When the Patriots dealt Seymour to the Oakland Raiders Sunday in exchange for a 2011 first-round draft pick, the move raised questions about the stability of New England’s defensive front and whether it would be compromised by the absence of a five-time Pro Bowl end.
“I think we all know what type of player Richard was and I’ve commented on that many times in the past,’’ Bill Belichick said yesterday during a teleconference.
“There are a lot of things that Richard did well, but that’s the way it is and we’re moving forward and our team’s moving forward.’’
Asked if the Patriots were as good defensively without Seymour, Belichick replied, “We’ll find that out starting this week.’’
Although Seymour did not report to Oakland as of yesterday, he was listed on the roster on the team’s website and the trade was listed among the NFL’s official transactions. There are rumors that the team is working on a new contract for Seymour, but Raiders coach Tom Cable said yesterday he had “nothing to report on that.’’
Meanwhile, Belichick shed no light on the matter, declining to confirm even that the trade was a done deal.
“Because we don’t have rights to Richard, there really isn’t anything I can say about him or his situation,’’ Belichick said.
With or without Seymour, Pees faces a challenge in preparing his defense for a Bills offense that has undergone a makeover of its own. The Bills acquired dynamic receiver Terrell Owens during the offseason, implemented a no-huddle scheme, and last week fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert and handed the play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt.
Pees, though, declined to discuss how New England’s defense would be altered without Seymour’s commanding presence on the line.
“This is not going to be an interview about Richard,’’ Pees said. “It’s just simply about our defense and me getting ready - me getting the defense ready for Buffalo. It’s really about Buffalo and whoever we have here. It’s a matter of that’s who we get ready, and the different fronts and the different coverages or whatever we feel like we need to do schematically to prepare our team the best on defense against Buffalo and what they do.
