Three months after the Patriots traded defensive lineman Richard Seymour to Oakland, Seymour says some of his former teammates tell him they’re feeling his absence in New England.
“I’ve received a lot of text messages lately from guys back there saying, ‘We could use you now,’” Seymour told the Boston Herald. “I’m sure they could, but so can Oakland. Over the years we won a lot in New England, but they can’t live off those Super Bowls. Most of the guys who won them are gone.”
In Seymour’s opinion, the Patriots have suffered as a franchise because coach Bill Belichick is so confident in his defensive schemes that he thinks he can just plug in any player.
“They wish it was that easy to replace me, but it’s not,” Seymour said. “You can’t just have great coaching and no talent. You’ve got to have both. Bill is an extremely smart coach. Extremely [smart] . . . but he thinks it’s his schemes all the time. He had players like ‘Hot Rod’ [Rodney Harrison], myself, Ty [Law], Willie [McGinest], [Tedy] Bruschi and [Mike] Vrabel in that system to make it look good.”
Although Seymour says the Patriots are struggling without him, he acknowledges that they’re a lot better than the Raiders. And yet he also says he’s happy to have moved on from New England.
“We all want to be on a winning team,” Seymour said. “I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been frustrating at times, because I know we can win if we play a certain way and then we don’t. But at the end of the day I’m glad I’m of out there. I’m really refreshed. I’m in a good place, personally and physically. I’m in a place where they really value you.”
According to Seymour, Belichick didn’t value him enough — but other Patriots wish he were still their teammate.
Hey Rich.. Keep it real.. Stay in Oakland!!! We are doing good things.. Next year.. We crush the patriots!!
Oakland is one coordinator away from having a solid D. The D line is the problem but Seymour is a point of improvement. At LB and DB there are some quality players. Hopefully the 2010 draft will be spent on getting some pass rushing and run stuffing behemoths on the trenches… But I’ve always considered Oakland’s D to be better than it is.
they’re right…we can use richard.
I think Bellichick would still take that first round pick Oakland gave up for him. So would most teams.
I think if Seymour really was glad he was out of there, this wouldn’t have been reported, because he wouldn’t have said it.
Nice ego there, Richard.
We all want to feel “valued”, it’s human nature, and when we are sent packing, it’s a blow. But it’s way too egotistical to say “they’re hurtin’ without me, I know they’d be better if I were there, they know they made a mistake”
Truth is, Seymour’s best days were behind him and he’s shown that by his play on the field (’08, and again this year, far less than “career years” for him) and by the injuries he had in New England the past few years (rumours of “phantom” injuries, at that).
Could they have used Seymour this year? Maybe, but he wasn’t quite the team leader his peers were, and it’s THEM that are being missed here this year.
To Seymour, I’d answer his claim that “Belichick didn’t value him enough” by saying that Belichick knew exactly what his value was; he wasn’t worth what he was going to want to re-sign, but he WAS worth the first round pick.
Keep thinking they miss you and need you, and that all your ex-teammates wish you were still there, Richard, if that’s what gets you throught those nights in Oakland.
Obviously this is a transition year for New England, and it’s going to get better. With Seymour, it was only going downhill every year.
I hope that had sarcasm attached, VAraidersfan.
Glad you are gone, Sey. Great player, shit attitude.
I love how Seymour just took a shot at the patriots by saying they have a good coach but no talented players….way to stand tall richard….I don’t think they miss you as much as he misses them….Enjoy purgatory DICK!!!
Haha, does Seymour realize most of those players are RETIRED?
If Belichick thought the scheme was all that mattered, Seymour wouldn’t have gotten his last contract. Harrison would have never come to New England. Same for Vrabel.
What a moron.
The Patriots can always re-sign him after the season. Then they have Seymour AND that sweet draft pick they suckered out of Count Chocula.
Sey should keep is mouth shut instead of removing all doubt about his tree sized ego and pea sized brain.
You can’t replace those cameras either.
The talent in New England sucks; i hope Moss gets released so he can go to a contender like the colts or the eagles; maybe even the cowboys….
Yeah, Seymour is great for the Raiders, and if Al really wants to fix his team, he needs to keep him, acquire more proven, veteran winners, and get rid of Russell.
The Raiders have a lot of talent, and a lot of potential(How about Murphy and Schillens!). It’s crazy to call DHB a bust, he’s a rookie WR, give him some time, he’ll be fine.
