When deceased Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis traded a first round draft pick to the New England Patriots for Richard Seymour, many thought the Raiders had been fleeced. After eight years in the league and a number of injuries in that time, Seymour looked like he was nearing the end of his career. Meanwhile, Patriots coach Bill Bellichick had shown a knack for trading stars just before their value began to drastically drop. While Seymour was worth a first round pick early in his career, it seemed like too big of a price to pay for an aging star.
Since then, Seymour has received two pro bowl and one all pro nod while being the centerpiece for the turn around of the Raiders franchise. When Seymour came to Oakland, he made a big difference in changing the culture in the Raiders locker room. He helped develop a talented young defensive line and has taught the team how to be winners.
Every season with the Raiders, Seymour has increased his sack numbers and while his total tackles decreased last season, he has not slowed down a whole lot. Plus, the pro bowl roster spot is not always given to the player who had the best season at a given position. Players often get chosen for the pro bowl based in large part due to their career as a whole as opposed to the most recent season. Since Seymour has found success with two teams, in two different systems and at two different positions, he has earned a lot of respect from people around the league. If he puts up another season like the past couple, he could find himself a pro bowler again this year.
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