He is an incredibly hard worker. Any time you go through that kind of injury and operation for reconstruction, it’s a tough, and he did exceedingly well," said ElAttrache, who performed the surgery at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles. "He was great with doing his rehab, but he was surrounded by a lot of talented people, the medical staff of the Patriots, his trainers, his personal trainer, everybody really stepped up. He’s come a long way. We couldn’t be happier where he is with it.
I think he has, in a lot of ways, put the injury behind him. He did very well in the preseason moving around on the knee. He’s hit every milestone we could have hoped." "The biggest thing is having the confidence in stepping up forward, into an oncoming rush. Human nature is you wouldn’t want to step your injured body part into oncoming hazard," ElAttrache said. "But when a quarterback has this injury, that’s the big hurdle they have to overcome . . . this is another area where somebody like him, especially him, really excels. He’s mentally, very tough. And really at this point, I don’t think he considers it a hindrance at all. If you’ve watched how he’s played in the preseason, he’s stepped up, he’s stepped right up onto his left side, and any throwing athlete will tell you, if you can’t get onto your front foot, you can’t throw effectively, and he’s done very well with that."
Monte Poole (Oakland Tribune) Seymour facing long odds of succeeding in Oakland.
Playing the run, rushing the passer, making an impact even when faced with multiple blockers, Richard Seymour at his peak was one of the three best defensive tackles in the NFL. Even though Seymour's prime surely is behind him, there is reason to believe he still can summon another year or three of quality football. But not as a Raider.
Anyone paying attention realizes the Raiders organization, once the league's most successful rehabilitation home, rescuing careers by the dozen, has become the place where talent turns toxic. It's not that Seymour can't reverse this trend. It's that the deck is stacked against any effort he might make.
Monique Walker catches up with LS Jake Ingram, who let Stephen Gostkowski do his talking for him since he's only a rookie.
"Obviously he has the talent to be out there and we feel comfortable with him. It is nice not having to switch back and forth between guys and it’s nice for him to get in the whole game. He’s got a long season to go and keep working hard and keep on top of what he is doing. We are helping him out and making sure he is in sync with me and [punter Chris Hanson].’’
TEAM TIDBITS
- Patriots open season vs. Buffalo on Monday night. Ceremonies planned, broadcast info, series history, divisional dominance, team connections and more. Worth a look.
- Patriots Today: Seymour analysis, roster review and more. (8.30 min. video)
- Patriots sign seven players to practice squad.
- Patriots claim DB Bret Dockett; Release Greg Lewis.
- Patriots sign veteran G Kendall Simmons.
LOCAL LINKS
- Karen Guregian notes Raiders coach Tom Cable says Seymour wants to be in Oakland but has some financial issues with the Patriots that are being worked out.
- Christopher Price says Seymour deal is consistent with the Patriots approach to every player.
- Shalise Manza Young says Seymour may be balking on trade to Raiders.
- Michael Hurley notes Patriots' Defense rests squarely on the shoulders of Adalius Thomas.
- Ally Mielnicki Belichick's chopping block: The most memorable Patriots farewells.
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Ron Borges calls out Vince Wilfork's manhood, saying now is the time for him to walk away from the team until he gets a new contract - if he has the 'stomach' to do it.
Class all the way Borges. - Mike Reiss reports the Patriots added 4 more players to the practice squad, none of whom were with the team during training camp.
- Mike Reiss and Chris Gasper Patriots Notebook: Seymour has yet to report to Oakland; WR Greg Lewis is cut; Practice squad is set with 7 players.
- Karen Guregian Patriots Notebook: Greg Lewis cut; Watson survives cuts; Mayo offers compassion for Crable; and more.
NATIONAL NEWS
- ESPN Team Preview: New England Patriots - consensus division finish first.
- Tom Curran (NBC Sports) Patriots will get Super Bowl revenge on Giants.
- Steve Greenberg (Sporting News) 2009 NFL Preview: How to skip the parity party.
- Michael Silver (Yahoo! Sports) Brady businesslike about return, Pats trade.
- Pat Kirwan (NFL.com) Patriots must protect Brady.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Patriots third-oldest, Fins sixth-youngest.
- MIke Sando (ESPN) Three of nine oldest teams in NFC West.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Patriots misfire on Lewis, Smith trades.
- Michael Lombardi (Nat'l Football Post) Raiders' risky move: They need Seymour to play hard, and they need to re-sign him.
- Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Why Seymour wants to avoid Oakland. Going from Super Bowls to super bad has no appeal.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) AWOL Seymour not a Patriots issue.
The Patriots are not preventing Seymour from leaving. If anything, they can't wait to get rid of him because most analysts agree the compensation far outweighed a player who's about to turn 30 and is entering the final year of his contract.
My guess is that Cable, who has endured plenty of embarrassment as Raiders coach already, couldn't bear to admit a star player wasn't eager to leave a Super Bowl contender for a doormat.
- Tom Curran (Pro Football Talk) Harrison: Seymour's "not thrilled" with deal to Raiders.
- Jason La Canfora (NFL.com) Lack of long-term deal likely holding up Seymour trade.
- Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) What if Richard Seymour doesn't show in Oakland?
- Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) Seymour could eventually get "five-day letter" if he doesn't report to Oakland.
- Jerry McDonald (Oakland Tribune) Where's Seymour? Not in Alameda.