The Raiders definately need to keep Cable, as I Niner fan, I understand what happens when there’s no consistency(seven OC’s in seven seasons…soon to be eight), and consistency is what the Raiders really need to evaluate their roster. They could use Joe Haden to play opposite Asomugha, or depending on who’s there, one of the more ‘elite’ players. Hopefully the Raiders get back on track and finish the season strong.
Funny to see the Patriots finally coming down to Earth. Some people still think they’re an elite team and are gonna “turn it on” and make a statement in the playoffs. While they’re not in the class of the Browns or Bucs they aren’t with the Saints or Colts either. They’re just average. As Seymour said great coaching only gets you so far.
Seymour had been chronically injured and taking plays off since the end of the 2004 season. He never pressed the pocket as well after that and made two pro bowls on reputation, not production. The problem in NE is two-fold: guys with ability aren’t using it and Belichick uses Brady as a crutch. The coaching staff game planned better and the team played harder when Cassel was at QB last year.
Seymour, your a class act. I have to give it to you. You come in from a winning team to a team with a poor record and you still have good things to say. I wish more players were like you. Do me a favor, go talk to Russell and show him how to get class. If you can show him how to be a QB.
Anyone who thinks Seymour is happy in oakland is just crazy as hell. Every chance he gets to dwell on his Patriots days he does so. Give me a break, that dude will bolt out of oakland the first time he gets a chance to and I don’t blame him.
Goes down as a stupid trade by Belichick. He needed Seymour to perform this year, its his contract year. Got no pass rush and can’t stop the run. Indy OWNS that ass, and SD will beat them wherever they play in the playoffs.
Not winning on the road is a sign of a shitty squad.
Ladies and gentleman, your 2009 New England patriots.
At one point in time Richard was the “highest paid” D lineman in the league. He deserved it during the SuperBowl runs.
I guess he still wasn’t valued then?
I didn’t agree with how BB traded him. I do believe they had no intention of resigning him to another huge contract.
I think that plays into Richard’s sentiment about the Pats organization.
The Patriots need a pass rush! The CB’s can only hold up so long. Darius Butler will take some lumps here and there, but in time he will be great…
I love it. Pats got hosed on this trade… Ever since the Moss deal, everyone views the raiders as trade-losers… Since then they’ve sent Doug Gabriel to the Pats, Derrick (no effort) Burgess, and now scooped Seymour.
Hey, how’s that free-agent Andrew Walter working out in New England also?
Gawd, has Seymour turned into a jilted stalker?
It’s hard not to connect the dots between the waning of the Belichik genius and the departure of Vrabel, Bruschi, McGinnest and the rest.
Richard Seymour is showing us all that the greatness of the Raiders is in their future. One again, Mr. Davis’ shrewd personnel evaluation and acquisition abilities has elevated the Commitment to Excellence. Mr. Seymour’s presence is another shining example of the Will to Win.
“The Patriots can always re-sign him after the season. Then they have Seymour AND that sweet draft pick they suckered out of Count Chocula.”
After the way he was traded i.e. they told him over the phone on the opening Sunday of the season, no way he’ll ever play for BB again. 3 Super Bowls, all the wars he went through and treated like a practice squad player at the end? hey its business, not personal…but the truth is business is ALWAYS personal.
I read one of the comments that the Raiders are a DC from having a good D. The Raiders have a very good DC and he is not the problem.
If you look at 85% of the plays the Raiders D plays during a game they play lights out. But than a big play here and a big play there that gets them beat.
You look at the RB’s stats that have played the Raiders and take away the one huge run they seem to give up per game and the backs really had a bad day with a very low per carry average.
The cause is a bunch of young new players settling in and still learning. Branch was knocked by many as to why the Raiders drafted him and kept him on the team through the injuries. Today the Raiders most requested player in a trade is Branch who is becoming a very good SS.
M Henderson at LT was knocked early on but has turned into a good LT, L Murphy is showing he was a steal in the draft and has come around quickly.
Others like Nnamdi and Huff have taken longer to find themselves. Only the stupid would write off DHB after 12 games. In another year or two this kid will become a top fight WR.
New England has been falling for the past 3 years and are nothing like the great teams of the past. They still are a good team but that is all they are. As they are finding out like the 49ers of the 80′s found out. The genuis in the head coach was tagged by the great players on the team. You do not just plug in a guy and think they will become a Pro Bowl type player.
In my opinion New England will continue to fall over the next few years as they find out that they did not draft the great players to fill the spots of the ones they lost. And Seymour who was their leading sack player last year hurts them being gone. A player like this a DC can build a whole D around and the leadership and what he brings to the young players can never be replaced.
