Richard’s departure will be less in value than the worth of the 1st round pick in 2011. Obviously, Bill thinks likewise because he went ahead with the trade. I still think we’ve got a pretty good D-line and like our prospects with the second rounders next year and 2 first-rounders in 2011 (hell, it might even be THREE first-rounders, if Bill trades a 2nd rounder into the future, as he is prone to do).

Really, the move makes a lot more sense for the Pats than it does for Oakland. They just gave up a high-1st round pick for a guy who will probably leave for the Redskins after this year is up….and they’re still not going to sniff the playoffs!

So relax, fellas….be glad we’ve got some forward-thinking management down in Foxboro. The ride this year is going to be as rocky as you think.

Listen to the voice of... REASON.

With Seymour no longer next to him and replaced by a rookie (Brace-Pryor) - shouldn't we expect Vince's effectiveness go down now? If BB did this to divert our attention from his 5th rd draft pick give away screw up in the Alex Smith deal - he did. IN BILL WE NO LONGER TRUST.

Does Wilfork get his contract now?

This isn't, necessarily, just connected to Wilfork: Brady is their biggest investment of all, as he could, potentially, play extremely well for as long as Belichick coaches, and beyond. The key to retaining Brady & keeping him productive is having the people he needs around him, starting with the line, maintaining a consistency & cohesion within that group. That's why I think resigning someone like Mankins, if they can can get it done without too much in guaranteed-money, is a better long-term value than worrying about an individual nose tackle, even a great one. Having locked-up Kaczur, gives them some leverage, as much as they need to have to do it with the cap-space available, if they want to do it right now. Unless, Mankins & his agent are already determined to get a big. big, money deal at the end of the season, it's hard not to take advantage of any kind of guaranteed money, right before the start of a season, a season which may turn-out unpredictably for a lot of reasons.

But nothing undermines the team's leverage more than zeroing in on a single, specific player, and trying to resign that one player to the exclusion of all others. The agents have no incentive to get their players to sign if they don't have any reason to think that the available cap-money will just as easily be gone to another player as soon as it's turned down from theirs. (e.g remember when Green was last extended, if I remember correctly, it was during some serious negotiations with Seymour that weren't, at the time, going so well. Seems like a pretty good investment, now, huh?)

Also, part of it has be that the Raiders just don't want that pick. I mean, how many Olympians can they sign before they have to start worrying about cap-space as well. I, for one, also hope that putting Seymour in that division forces other three teams to emphasize their line-play and backs. Maybe, then, another LB or two will shake loose. Or at least he can bang-up LT a little, get him all pissed-off and ready for the post-season, like they way we like him over here.

Thank You & Good Luck Sey!

"while the Raiders have struggled in recent years, there is no certainty the pick will be in the top half of the round."
Sorry, Mike, but I must respectfully disagree, unless Al Davis suddenly comes to his right mind.
It's a tough call, but we do not know what has transpired within the club. If the Pats saw a problem down the road in keeping both Wilfork and Seymour, this was a no-brainer. They got what should turn out to be a valuable first round pick, whether for a player in 2011, or whatever BB & Co can garner in multiple lower picks, possibly across more than one draft. It will be interesting to follow the rest of this week's moves.

brilliant move! this is why he Pats are always contending and he Raiders stink out the joint. the 2011 draft will reduce rookie pay structure - believe me, so the Pats will likely get a high pick and not have to pay $80m, the Raiders ge a 30 y.o. player who's contract is up in 2010

coach will find a replacement fo #93 also

So let me see...the team traded their 3rd leading tackler at a position they were very weak (Vrabel, LB) and a QB who should have made the Pro Bowl for a 2nd round pick. And now the defense, who could not get to the QB last year, trades their leading D line guy for a pick 2 years from now. The team hasn't won anything in four years and has been supplemented by Pittsburg as the team of the 2000's.All you lemmings keep following BB over the cliff

people that are posting on this topic are a bunch of dopes.... of course the patriots organization are looking to the future... i have watched football in the past and sure richard seymour has been a good player, but this is not about liking players, or winning in the past, its about winning in the present and in the future... bunch of brainless homers, you prolly have sammy morris and ben watson on your fantasy teams... im sure richard seymour is going to miss you guys...

