Seymour Headed To Oakland

The trade this morning that sent Richard Seymour, Pro Bowl defensive end from the Super Bowl contending New England Patriots, to virtual football anonymity in Oakland has many a sports professional scratching their heads and admiring yet another Belichick master move.

In what only serves to ignite the conspiracy theorists regarding lopsided trades between Oakland and New England, the Raiders sent their 2011 first round draft pick to New England today, in return for what is essentially a year long lease of Richard Seymour, whose contract expires at the end of this season.

From the Patriot's standpoint, this trade makes complete sense; they're very high on two back-up linemen making a solid impression in the preseason, rookie Myron Pryor and five year man Mike Wright, who have shown promise in pass rush situations.  With the recent acquisition of Derrick Burgess, a lifelong 4-3 DE and a recent bit of experimentation with the 4-3 defensive set, the Patriots felt confident that the rest of their big men could get the job done on the defensive front.  One would imagine their starting d-line looks something like this:

RE Derrick Burgess
DT Vince Wilfork
DT Ron Brace
LE Ty Warren

Still a pretty formidable group.

On top of that, the first round pick is for, as mentioned above, the 2011 draft.  The 2011 offseason is also when the contracts of Brady, Moss, and Light run out which is a perfect time to stockpile high picks for premium talent in the draft!

Many already believe Al Davis and the Raiders paid too much for Seymour, particularly given the fact most assume a three-time Super Bowl champion won't likely want to sign an extension with Oakland, condemning the remainder of his career to anonymity.  Then again, when you think about it, a first round pick in the hands of Al Davis is virtually worthless, so did they pay too much?  You be the judge.