Silver and Black Report

The Oakland Raiders took a major step forward in attempting to fix their leaky defensive line with the acquisition of five-time pro-bowler Richard Seymour.

The 29-year old defensive tackle/end has been a standout on the New England Patriots Super Bowl winning teams and one of the league’s best interior linemen since being selected 6^th overall out of the University of Georgia in the 2001 draft.

At 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, Seymour will add run stopping abilities to a defensive line that has been one of the NFL’s worst since the 2003 season. He is also a playmaker who can get to the quarterback and one of the better players in the league in big-games.

Oakland purged themselves this weekend of a mistake they made a few years back, parting ways with Terdell Sands after the behemoth tackle was lackadaisical and uninspired since the Silver & Black bestowed upon him a four-year, $17 million contract. Sands was due $1.6 million, but Oakland had already forked over $1.9 in an off-season roster bonus.

The Patriots will receive Oakland’s 2011 first round draft choice in the swap; which could be damaging to the Raiders if they cannot avoid a seventh straight 11 or more loss season in 2009 and they continue to demonstrate ineptitude on the field into the 2011 draft. Oakland has been selecting no lower than seventh overall in the first round since the 2004 draft. They’ve acquired a lot of talent during that span, but not one player since 2004, chosen in the first round by them, has distinguished themselves as a pro-bowl caliber talent.

This including recent picks; JaMarcus Russell (1^st overall) and Darren McFadden (4^th overall), who the organization hopes will spearhead a turn around in the coming years.

Seymour has a year remaining on his deal, so it is also imperative the Raiders can lock him up with an extension or just waste away a potentially high selection.

In the short-term this gives the Raiders some versatility on the defensive line. Seymour can line up at end or tackle in many formations, which will give John Marshall’s defense different looks. Seymour has the rare ability to play both one-and two-gap styles due to his strength and quickness. In the 3-4 front that was typical in New England, Seymour usually played end. He moved inside to tackle when the Pats switched to 4-3 looks and also on some passing downs.

Oakland is trying to generate more of a pass rush this season; incorporating more blitzes into their attack. With Seymour, they can get some interior pressure, or pair him with Greg Ellis to bookend the tandem. Trevor Scott also does not have to be relied upon at end as much as it was expected. More of a situational pass rusher, the second year pro has a good motor and his best asset is getting into the backfield, but Scott has become a major liability on the edges versus the run.

Gerard Warren and Tommy Kelly will surely benefit from his arrival, and all of the sudden, there is some hope that the Raiders may be able to be more creative along the front-four and actually have some success at slowing opponent’s ground games.

Here’s a look at how the Raiders fared since 2003 at stopping the run:

2008 – 31^st in the NFL – 159.7 yds/g

2007 – 31^st in the NFL – 145.9 yds/g

2006 – 25^th in the NFL – 134.0 yds/g

2005 – 25^th in the NFL – 128.1 yds/g

2004 – 22^nd in the NFL – 125.8 yds/g

2003 – 32^nd in the NFL – 156.9 yds/g

ANALYSIS:

One major criticism I have had about the Raiders since 2003 is their blindness and lack of effort in addressing the concern along the defensive line. Yes they have added pass rushers like Derrick Burgess and Greg Ellis during that span, and tackles such as Ted Washington and Warren Sapp, but they turned their back to the habitual incompetence along the interior of the line. Seymour is a big-time playmaker. He turns only 30 during the season, and comes from a winning program that has been the model franchise in the league for many years now. He is winner, and Oakland needs players like him on the roster. He directly addresses issues in stopping the run, ads versatility to the line, which can be confusing to offensive coordinators and can be a disruptor. Last season, he matched his career high of 8 sacks and tallied 52-tackles. For a second straight season, he was not named to an all-pro team or pro-bowl, but no one can deny the influence he had in the locker room and on the field for the Patriots.

To give this trade a complete thumbs up for the Raiders; Oakland must retain him after his contract is up, Seymour must continue having the solid seasons we are accustomed seeing of him and by 2011, Oakland better be contending for a AFC West crown and not looking at another top-10 pick. If they are still mired in losing, that will likely mean that JaMarcus Russell has not been able to develop into the quarterback they thought he would be, other selections may have not panned out, they will be forking over a pick they may need to a perennial Super Bow contender, and will just be the butt of all jokes once again if all goes wrong.