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 won this game but almost lost the war as Tom Brady was injured when DT Albert Haynesworth drove him into the ground.  Before Brady was hurt he completed 12 of 19 passes for 150 yards with 2 TD passes.  Kevin O’Connell was brutal in this game as he completed 3 of 10 passes for only 18 yards and threw 2 pickoffs.  RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the way for the Patriots on the ground with 49 yards on six carries (8.2 ypc).  WR Randy Moss was back in tune with Brady as he caught 6 passes for 90 yards (15.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Joey Galloway pitched in with 4 catches for 30 yards (7.5 avg) in this game.  The Patriots finished up with 277 yards of offense in this game (110 rushing, 167 passing). 

LB Gary Guyton led the way for the Patriots defense in this game with 4 tackles and a sack.  CB Jonathan Wilhite was the difference maker in this game on defense as he finished with 3 tackles and he returned a pickoff 99 yards for a TD off Colt Brennan.  The Redskins did roll up 384 yards of total offense (116 rushing, 268 passing) in this game.

The Patriots might have only scored 6 points in the game last Thursday but they still rolled up 336 total yards on offense (108 rushing, 228 passing).  Tom Brady started this game and he completed 4 of 8 passes for 57 yards.  Kevin O’Connell followed him in the game and he was 8 for 15 for 84 yards.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 26 yards (13.0 ypc).  Rookie QB Brian Hoyer finished up this game by completing 11 of 19 passes for 112 yards.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the way in the running game for the Patriots with 44 yards on 10 carries (4.4 ypc).  He also caught three passes for 5 yards but he lost a fumble.  WR Terrence Nunn (4 rec, 53 yards) and converted safety Raymond Ventrone (4 rec, 39 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Patriots. 

Linebacker Rob Ninkovich led the way for the Pats’ defense in this game with 9 tackles.  But, the Patriots could stop the run in this game as the Bengals rolled up 173 yards rushing on 35 carries (4.9 ypc).  The Bengals also threw for 173 yards.

The Patriots rushed out to a 21-6 lead in the first half before having to fight the Eagles tooth and nail to win this game.  Tom Brady looked very sharp in his first game in almost a year completing 10 of 15 passes for 100 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  Kevin O’Connell completed his only pass attempt for 6 yards while Andrew Walter completed 5 of 9 passes for 62 yards.  Sammy Morris was the workhorse on the ground in this game for the Patriots leading them with 45 yards on 12 carries (3.8 ypc).  He also caught a pass for 14 yards.  Randy Moss led the Patriots in receiving yards in this game with 54 on 3 catches (18.0 avg).  Rookie 7th round pick Julian Edelman was the standout in this game for the Patriots catching 5 passes for 37 yards (7.4 avg) and returning a punt 75 yards for a TD.  The Patriots only had 257 total yards on offense in this game but just getting Tom Brady back into the swing of things was a huge positive for them.

The defense did not play too well for the Patriots in this game in the second half.  The Eagles rolled up 420 yards in this game including 304 in the air.  LB Jared Mayo and S Patrick Chung led the way in this game for the Patriots with 5 tackles each.