Quick Hit: Seymour Back In Uniform

There was a breeze across New England today as Pats fans breathed a collective sigh of relief seeing defensive lineman Richard Seymour actually in a Patriots uniform and on the practice field.

As everyone knows, Seymour held out for a better contract, one that he deserved, but the whole thing just flew in the face of the organizations "team-first" persona. This was a special case, however. Seymour wasn't a former free agent who has had a couple good years and is on the decline. No, this was his rookie contract, and Seymour has had a few outstanding years, and he has yet to reach his prime. Seymour knew it; the Pats front office knew it; everyone knew it. That's why this time the team conceded to negotiation and actually gave ground.

The Pats may even have been backed into a corner, an extremely rare occurrence. With the losses of linebackers Tedy Bruschi (physically unable to perform list) and Ted Johnson (retirement) and of cornerback Ty Law (free agency), the Patriots fewest-points-allowed defense was becoming thin on leadership. Bruschi was the real defensive general out there, and Law commanded the backfield. Suffice to say that Seymour, who led the defensive line in tackles last year, was the captain of the line.

Fortunately, New England has safety Rodney Harrison, a born leader if there ever was one, to rally the defensive backfield, so what the Pats still need is that linebacker to direct the front seven. Of the couple handfuls of LBs available, my bet is that the reins will be handed to Rosevelt Colvin. Colvin is entering his seventh year in the league, though we all remember that his fifth was abbreviated by a horrible hip injury. A healthy Colvin could be the surprise key to the season, IF he can be the player he had been in Chicago.

Of course, there are also outside linebackers Willie McGinnest and Mike Vrabel who both certainly have the qualifications. Unfortunately, Colvin, McGinnest and Vrabel are all outside linebackers, and Bruschi was inside, which would probably generally give him a better view of the field and the opposing offensive set, and a better position to disseminate information to the other 'backers and linemen.

Back to Seymour. He ended up with a $1.2 million dollar raise for this season and a promise to talk extensions (probably after this season). Seymour has gone on the record that his goal is to be elected to the Football Hall of Fame, and he would like to do it as a career-long member of the Patriots. So while some people still have bitter tastes in their mouths and consider Seymour's holdout as an act of selfishness, it really caused minimal disruption, does NOT set a precedent for other players to renegotiate mid-contract, and actually shows that Seymour is a "Belichick kind of guy," a team player and a real Patriot.