I Seymour Run D

Exciting breaking news: The Raiders acquired defensive lineman Richard Seymour from the New England Patriots for a 2011 1st round pick. Seymour, 6'6", 310 lbs, has played 8 seasons in the NFL and has earned 5 pro bowl selections and 3 super bowl rings.

Here is a summary of Seymour's scouting report:

"Seymour is a very productive three-down defensive end with excellent size, strength and power. He has very good hands with a strong upper body to control blocks. He is explosive off the ball and can push the pocket from both inside and outside. He can dominate one-on-one blocks."

Bill Williamson, who blogs about the AFC West for ESPN, had an interesting take on the acquisition. His main point is that the Raiders needed to take this risk to bust out of their 6 year rut.

Here are my views on this acquisition:

#1 - Seymour is an excellent run defender, pass rusher and is a very durable, high character player with pro bowls and SBs to his resume. He has started in 105 of 111 games.

#2 - Seymour is capable of playing both DT and DE. This versatility is HUGE considering our current DL.

Think of some possible combinations depending on down, distance, game score, time in the game, etc ...

DE: Ellis, Scott, Shaunessey
DE/DT: Kelly, Seymour, Richardson
DT: Warren, Bryant

A base DLine that consists of Ellis, Warren, Kelly, and Seymour has the potential to be pretty damn good considering the possibilities of mixing and matching DL personnel. For example, Kelly and Seymour can be interchangeable. On certain plays, Seymour can move inside while Kelly goes outside to DE.

#3 - IMO, the biggest Achilles heel of the Raiders has been run defense and toughness. Seymour adds both elements.

I understand their is a cost and risk associated with acquiring a player of Seymour's caliber. There is without a doubt some potential downsides such as;

- Seymour being 1 and done
- The loss of a valuable 1st round pick

The biggest difference that I see with this veteran acquisition and the other big ticket ones from the past that ended badly is three fold. The other acquisitions such as DeAngelo Hall, Javon Walker, and Randy Moss were peripheral, skill players (DB, WR) with either questionable character issues, injury history, or both. Seymour is known for being a quiet leader and solid character. The most significant difference in my view is that Seymour has the ability as a DLineman to make a bigger impact on a struggling team like the Raiders. A skilled DB or WR playing outside the tackle box isn't going to impact the bare essence of the game. As the godfather of coaching put it,

"Football is blocking and tackling. Everything else is mythology." — Lombardi

Cuts from yesterday:

S Jerome Boyd, DB Darrick Brown, DE Greyson Gunheim, WR Jonathan Holland, OL James Marten, LB David Nixon, LB Slade Norris, LB Chris O'Neill, FB Marcel Reece, RB Gary Russell, P/K Ricky Schmitt, TE Darrell Strong, OL Mark Wilson, , DT Ryan Boschetti, QB Jeff Garcia, LB Morlon Greenwood, CB Justin Miller, DT Terdell Sands, T Seth Wand

Waived/Injured: DB Michael Hawkins, S Rashad Baker, C John Wade

With the acquisition of Richard Seymour, I would expect WR Todd Watkins to be cut.