How can Belichick have so much up his sleeve when he never wears any?

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Tony Massarotti wrings his hands in a "this will be good unless turns out to be bad" sort of way over the Seymour trade.

For Belichick and for the Patriots, this suddenly appears to be a pivotal time in their evolution. Their dynasty from the first half of this decade is now a thing of the past, symbolically and otherwise. The Pittsburgh Steelers have won two titles since the Pats last won a Super Bowl and the Indianapolis Colts have won one. The core of Belichick’s defense now has been transplanted. Belichick has not made a move as this one since releasing Lawyer Milloy just before the start of the 2003 season, a move that seemed to blow up the coach’s face when the Pats subsequently absorbed a 31-0 loss to the Bills in Week 1.

By the end of that season, the Patriots were Super Bowl champions and Belichick looked like a genius.  But what happens if this one goes the other way?

Steve Corkran (Oakland Tribune) Raiders acquire Richard Seymour from Patriots for No. 1 pick in 2011.

Cable said you can't pay too much for a player of Seymour's ability. "The issue is, you want to make your team better for right now," Cable said. "Right now is all that matters. We'll address that when the time comes, but I don't see that as a negative, I really don't. Not at this time." In Seymour, the Raiders get a versatile player who has flourished as a tackle and end in a 4-3 scheme and as an end in a 3-4 scheme. The Raiders prefer the 4-3 scheme under defensive coordinator John Marshall. "It's pretty self explanatory what he brings," cornerback Stanford Routt said. "He has championship-type of intelligence, comes from the Patriots, so he, obviously, knows football. He's a beast coming off that edge. "... He's going to bring a lot."

Ian Rapoport says the players have no choice but to fill the void left by Seymour.

"We’re getting younger on the defensive side of the ball," second-year linebacker Jerod Mayo said. "There are guys that can really play football, and we’ll see this year. [Seymour] will be dearly missed, but we have players ready to step up. Hopefully, we can replace him."

TEAM TIDBITS

• Andy Hart looks at the long and short of the Seymour deal, and the breakup of the trio of first-round defensive linemen.
• Paul Perillo is stunned and disappointed with the move.
  

LOCAL LINKS

• Shalise Manza Young notes Seymour is weighing whether or not to report to Oakland, and if he does, Seymour would most likely want assurance that the Raiders will either not use their franchise tag on him next year or will sign him to a lucrative short-term extension.
• Christopher Price considers the huge upside: the Patriots heading into the 2011 draft with two first-round picks, Vince Wilfork signed to a long-term deal, no rookie salary cap and plenty of dough to work with.
• Chris Gasper calls this the end of an era and says Seymour hinted to Ty Warren that he thought this was going to happen.
• Karen Guregian says moving on from Seymour means a front line that won’t be nearly as good in the immediate future.
• Mike Reiss talks about the trade that sent shockwaves across the NFL, and offers his expert analysis on the Seymour deal.
• John Chandler says that underneath the shock value, Seymour trade makes sense for Patriots.
• Mark Divver analyzes the trade and says the Patriots' offense could be so explosive this season that it will cover up for any adjustment pains the defense suffers.
• Mike Petraglia offers players' reactions to the Seymour trade from Faulk, Maroney, Mayo, Lewis, Wilfork and Warren.
• Chris Gasper catches teammate reactions to losing Seymour.
• Dan Shaughnessy chimes in with his 'bloodless Belichick' routine, noting the slip of the facade with Bruschi is gone - along with any sentiment for Seymour, his 3-time Super Bowl and 5-time Pro Bowl player.
• Ron Borges grabs the chance to again stick it to Belichick.  "Seymour never insisted upon being the highest-paid defensive lineman in football nor did he care about that. What he cared about was if it’s a business and you’re one of the best in the business then you be paid like it.  Eventually he was paid, but the stone-hearted, businessman’s approach Bill Belichick favors left Seymour cold."
• Mike Reiss looks at the Patriots current roster and when each player's contract expires.
• Karen Guregian reports several noted ESPN football analysts view the Patriots' O-Line as its Achilles' heel.
• Mike Reiss notes the praise given to WR Terrence Nunn by coach Bill Belichick after Friday's game.
• Christopher Price reports the Patriots practice squad will be released sometime today.
• Ian Rapoport notes A.J. Feeley's wife, Boston Breakers star Heather Mitts, is openly rooting for her husband to land with the Patriots.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Peter King (SI) MMQB: Cutdown weekend highlights; the Seymour fallout; 10 things and more.
• Monte Poole (Oakland Tribune) Seymour facing long odds of succeeding in Oakland.
• Jerry McDonald (ContraCosta Times) Starting Monday, or whenever Richard Seymour arrives from the New England Patriots, you won’t have the Raiders to push around anymore.
• Cam Inman (Oakland Tribune) Seymour? Yes, it may finally be safe to see more Raiders defense.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Patriots trade looks like masterstroke for future.
• Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) The right risk at the right time for Pats.
• Albert Breer (Sporting News) Breaking down the Richard Seymour Trade.
• Nancy Gay (NFL Fanhouse) Richard Seymour a short-term fix for a clunker of a franchise.
• Bill Williamson (ESPN) Expect Oakland to do what it can to keep Seymour;  Raiders trying to get better short term.
• Don Banks (SI) Predicting the 2009 NFL season. First place in the AFC? New England.
• Don Banks (SI) Predicts the Playoffs.  It will be Pats over Chargers in the divisional playoffs, Pats over Titans in the AFC Championship and Pats over Packers for the Super Bowl. Nice.
• USA Today's NFL Power Rankings. Pats at number 2 behind Steelers.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) With O'Connell, Jets must make QB decision.