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. 

The Patriots were sleepwalking again until late in this football game when they actually made a game of it.  Matt Cassel had another so-so effort completing 4 of 6 passes for 37 yards.  Matt Gutierrez wasn’t much better completing 5 of 9 passes for 69 yards with 1 interception.  Rookie Kevin O’Connell brought life to the offense when he came into the game.  He completed 3 of 4 passes for 22 yards in this game including a 16-yard TD strike to WR Chad Jackson.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc) and one of his carries resulted in a 5-yard TD run.  BenJarvus Green led the Patriots in rushing in this game with 28 yards on 6 carries (4.7 ypc).  LaMont Jordan also was effective rushing for 27 yards on 4 carries (6.8 ypc) and catching 1 pass for 23 yards.  The Patriots finished up with 80 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 19 passes for 117 yards.  The Patriots only had possession of the football for a stunningly awful 20:10 in this football game!

Linebacker Gary Guyton led the way for the Patriots’ defense in this game with 11 tackles.  Linebacker Victor Hobson and safety John Lynch pitched in with 8 tackles apiece.  The Giants finished up with 159 yards on 43 carries (3.7 ypc) in this game and they also completed 20 of 29 passes for 180 yards.  At least next week the Patriots will be inspired to play hard as they finished a woeful 0-4 in the preseason.

The New England Patriots had another dull effort last night against the Eagles.  Matt Cassel started again for the Patriots and he didn’t look that good completing 8 of 14 passes for 60 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 22 yards last night.  Matt Gutierrez was great late in the game for the Patriots as he completed 14 of 20 passes for 217 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions.  Sammy Morris led the Patriots in rushing last night with 24 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.8 ypc).  C.J. Jones was the Patriots’ leading receiver last night with 70 yards on three grabs (23.3 avg) with a 9-yard TD reception from Matt Gutierrez.  Safety Raymond Ventrone also pitched in on offense catching 4 passes for 49 yards (12.3 avg) last night.  The Patriots finished up with 65 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 34 passes for 254 yards.

NT Vince Wilfork led the Patriots’ defense last night with 8 tackles.  Linebackers Jared Mayo (7 tackles) and Tedy Bruschi (7 tackles, sack) each also played well for the Pats’ defense last night.  The Eagles finished up last night with 110 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 31 passes for 280 yards. 

The Patriots also had huge problems on special teams last night as DeSean Jackson returned a punt 76 yards for a TD and Quintin Demps returned a kickoff 101 yards for a TD against them.  I know it’s just the preseason but the Patriots are just painful to watch when they don’t really care if they win or not.

The Patriots didn’t show much effort in this football game and they never seem to in the preseason so it’s nothing to be worried about.  Matt Cassel again didn’t show much as he completed 6 of 10 passes for 57 yards.  He also couldn’t handle a bad snap by center Dan Connolly which was recovered by safety Sabby Piscitelli of the Bucs who returned it 24-yards for a TD.  Rookie Kevin O’Connell finished the game and he didn’t play well either.  He completed 6 of 15 passes for 61 yards with 1 interception against the Bucs.  Laurence Maroney led the Patriots in rushing with 15 yards on 7 carries (2.1 ypc) and that is not good.  Wes Welker led the Patriots in receiving in this game with 3 catches for 25 yards (8.3 avg).  The Patriots finished up with 56 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 25 passes for 118 yards.  It’s hard to watch the Patriots offense in the preseason as they only had possession of the football for 22:02 of this game.

The Patriots also had a dull effort on defense as the Bucs pushed them around with there running game.  Linebacker Jerod Mayo led the Patriots in tackles with 7.  CB Antwain Spain and linebacker Mike Vrabel each had 6 tackles apiece against the Bucs.  The Buccaneers finished up with a stunning 170 yards rushing on 36 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 25 passes for 125 yards.  The Buccaneers had possession of the football for an amazing 37:58 of this football game.  Like I said earlier in this article…..don’t be worried as this was just a preseason game.

The Patriots pulled the usual not playing many key players in the preseason as they don’t seem to care if they win or lose.  Not that it’s a bad way to go because you can’t get hurt if you don’t play.  Matt Cassel started the game last night and he was truly awful completing only 1 of 4 passes for 11 yards with an interception.  Matt Gutierrez followed him in the game and he was 10 of 16 for 76 yards with 0 TDs and 1 interception.  Rookie Kevin O’Connell looked like the best QB that the Patriots played last night.  He completed 6 of 13 passes for 57 yards with 0 TDs and 1 interception.  He also carried the football 2 times for 22 yards (11.0 ypc) last night.  The Patriots wanted to see what they have in LaMont Jordan so they kept feeding him the rock last night.  Jordan carried the football 19 times for 76 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Patriots didn’t get a lot of yards despite holding onto the football for 34:39.  They rushed for 133 yards on 34 carries (3.9 ypc) last night.  They also completed 17 of 33 passes for 133 yards against the Ravens.

Rookie linebacker Shawn Crable was all over the place for the Patriots’ defense last night.  He had 4 tackles, 1/2 a sack and he also intercepted a pass.  The Patriots were especially stout against the run holding the Ravens to 35 yards rushing on 21 carries (1.7 ypc).  The Ravens also completed 16 of 30 passes for 169 yards last night.  The defense looked great for the Patriots last night although the Ravens aren’t exactly an offensive powerhouse.

How good are the Patriots when they don’t even try to win and they still beat the Giants last night?  Coach Belichick never plays anyone that the Patriots plan on using in a key role in the last pre-season game.  Matt Cassell started the game at QB and he completed 10 of 14 passes for 99 yards.  Vinny Testaverde was the next guy in and he completed 7 of 11 passes for 99 yards with 1 interception.  Undrafted rookie Matt Gutierrez finished up and he also looked sharp connecting on 7 of 9 passes for 48 yards with a TD.  RB Quinton Smith has no chance to make the Patriots’ final roster but he led the way in the running game last night with 14 carries for 46 yards (3.3 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 10 yards.  Fullback Heath Evans also was busy with 7 carries for 16 yards (2.3 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 8 yards.  WR Bam Childress has a night to remember as he caught 4 passes for 39 yards (9.8 avg) with a TD and he also ran the ball 3 times for 27 yards (9.0 ypc).  WR Kelvin Kight (5 rec, 61 yards) and TE Marcellus Rivers (5 rec, 47 yards) also had solid games for the Patriots.  The Patriots finished up with 95 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 34 passes for 237 yards.

The defense didn’t play that well against the Giants but remember…..the Giants tried to win this game by playing their regulars.  The Giants rushed for 144 yards on 28 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 38 passes for 175 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270830017