This was a GREAT move. No, this move sucked! BB just shows again that he is a genius. NO, BB has me scratching my head with this move. Now they can get Peppers. NO, they still have a whole bunch of players they need to get signed. Reading the COMMENTS section is like one big collective comedy routine,somewhat like Abbott and Costello's WHO's ON FIRST? All speculation. Thanks for the laugh Pats' fanatics!

Gutsy move and will pay off big time. Better than too early than too late and BB is never afraid to pull these off. There's no way even the Raiders would trade next yrs #1, a top 5 pick, so Davis probably thinks (wrongly) this is 15 pick in '11. Even if so, wouldn't be surprised to see Pats trade this next yr for a 8-12 pick as well as sign Wilfolk.

Great move. I like the pick and the fact that it's in 2011 when, hopefully, the CBA is renegotiated and there is a rookie wage scale. But to Oakland? I wonder if Seymour pissed BB off.

And as for Wilfork, he'd better not expect crazy money, or I say ship him off too. Let him have a taste of what it's like to play for a 4-12 team and not even sniff the playoffs. Anyone remember Damien Woody?

And no one, I mean no one, on that defense is untouchable. If they were, they would have been the one or ones to make a play to keep the Giants out of the endzone during their last drive in the Super Bowl.

The value of the move is huge... Its one year of Seymour for a probable top ten pick in the year after the rookie salary cap goes into play. My worry is there's been alot of leadership that has walked out the door, especially on defense......Vrabel, Bruschi, Harrison, Seymour all this year. BB must think Mayo is Dick Butkus.....

It's amazing how Cheatriots fans instantly call any move that's done great. I'd like to see the Globe print some ridiculous story next April's Fools and watch how many robotic ditto-head fans call the move brilliant.

Does Kevin Carter sign now, to replace some DL depth? Not sure who would have to go off of the 53 in this scenario (Slater to IR?).

Will we see a Green-Wilfork-Pryor-Warren DL on Monday?

This is what Carolina should have done with Peppers.

Wow, initial reaction to this trade was disbelief, but after having you put all of the potential benefits in perspective for me, Mike, I am much more comfortable with it. This really is an ingenious move and, as much as I love Richard, I'd rather keep Wilfork over Seymour any day. Well done Patriots, Mike and BB and staff.

Trading a player you probably weren't going to sign anyways for a 1st round, top ten pick is a great move. Hypothetically if the Raider's don't franchise Seymoure he would be free to resign with the Pat's. If they franchise him you are looking at a 1 year, 14.5 million contract, same as Julius Peppers (what's Oakland's cap situation too). While he will be courted in the free agency market his stats won't (and haven't the last few years) justify that type of contract.
So the Pat's lose his service for 1 year, resign him as a UFA and walk away with an extra 1st round pick!

I think it was a very smart deal, especially getting a first rounder for him. They can also use that first rounder to entice someone during the draft, which has been their MO for years. He is due one more big contract and the Pats have to get younger and pay Wilfork if they ever hope to get back to the 3/4

Let's face it, the truth is that this move is a gamble, pure and simple. And so, in the near term, short of a pre-arranged deal to land Peppers-I doubt that such a deal exists- the Pats, as of today, have considerably less on the defensive side heading into opening day. The only thing that would have me retract that view is if some, as yet, barely known Pats player comes to the fore. And that, my friends, much like the "Peppers comes to NE for Oakland's draft pick" scenario, also seems like wishful thinking.

So until and unless the unexpected happens, this trade is exactly what it seems to be, an attempt to get something for a player the Pats had good reason to believe they would receive nothing for at the end of the season.

In summary, there will be a lot of proving to be done between now and the end of the '11 season-at the earliest- before we will know if this trade was defensible. In the meantime, if the defensive line struggles because of the absence of Seymour, this trade will start off squarely behind the eight ball.

