There has been a confusing twist to the recent news that New England Patriots defensive lineman, Richard Seymour, was traded to the Oakland Raiders; he has yet to show up in Oakland.  Raiders coach Tom Cable told reporters Monday that Seymour wants to play in Oakland but still has to work things out with the Patriots. 

What is confusing is what exactly could Seymour be trying to work out with the Patriots?  Usually the only things that hold these types of trades up is if the player fails a physical, or something of that nature.  If something like that occurs, either team can ask for the trade to be reversed but neither the Raiders or Patriots have done that.  So, it seems like Seymour just doesn’t want to go to Oakland… but who can blame him? He is going from the most successful franchise of the last decade to one of the worst. 

When (and if) the trade is finalized the Patriots will get Oakland’s 2011 first round draft pick which will most likely be a top 10 pick judging by the Raiders’ dismal records of recent years.  Seymour is a five time Pro Bowler and is still a Pro Bowl caliber defender, but his contract is up after this year and he probably won’t want to stay in the Raiders’ organization.  So, it looks like the Patriots will end up at the better end of this deal.  It wouldn’t be suprising if the Patriots resign Seymour when he becomes a free agent at the end of this season.

In a surprising move, five time Pro Bowler Richard Seymour was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a 2011 first round pick. This move is said to be a financial decision for the Patriots, which would be the only logical reason for the deal to be executed. Seymour is going to turn 30 and is in the final year of his contract, so the Patriots are looking to get young and cheaper. The Raiders are fortunate to get one of the best defensive linemen in the league to improve a struggling defense.

Seymour greatly improves this team and, even though they lose a future first rounder, should be worth it in making this team better. What’s so great about Seymour is that he helps improve the pass defense with his ability to get to the quarterback as well as the run defense. The pass defense is already impressive, finishing tenth in yards allowed and interceptions and thirteenth is sacks last season. However, the run defense really hurt them, allowing the second most rushing yards in the league. The Raiders still won’t be in the playoff hunt this year, but their future is looking brighter.

The real question is how this will affect the Patriots. This Patriots defense looks a lot different than the one that won three Super Bowls. Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel was traded to Kansas City this summer while inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi and strong safety Rodney Harrison retired. But knowing the Patriots, they will still be a great defense and should still be one of the top teams in the league.

The Patriots played hard in this game with most of the starters sitting this one out.  Undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer played the whole game for the Patriots at QB as he completed 18 of 25 passes for 242 yards with 1 TD pass.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 22 yards (3.7 ypc).  Benjarvus Green-Ellis had a huge game for the Patriots carrying the ball 29 times for 125 yards (4.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 4 passes for 22 yards (5.5 avg) in this game.  WR Sam Aiken had a solid game with 5 grabs for 89 yards (17.8 avg).  The Patriots finished up this game with 377 total yards on offense (149 rushing, 228 passing).

Safety Patrick Chung led the way for the Patriots’ D in this game with 9 tackles.  Fellow safety Brandon McGowan only had 1 tackle but he also picked off a pass that he returned 27 yards for a TD.  The Giants finished up with 474 total yards of offense in this game (118 rushing, 356 passing).  The Patriots finished 3-1 in the pre-season.

The Patriots have released 24-year old QB Kevin O’Connell.  He came into training camp as the #2 QB but he was awful in the pre-season earning his release.  O’Connell played in 3 pre-season games for the Patriots this season and he completed 12 of 26 passes (46.2%) for 108 yards with 2 interceptions.  He also carried the football 5 times for 21 yards (4.2 ypc) in the pre-season.  O’Connell played in 2 games last season for the Patriots in which he completed 4 of 6 passes (66.7%) for 23 yards without a TD pass or a interception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for -6 yards (-2.0 ypc) as he knelt down to end a game.  The Patriots will definately be on the lookout for another QB as I doubt highly they will go into the season with veteran Andrew Walter and undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer backing up Tom Brady.  O’Connell was quickly claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions where he will compete for the #3 job.

Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi had decided to retire at the age of 36.  He played in 13 games for the Patriots last season making 75 tackles and defensing 1 pass.  Bruschi played 13 years for the Patriots appearing in 189 games in which he made 1,065 tackles, defensed 59 passes, had 30.5 sacks, forced 18 fumbles and he picked off 12 passes (4 of which he returned for TDs).  Bruschi will go down as one of the best football players in Patriots’ team history and he should make it to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.  The Patriots will miss Bruschi’s leadership and his knack for making game changing plays.