Oakland Raider Richard Seymour: A Case For MVP?

If the Oakland Raiders finish the season above .500 this year, Richard Seymour must be at least considered for league MVP.

What?

Yeah, I said it.

Seymour so far looks to be the main culprit behind a turnaround after seven years of darkness.

They say that defense wins games, and that the trenches are the most important part of a football game. Both of those descriptions fit Seymour. 

Add to that the fact that Seymour is having the biggest impact on his team so far this season.

Even though they are winning now, you can see the negative impact losing Seymour has had on the Patriots. They lost last week to the Cleveland Browns because they were unable to get a pass rush or stop running back Peyton "Who" Hillis.

It looks now as if Seymour has brought those two things to the Raiders, along with a certain swagger—one that hasn't been seen in Raider Nation in quite some time.

Two things an MVP does is dominate his position and make those around him better.

Turn the page to see how Seymour has done all of the above in Raider Nation. 

The Difference in Defenses Past And Present

In Seymour's last year in New England (2008), the Patriots still had a top 10 defense in the NFL. Last year, the Patriots defense only dropped one spot to No. 11 in the league.

The Patriots defense now sits at 29th in the league midway through the season.

The Raiders defense has gone the opposite way in the same span. In 2008, before Seymour's arrival, it was ranked 27th in the league. The next year, the Raiders were only able to jump up one spot to No. 26 in Seymour's first year as a Raider.

The Raiders are currently ranked No. 7 and still look to be improving with Seymour's impact.

Making Those around Him Better: The Culture Change

When Seymour first heard the news of the trade in 2009, he was slow to arrive in Oakland. Even though he spoke of family issues, many believed that Seymour simply didn't want to come to Raider Nation.

After the 2009 season, Seymour and the Raiders couldn't come to an agreement on a contract. The Raiders franchised him and there were still questions about Seymour's desire to be a Raider.

Then he threw everyone a curve ball.

Seymour showed up in camp early with the rookies and signed the franchise tag. His motivation behind such a move was the new and young talent on the Raiders roster that he wanted to help develop. 

That was a move that's paying big dividends at this time.

Making Those around Him Better: The Run Defense

In 2008, the Oakland run defense was ranked No. 31; in 2009, with the acquisition of Seymour, it climbed up two spots to No. 29. The Raiders run defense has only went from No. 29 in 2009 to No. 26 so far this year, but that doesn't tell the whole story.

Things didn't start out too pretty for the Raiders run defense, but they have improved dramatically over the last three games.

Sunday, they held the league's No. 1 ranked run offense to little more than half their average.

Making Those around Him Better: Pass Defense

The Raiders were in the top 10 in pass defense before Seymour entered Raider Nation. However, his presence has made the Raiders pass defense that much better.

They were ranked No. 10 in the NFL in 2008 before Seymour's arrival. The Raider pass defense would then climb up to No. 7 in the NFL in Seymour's first year in Raider Nation.

Having the best corner in the world and bad run defense was a help toward having top 10 pass defense. But this year, Seymour has dominated and helped the defensive lineman around him get better.

He's done so by commanding the opposing team's attention and showing his linemates the way it's done.

The result is the Raiders pass defense climbing up to No. 3 in the NFL and opposing quarterbacks being rushed. This is because the Raiders are now ranked No. 2 in sacks so far in the 2010 campaign.

The 27 sacks the Raiders have now are only seven less than what they had in all of 2008 without Seymour. They are only 10 behind the pace of Seymour's first year as a Raider in 2009.

Of those 27 sacks this year, 18 of them were by defensive linemen, on whom Seymour has had a direct impact. 

Individual Impact: Lamarr Houston

Lamarr Houston was the main reason Seymour came to camp early to start the season. The rookie only has two sacks to date, but he has been a disruptive force all season.

Despite his low sack total, Houston has been able to consistently put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. He is also a part of the Raiders' recent improvement in stopping the run.

Something tells me the best of Seymour's impact on Houston has yet to come.

Individual Impact: Matt Shaughnessy

Another young defensive end that Seymour has impacted is Matt Shaughnessy. It has been said by many teammates that Shaughnessy has star potential at defensive end.

He has shown just that this year.

Shaughnessy is only a part-time player, but he is tied for sixth in sacks among defensive lineman. He has also come in and done a great job of setting the edge, as opposing teams don't have success running left.  

Playing next to his mentor is of the utmost benefit to Shaughnessy.

Wait until Shaughnessy plays full-time.

Individual Impact: Rolando McClain

Rolando McClain has so far drawn good reviews for his rookie performance to date. That is due in large part to all the attention that Seymour garners.

Seymour is so disruptive that he must be double teamed, and that gives McClain a chance to run to the ball. There are many times that the play is made for him by Seymour before he can get there.

Seymour also allows McClain to remain in and excel at coverage, as the Raiders don't need him to blitz much to get pressure up the middle.

The Raiders get plenty of pressure up the middle now.

Idividual Impact: Nnamdi Asomugha

Kevin Terrell/Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha #21 of the Oakland Raiders gets set in pass coverage against the Cleveland Browns during a 26-24 win at McAfee Coliseum on September 23, 2007 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Kevin Terrell/Getty Im

Seymour's impact definitely reaches as far back as the Oakland Raider secondary. That impact runs much deeper than giving the quarterback less time so the secondary can make more plays.

Opposing teams don't really throw at Asomugha anyway.

Seymour's impact on Asomugha is mental for the most part. Asomugha said, "Before, I wasn't complacent but comfortable knowing that I'm the guy. Now, knowing that I'm in the presence of greatness makes me want to be greater."

Enough said.

Idividual Impact: Tommy Kelly

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 28: Alex Smith #11 of the San Francisco 49ers passes against Tommy Kelly #93 of the Oakland Raiders during an NFL preseason game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 28, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/G

Perhaps the biggest impact that Richard Seymour has had is on fellow defensive tackle Tommy Kelly. Kelly made the team as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and was the NFL's highest paid defensive lineman by 2007.

He was since passed by Albert Haynesworth, but they both appeared to be grossly overpaid coming into this year. The arrival of Seymour has Kelly now performing on the level of the contract he is under.

Kelly is now ranked No. 2 among defensive tackles in sacks with five this year. He's also ranked No. 4 among defensive tackles in in tackles with 33.

A double-digit sack season is actually in reach for Kelly this year because of who?

Seymour Dominant

Seymour has to be the most dominant defensive tackle in the NFL this year. Despite being the main guy that opposing offenses try to scheme for, he is ranked No. 2 in sacks and No. 3 in tackles among defensive tackles.

Even when the Raiders were run on to start the season, it wasn't on Seymour's side. Lately, there hasn't been much getting done on the ground against the Raiders.

Seymour is also within reach of a double-digit sack season, as he has numerous hits and pressures on top of that. As he gets double teamed, other Raiders defensive linemen get opportunities for sacks.

Seymour's production and ability to make those around him better have vastly improved the Raiders defense. The defense getting the offense the ball back has them in the top 10 for the first time in years too.

Meanwhile, the Patriots lost to a team like the Browns because quarterback Tom Brady spent most of the game on the sideline. Look for the Patriots to lose more as better teams stick to running the ball against them.

This is why Seymour must be a candidate for league MVP.

But in order for him to get consideration, the Raiders have to keep winning.