I think this could be a great move for the future. BB feels there was no way to retain Seymour so get something for him. 1st rounder from Oakland could be like hitting the lottery with the possibility of a rookie salary cap.
I am also concerned about leadership on defense. Not as much as I was concerned about age and lack of speed the last few years. With the loss of Seymour, Bruschi, Harrison, and Vrable we will certainly feel the sting short term but with Mayo, Guyton, Brace, and a newly signed Wilfork we will reap the benefits long term. There had to be a turnover at some point, why not now when we have the luxury of putting up 40 points a game.

that extra first round pick might look enticing to the panthers now. say trade our first rounder and a 5th rounder for peppers, and keep Oaklands 1st rounder because it most certainly will be a better pick than ours, and belicheck wont want to shell out first round money on two rookies anyways. This frees up money for wilfork, but it also frees up money to potentially make a peppers deal work, some additional cuts would have to be made on the DL

Post #51,

It's also amazing how morons like you continue to spam Patriots message boards with childish Cheatriots comments. Take your jealousy and stupidity somewhere else. Adults are discussing things here. Why don't you go back to the cave you call your mom's basement and wait for some hot pockets?

I don't understand this move. The Pats should be focused on winning a SB this year. Who cares about 2011?

Great trade. We get a first round pick, and it will be like a normal season with Seymour - except instead of him being on the sidelines hurt, he'll be in Oakland. He wasn't going to get resigned, so they got value. The only question now becomes what Belichek trades this first round pick for.....

Richard just found a Lawyer..................Malloy

Thank You for 8 BRILLIANT years

Aloha,

Mr. Hand

This is the World Champion move, one of the top pass and run defenders in the NFL traded only for a 1st round pick. Complete fleece. You never trade away your best players when you play to win. Now we've got a set of untested rookies at the line (for those singing praises of Myron Pryor, he's only 6'0', doesn't carry the leverage of a 6'6' Richard Seymour). I want to win, and win now, and having a week LB and DL scenario doesn't really help. And the DB situation blew it this preseason, just check the number of points allowed. Even if for one year, Seymour was too valuable to let go. The defense has been struck a big blow, I don't know how everyone is just flat out denying that.

It's a good trade for the value. Generally we hose the Raiders on trades so who knows. Tough sentimentally though. Seymour was the best defensive player on the team for quite a while and it's the only jersey I've owned since Bledsoe in the 90's. Looks like it's time to shop for a new one.

Hopefully some of these other guys are up for the task. Many Big Sey memories, thanks!

This is the World Champion move, one of the top pass and run defenders in the NFL traded only for a 1st round pick. Complete fleece. You never trade away your best players when you play to win. Now we've got a set of untested rookies at the line (for those singing praises of Myron Pryor, he's only 6'0', doesn't carry the leverage of a 6'6' Richard Seymour). I want to win, and win now, and having a week LB and DL scenario doesn't really help. And the DB situation blew it this preseason, just check the number of points allowed. Even if for one year, Seymour was too valuable to let go. The defense has been struck a big blow, I don't know how everyone is just flat out denying that.

You had him for one more year,then you would get nothing as he would want too much in his last big contract. Under the circumstances a good move. The Pats will probably pick high in 2011 and have to pay less because of a rookie salary cap.

In the Pats we trust

# 51 is probably a Jets fan and a bed wetting mamas boy

If Al Davis was still alive he'd never stand for a deal this one-sided. Between drool breaks Count Chocula himself watches the pathetic Oakland D and comes up with this brainstorm. Can't blame BB for taking advantage of a feeb two decades past his prime. If I was a Raid Duhs fan I'm screaming for Al's sons to take over. As a Pats fan, I just hope that BB isn't arrested for defrauding an old man.

They needed to get younger and faster on Defense. Seymour was on teh downside of his career due to injuries. They are also thinking about all of their expiring contracts and the money they will need to adress them. This a great move.