Seymour is a Raider now and will be for years to come.
Hey guys, its me, Hap The Tool. Just wondering if you’ve seen my boyfriend Matt Walsh around. He said he would be in here posting about the Pats using cameras. I mean, we both know that every team was doing it, but we are REALLY jealous of all the success the Pats have had. Sometimes late at night when we’re laying in bed we just talk about different ways we can post on PFT about the Pats cheating. I even like to call the coach Belicheat!! Matt laughed about that one for hours!!! Ok, well if you see my man, please tell him Hap The Tool loves ‘em!!! Bye Guys!!
There’s a lot of Seymour bashing going on in these posts, but isn’t this exactly what some Boston sportswriter wrote a column about this week?
The LOFT (lack of *ucking talent) factor on the Patriots, and the fact that (at least in his opinion) Belichick can’t get by on his genius without competent players.
Maybe there is something to this, even if Seymour has an over sized ego as some claim.
everyone says bellicheck fleeced the raiders on this deal, and he probably did, but the patriots could definitely use seymour on their defense, and if bellicheck wanted to get to the super bowl THIS YEAR, than he made one move to many, and seymour’s comments seem to ring true, it’s the kind of move you make when your rebuilding, there was too much turnover on that defense to think that it wouldn’t get shredded
@Big_McLargeHuge … are you planning to kill Al Davis to get all of that done ?
I never thought Bill valued defense anyway in NE. I think he just depends on his offense to outscore you but lately teams just don’t find that as difficult in the past because the offense aint what it used to be.
C’mon, try and spin that to mean he hates it in OAK and wants out.
You can do it if you really try haters.
Matt Walsh says:
You can’t replace those cameras either.
Well, what did I tell you, Mr. “One Trick Pony”?
Still haven’t made a single post that has nothing to do with “Patriots” and “Camera’s”, have you.
The rest of this board – even the morons – are posting about all kinds of subjects. Like I said, the next time you post something that doesn’t involve the words “Patriots” and “Camera” will be your first.
Beat it death, dude. You’re lamer than ever.
Loser.
Three notes:
1) Seymour may be right, but it smacks of sour grapes.
2) Pats are 36-11 since Spy Gate and that includes 11-5 last year with a back-up QB.
3) The AFC champ will be one of three teams – Colts, Chargers, or…Patriots who will likely win next 3 to get to 10-5. If they need last game to improve seeding, they will go 11-5, but if they are locked in to seed, they will treat week 17 against Houston like glorified bye or 4th pre-season game to the extent that is possible with roster limitations.
Well the Pats had no pass rush last year with Vrabel and Seymour so what makes anyone think it would’ve been different this year?
It’s actually been three straight seasons without a true pass rusher. I wouldn’t say BB believes his schemes work with any talent otherwise he wouldn’t have signed big contracts to Big Sey, Rodney, AD the Bust, Colvin, etc.
I think the real problem lies with not evaluating talent properly and that is where BB the GM is failing BB the Coach.
It’s a good trade, but they whiffed on finding a suitable replacement. Hopefully Bill can fix this after the season as for this year Pats fans such as I can only hope the Offense out scores the other team. You can’t leave first year and rookie players on an island in the secondary for 6-8 seconds, no DB can cover for that long.
Maybe Champ Bailey, but there’s not a lot of those. WE NEED A PASS RUSHER!
# Lord Humungus says: December 10, 2009 7:02 PM
“The Patriots can always re-sign him after the season. Then they have Seymour AND that sweet draft pick they suckered out of Count Chocula.”
After the way he was traded i.e. they told him over the phone on the opening Sunday of the season, no way he’ll ever play for BB again. 3 Super Bowls, all the wars he went through and treated like a practice squad player at the end? hey its business, not personal…but the truth is business is ALWAYS personal.
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Yeah RS has whined about that phone thing but BB treated him no differently from anyone else he traded. IF BB had treated him differently he would have a right to be pissy. But since he didn’t? Not so much.
No Pats fan in the world thought when this happened that the D would be better without RS’s ON THE FIELD contributions this year. But this wasn’t a “this year” move. Also, RS’s “”ME FIRST AND ALWAYS ME FIRST” attitude (Which non-Pats fans may not realize he has had for a long time now but Pats fans have seen for awhile even with RS being a good player) would NOT be helping this lockerroom which as we all know is in a bit of turmoil right now.