New England Patriots, Richard Seymour reunion seems extremely unlikely
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shown on the sideline against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Georgia Dome. The New England Patriots defeated the Falcons 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots were able to take down the Atlanta Falcons 30-23 in impressive fashion, and the Patriots are now 4-0 and entrenched as a top five team at this point. However, the Patriots also suffered a major blow during yesterday’s game, as star defensive tackle Vince Wilfork went down with a torn Achilles and will most likely be done for the year. Wilfork’s impact on the defense as a player and leader is difficult to explain in words, and what makes Wilfork so valuable is his dependability. He’s smart, he helps out the younger guys, he does an excellent job of plugging up holes to free up other guys in the passing game, he is athletic and smart enough to disengage from his offensive lineman to try and break up a pass, and he’s also still one of the best run defenders going. That kind of player is impossible to replace in the middle of the season, so the Patriots will simply have to find someone who can help mitigate his loss.
It doesn’t sound like former New England Patriots star player Richard Seymour will be that guy, as the Boston Herald’s Ron Borges reports that Seymour stated there is “no way” he’d come back to the Patriots. Seymour remains a free agent despite the efforts of the Atlanta Falcons to re-sign him, and it seems like Seymour is perfectly content to remain a free agent, unless if some team gives in to his outlandish asking price. He’s fine with not playing football, and it would take a large sum of money to sign him; money that really isn’t worth spending.
I am convinced the New England Patriots don’t want anything to do with Seymour anyway, because they don’t need to spend a lot of money on a DT whose main skill is rushing the passer. Losing Wilfork creates a huge void for a run-stopping DT, and that’s a void that a UDFA DT will have to fill. The Patriots already have plenty of interior pass rushing specialists following the offseason moves to sign both Tommy Kelly and Armond Armstead. Kelly has been a revelation through four weeks, while Armstead is eligible to come off of the NFI in Week 7.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe. Be sure to like us on Facebook here and follow our site on Twitter as well.