If Al Davis was still alive he'd never stand for a deal this one-sided. Between drool breaks Count Chocula himself watches the pathetic Oakland D and comes up with this brainstorm. Can't blame BB for taking advantage of a feeb two decades past his prime. If I was a Raid Duhs fan I'm screaming for Al's sons to take over. As a Pats fan, I just hope that BB isn't arrested for defrauding an old man.

@ DF #52--

My thoughts as well.

Is Kevin Carter still available, or a possibility Mike?

While I agree with this trade for the simple fact that Seymour was unlikely to return next season, I totally disagree with the folks on hear saying he hasn’t produced or was overrated. Seymour is not overrated and as expandable as some of you may think. Seymour, when all is said and done, might actually go down as one of the most dominant defensive lineman of his generation, capable of playing multiple positions on the line, and being a disruptive force at all of them. A very uninformed football fan might simply look at his sacks and say "He only has 39 sacks in his career or he only had 8 sacks last season". But the truth is Seymour does more than your average one dimensional pass rushers. He commands double-teams, opening up pass-rushing opportunities for other players in the defense. Heck he might have even helped the other guys playing next to him look better than they actually are. He routinely dominates opposing offensive lineman, closing up running lanes. He has been as important to the Patriots' success any player on the team, including Brady.

Fellas, Fellas...... Have we forgotten one thing here....."In the Hoodie, We Trust"

Fellas, Fellas...... Have we forgotten one thing here....."In the Hoodie, We Trust"

Al davis got played for a fool

I do not expect the pats to hold on to that pick for very long. I agree with a previous poster Julius Peppers is on the way and it could be soon. There will most likely be no cap next year and the Pats just cleared out some room so they can resign both Wilfork and Peppers for next year. I just do not believe Bellicheck wants to hang on to that pick at least not very long.

A first rounder was good value for a guy the Raiders may lose after the season.

And clearly the Pats knew they couldn't re-sign everybody.

That said, maybe they should have just kept Seymour if he gave them their best shot at a title, and simply risk getting nothing in return.

Coach Bill is now officially a GOD.

Remember THIS, above all else, Wailers and Gnashers of Teeth:

Belichick didn't trade what Seymour has DONE.

He traded what he WILL do.

...And that will almost certainly be a TINY FRACTION of what this splendid, but aging, injury-prone, and Cap Retardant FootBall player has accomplished.

In other words: what we did to the Raiders in the Randy Moss trade was NOTHING.

We just RAPED them.

Coach Bill'll be lucky if he doesn't serve TIME.

Everybody else is trying to build a Kingdom.

Coach Bill...is expanding an EMPIRE.

I'm still in SHOCK.

I can't BELIEVE we just hoisted Oakland's (2011) 1st Rounder for our beloved but brittle, aging, and GUARANTEED-to-Command-a-Bloated-Salary Lineman!!!

!!!!!!OAKLAND'S!!!!!!

My head is STILL ringing.

Did we REALLY yoink OAKLAND'S FIRST ROUNDER??????

For an AGING, DECREPIT Lineman who ~ worshipped though he is and OUGHT to be ~ is GUARANTEED to command a salary, a year hence, that is FAR beyond what is smart to pay'm???

OAKLAND'S First Rounder??????

Holy SHEEYOT.

Ladies and gentlemen: We RAKED them.

We absolutely RAKED them.

* If this was a Fantasy Football league, I PROMISE you: This trade would get GLANKED.

In fact, the GM's who made this trade would need to leave TOWN.

I am NOT KIDDING!!

Hi Mike,

You mentioned in the note above that the Pats have "several key players with contracts set to expire after the season". In your next analysis, can you let us know what the benefit of that might be as it relates to the uncapped year, and re-print the list you once gave us of all the contracts that are expiring after this year?

Thanks

Can't wait for that rookie salary cap. The Patriots have traded out of their high picks and passed on the real talent too many times, and it is going to start to show soon. I understand they don't want to give an untested rookie mega-money, but we won't be able to compete forever without using our first rounders. Get ready for the lockout, guys.

