Richard Seymour and the Trade That Sunk the Patriots

On September 6, 2009, the New England Patriots completed a trade that the team has yet to recover from. They dealt then five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a first-round draft pick in last spring's NFL Draft.

From a football standpoint the deal made sense. The Patriots had both Seymour and Vince Wilfork coming up on free agency. They felt that they'd only be able to afford one of them, and so they made a deal that would allow them to get something for a player they didn't think they could keep.

That's fine. Teams do that all the time. The problem is that the Patriots have not been able to replace Seymour's presence on the defensive line, and the lack of a pass rush has been one of New England's major problems for the past two seasons. It's also the biggest flaw on a defense that is ripe with flaws this season.

In the 2007 season when the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season, they were second in the league in sacks. In the two back-to-back Super Bowl seasons of 2003 and 2004 they ranked sixth and then third. Last season, in spite of making a dominant run to close out the regular season, they faltered in the playoffs.

They finished ranked fourteenth in the league in sacks. The two teams that went to the Super Bowl last year Green Bay and Pittsburgh were the two league leaders in sacks.

This season, which is only three games old, the Patriots have allowed the most yards from scrimmage of any NFL team and are ranked 20th in sacks. This really shouldn't be a shock to football fans.

There's a reason that play-making defensive linemen often are drafted very high in NFL Drafts. It's the same reason that quarterbacks are: They are just not easy to come by. 

In fact, as far as defensive stars go, the guys that can rack up high sack numbers are the guys that most NFL fans remember. Seymour was never a sack machine in the same category as a Reggie White, Bruce Smith, or current Dallas Cowboy DeMarcus Ware, but he was a constant threat.

Offenses had to prepare for him and they had to respect him. That allowed other players to benefit from the double team that Seymour would inevitably draw. 

Seymour's absence alone isn't the only problem. The Patriots also seem to be lacking the pass rushers form the linebacker position as well. As in the end, it doesn't matter who gets to the opposing teams' quarterback; all that matters is that someone gets there.

It's not happening and that's why quarterbacks are able to rack up big yardage at will against New England. 

The secondary has been taking its lumps. And while let's be sure the blame is placed throughout the defense, the Patriots' secondary is under a tremendous amount of pressure.

Opposing signal callers have all the time in the world to throw this season. Meaning that on every passing play the defensive backs are running for a longer period of time; increasing fatigue and also gives an edge to the receivers—because at this level, you can only stay attached to a receiver but for so long. 

The Patriots desperately need for a pass rush is also evident in the offseason moves they have made as they took fliers on players with questionable character such as Albert Haynesworth and guys that are heading toward the end of their careers like Shaun Ellis.

The team leader in sacks is Mark Anderson, a sixth-year player out of Alabama who had 12 sacks as rookie in 2006 and has totaled 15.5 since then. Wilfork in spite of his valuable run stopping and tackling ability is not a pass rusher.

Problems like this don't fix themselves in the NFL. In fact, they usually get worse. As teams continually examine game footage they find more and more weak spots and will work to continually exploit them.

Patriot fans need to understand that as good as Brady is, he can't be perfect every week. The offense has scored over 32 points in every game this season, while the defense has allowed over 20 points in each game; continually yielding big yards to potent offenses such as Buffalo and San Diego (and not-so-potent ones in Miami).

If the Patriots and Tom Brady want to return not just to the postseason, but the Super Bowl and the rings that go along with victory, they're going to need to find a pass rush. If not, then this season may very well mirror last season: Fun to watch until January.