Projo Pats Blog

I'm a little time-pressed today, so here's a quick look at the issues this morning:

News flash: Football is a business. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork over the weekend said that fact once again became apparent with the Patriots' decision to trade his friend and teammate, Richard Seymour. The move could end up helping Wilfork, though, since he wants to stay here and the Patriots have freed up $3.685 million in cap space that might help them swing a new deal with Wilfork.

Ron Borges of The Boston Herald, who has never been a fan of the way the Patriots do business, says that it could be time for Wilfork to use the leverage that he has (with the Patriots needing him more than ever to anchor their defensive line) by staying home if he does not get a contract extension by Wednesday. Borges points out that Wilfork is one of only two first-round draft picks from the 2003 class who is still playing under a rookie contract -- the other is another Patriot, tight end Ben Watson.

Wilfork may know in his head that football is a business, but despite his clear unhappiness over not receiving a contract extension, he has played the good soldier role for most of the preseason, fulfilling all his mandatory obligations. It's hard to imagine him doing anything different now -- especially since using his "leverage" over the organization would just as likely poison his relations with the team as it would be to force Robert Kraft to buckle and give Wilfork what he wants right now. Hopefully there are enough mutual interests in this case for both sides to keep the tensions turned down.

That's assuming everything gets worked out on this Seymour to Oakland trade. The leverage issue might be more relevant with Seymour. Digging in his heels and refusing to report to Oakland would be a big gamble for Seymour, who could end up missing the entire 2009 season without compensation, but he may feel that going along with the trade does not have much upside. If Seymour refuses to report, it would force the teams to either work out a new deal or kill the trade altogether. ProFootballTalk.com speculates that Seymour and his agent could be trying to work out a severance package in exchange for their agreement not to cause a major headache for the organization going forward.

-Tom Brady spoke about the trade this morning on the Dennis and Callahan show and took a philosophical perspective, saying that what's best for the team is not always best for the player.

-With the departure of Greg Lewis, the Patriots have lost the (self-proclaimed) funniest guy in the locker room, writes WEEI's Christopher Price.

-Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer predicts that -- given the ever increasing size, speed and athleticism of today's players -- "somebody is going to die here in the NFL. It's going to happen.'' Palmer made the comment to King in a roundtable discussion with some of the league's top quarterbacks, and the others in the conversation -- Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers -- did not disagree.

-Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman says that his arrest on battery and false imprisonment charges occurred because he was trying to prevent reality TV star Tila Tequila from leaving his house while intoxicated. But the young woman -- whose real name is Tila Nguyen -- is hotly contesting that. Via Twitter, she says she is not backing down on any of her charges, that she will respond to Merriman today, and hints of another bombshell to come.

 Tags  Football Today Richard Seymour Vince Wilfork

Comments

MaineMan said:

If the Pats had kept Seymour, they would have had to endure probably very ugly contract negotiations with the same agent who is currently allowing (if not encouraging) Michael Crabtree to sit out the '09 season and re-enter the draft next year if the Niners don't cave to his salary demands. I have to imagine that this was a factor in the Pats' decision to move Seymour now.

So, y'know, it wouldn't surprise me at all if this agent were looking for what would be essentially a bribe to allow the Seymour trade to go through without "problems."

Link | September 8, 2009 10:54 AM
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chris said:

It seems like he is trying to get his family and affairs in order. I am sure he will be a great addition to the Raiders once everything is resolved.

Link | September 8, 2009 11:51 AM
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