Not surprised anymore especially during the great Superbowl years when the Patriots traded Law and Milloy as well as other great players along the way sometime at the their highest points of success in their careers. The Patriots showed their business strategy under the Kraft and Belichick era year ago and continue to use it. A Patriots Player must know and/or realize that there is no such thing as loyalty and longevity in the NFL (sort of like the business world we live in). Any player can be traded based on need and market value, current or future. Eventually, even Brady will have his day. Then, if he's lucky, he may be ready to "retire graciously" like Teddy and on the PR side of things, it looks great that he spent his career with one team." (again, just like early retirement in our world).

What did Seymour do wrong? That is cruel and unusual punishment. I love the trade because its the Raidas and it guarantees all but a 1st OVERALL!

A bunch of losers go about saying "In Hoodie we Trust." Well, now if we don't go the playoffs this season, we know who's responsible for it. First cheating, now sending all the leaders packing. Belichick should retire, he's done plenty of scheming and cheating to this point already.

"We just RAPED them."

Yep, rape is such a positive thing to be proud of. It's so wonderful to hear from fans of violent sports. You learn a lot about humanity.

The Patriots are all about value. This trade is worthless now, but valuable in 2 years. The pick will likely be one of the top 5-10 picks of the draft, making it even more valuable. A possible rookie salary cap just makes it sweeter. But a pick in two year, when Brady will be 2 years older, and Hoyer will be a known commodity, what a great time to capture a top rated QB from the college draft. The question, therefore, is what freshman or sophomore QBs are playing now that the Patriots will be watching over the next 20 months that will be available in 2011. Watch this situation closely.

this is suprising becasue seymour is a PRO BOWL PLAYER.but if he is an FA next year it's better to move him and get a draft pick. The state of the Raiders being what it is this could be a TOP 5 PICK ! I feel bad for Seymour the raiders in warren sapps word "ARE A HELL PIT"

Hi Mike,

I am a huge Pats fan from Iowa and enjoy your blog, you are so thorough and on top of everything---it is the only reason why I read boston.com.

1. Are you surprised the Pats didn't let Seymour play out his contract year since 2009 is likely his "healthy and high performing year" and the best chance the Pats have at winning the Super Bowl in the Belichick/Brady era?

2. I think this trade is a great value for the Patriots in the long term, but I am extremely worried about THIS year because I want to go to Miami to see the Pats win it all! Do you think Belichick felt in his gut the Pats defensive makeup with even Seymour in place was not good enough to win the Super Bowl this year? Is Belichick conceding the fact that a Super Bowl appearance is a bit of a reach this year, and stockpiling the team with youth(future draft picks) is the wiser and less risky proposition?

3. )The Pats were 4/1 favorites to win it all, but were we all too optimistic heading into the season and afraid to grasp the reality that perhaps this team is a year or two away from getting that cohesion and Super Bowl appearance back?

Hi Mike,

I am a huge Pats fan from Iowa and enjoy your blog, you are so thorough and on top of everything---it is the only reason why I read boston.com.

1. Are you surprised the Pats didn't let Seymour play out his contract year since 2009 is likely his "healthy and high performing year" and the best chance the Pats have at winning the Super Bowl in the Belichick/Brady era?

2. I think this trade is a great value for the Patriots in the long term, but I am extremely worried about THIS year because I want to go to Miami to see the Pats win it all! Do you think Belichick felt in his gut the Pats defensive makeup with even Seymour in place was not good enough to win the Super Bowl this year? Is Belichick conceding the fact that a Super Bowl appearance is a bit of a reach this year, and stockpiling the team with youth(future draft picks) is the wiser and less risky proposition?

3. )The Pats were 4/1 favorites to win it all, but were we all too optimistic heading into the season and afraid to grasp the reality that perhaps this team is a year or two away from getting that cohesion and Super Bowl appearance back?

One point that that no one has brought up yet, is that BB's commitment to maintaining the high level for the future is evidence he plans on being around for a while, something that has been a subject of debate in the past.

This also reminds me about the time as another already posted, when Malloy was cut. The Patriots were flat against Buffalo, then went on the take the 2004 SB. The team is weakened by the move short term, but opinions vary widely as to how much weaker.

It's a great move for the long term but the comfort of having a future 1st round pick pales if it turns out having Big Sey this year meant the difference between winning the 2010 SB or not. In BB we trust, but the commitment to the youth movement kid on defense needs to pay dividends sooner than later this season. Otherwise, another potential SB ring season is wasted.

I think Belichick is looking at the big picture. His mission has always been to be in a position to compete for a Super Bowl, year-after-year. Losing players to free-agency is the worst thing that can happen in terms of staying competitive. But, losing free agents is part of the game, especially when the player wants to get paid and not take a pay cut to win. Seymour, at this stage of his career was unlikely to give the Pats any breaks, as he didn't when he got his last contract. The truth of the matter is Seymour did not play up to his last contract, while greatly exceeding his rookie contract, so it evened out. Now, Belichick is willing to give up a little this year in terms of defense, in order to be in a better position in the future. Difficult in this "what have you done for me lately" era, but shrewd. The younger players and Green need to step up and fill the large void left by Seymour. Now, he can lock up Wilfork, and have two #1's in 2011,. Belichick operates from a plan, and sticks to it, which separates him from nearly every other GM and goach. He'll make his share of mistakes, but he's right a lot more often than he's wrong when it comes tofootball.

"Furthermore, while the Raiders have struggled in recent years, there is no certainty the pick will be in the top half of the round."

Mike...I love your sense of humor! HIGH COMEDY!

I just smell something big is going to happen. Something like BB is going to pull a rabbit out of the hat big

good move for the pat's.good move for seymour if he play's well enough with the minutes he will get??? to possibly receive a better contract next year.Oakland being oakland this will be a top 10 pick maybe top 5 for the pat's . Richard good luck and thank you for being a great patriot and being part of 4 super bowl's . p.s if you held on to eli he never would have completed that pass to d .tyree

Strange how not one poster here remembers that 3 or 4 years ago Seymour suddenly held out on the team the day summer camp opened. Within two days the Pats had knuckled under (unlike with Branch, Samuel, et al) and given him the largest contract ever given to a defensive player. Not like Belichick at all, and I'd be willing to bet that Kraft was as much involved as was Bill, just as he was with Bledsoe several years earlier. Belichick seethed then at the bloated contract given Bledsoe, not even bothering to attend the press conference announcing the deal, and as we all know finally got his payback. So it's quite likely he's been looking for payback for Seymour's act and contract as well. Not saying that's the only reason for the trade, but I'd guess that by now Belichick is convinced that Seymour was as overrated as he felt Bledsoe was. So this weekend, when apparently Davis came calling, he looked on the offer as one he couldn't refuse, for a host of reasons, and with very little on the negative side, especially if Carter now joins the team.

It's hard to keep say that this is a brilliant move when the Patriots elect to give up a class act and All-Pro like Seymour for a 2001 first round draft pick. Oakland made the smart move improving themselves now.. The Pats must have felt that they would not be able to sign Seymour next year.... This definitely did not improve the Pats for this season or next...Hope they do not regret it. I really hate to see Seymour leave...

With Seymour's injury history, BB figured that besides being on the decline side of his career, Seymour will rarely play more than half a season in the foreseeable future, whoever signs him. That, and Ron Brace is coming on so strong that Bill HAS to make time for the rookie, just as Seymour commanded snaps when he was a rookie back in '01.

The patriots win cause they have a future HOF QB not becasue of BB. Last year they were stacked and could not win it all. By the time 2011 rolls along Brady will be old, the rookie will be raw and Moss will be slow. Go ask the 49ers, Cowboys and other dynasties if they should have traded away their great defensive lineman to build for a future when Aikman and Montana were gone. They would say no thanks we like to win now!