Richard Seymour

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH - It's so quiet now. Richard Seymour leans back in his oversized leather armchair, one that would swallow up a man of average stature, yet barely accommodates this 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pounder, whose explosive strength and quickness earned him the moniker as the best defensive lineman in the NFL after just two years. It is Saturday, one week before the Patriots play the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC playoffs, and Seymour's wife, Tanya, and their four small children have already migrated to South Carolina for the winter.

By Greg A. Bedard, Globe Staff FOXBOROUGH — Well, the draft is away and it's nuts. We've already had six trades heading into pick No. 8, including the previous Redskins deal for No. 2. What will the next three days bring for the Patriots? Do I think they're going to trade up in this draft? No, I don't. There's too many holes on the 2013 roster that need to be addressed. If the Patriots did trade up, it would likely be for Alabama SS Mark Barron (already taken)

FOXBOROUGH -- The New England Patriots may be coming to town, but Richard Seymour said this Sunday's match up isn't any different from any other game. Seymour said he doesn't have a problem with anyone on the Patriots despite being traded at the beginning of the 2009 season to Oakland. He is focused on trying to help his teammates win their next game as he called every game for the Raiders " a big game. " Seymour appeared to be guarded in his comments as he talked with the New England media via conference call this afternoon but said since he has been in Oakland he...

FOXBOROUGH - Five days passed between the time the Patriots traded Richard Seymour to the Raiders two years ago and the time he arrived in Oakland, Calif. The Raiders did everything within the limits of league rules (issuing a letter informing him he had five days to report or face a yearlong suspension) and everything within the limits of self-respect (sending scouts to persuade Seymour that Oakland wasn't as bad as perceived) to get him to join them. But Seymour needed time.

FOXBOROUGH -- Sadly, there are some holes not even Richard Seymour can plug. The Patriots' three-time All-Pro is, in the opinion of many in the National Football League, the best defensive lineman in pro football. While the Colts' Dwight Freeney or the Giants' Michael Strahan might try to argue, certainly the class Seymour is in is a very small one because he is the most versatile and unselfish defensive lineman in football. He is also one of the most unusual because long ago he made a decision that sets him apart.

FOXBOROUGH -- The bruise from his helmet on his left temple is a telltale sign that he may be back where he belongs, but it has been awhile. Defensive end Richard Seymour returned to the Patriots' practice field yesterday afternoon, joining teammates at training camp for the first time this summer. Seymour said he was happy and thankful to again be a part of the team. "It's definitely a blessing to be back," he said. "It was a rough road, but I had the support of my teammates and also a lot of fans.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Diego Chargers have never been shy about expressing their feelings for the Patriots. They've referred to them as "classless. " Said their team motto is "if you're not cheating, you're not trying," and accused them of being dirty. But the vitriolic rhetoric that has marked this rivalry seems to have dissipated, or at least it's under wraps, as the teams prepare to meet Sunday in San Diego, their fourth matchup in the last 21 months. What has been a grudge match between two AFC heavyweights has reached the point of begrudging respect.

FOXBOROUGH - Richard Seymour hinted to fellow defensive end Ty Warren during the offseason that he thought his days as a Patriot could be nearing the end. Warren didn’t think much of Seymour’s cryptic comments until he got an early morning text message from Seymour yesterday saying the Patriots had sent Seymour to Oakland for a 2011 first-round pick. Just like that, the man teammates called “Big Sey’’ said see ya, his Patriots career over after eight seasons. “He will definitely be missed,’’ said Warren.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff One of the more interesting scenes in the NFL Network's special "Bill Belichick: A Football Life" occurs during the Patriots' 2009 training camp, when team owner Robert Kraft spoke with then Patriots defensive tackle Richard Seymour and asked Seymour to compare that year's group to the best teams in the franchise's history. The light bulb that went off in the heads of Patriots fans watching the show was that the team was just about to trade Seymour, weeks later, to the Oakland Raiders.

FOXBOROUGH -- The word filtered out late Monday night, and by yesterday morning's practice session, it was official. The holdout of defensive end Richard Seymour was over. The Patriots released a statement to that effect in the morning, and the Pro Bowl defensive end was in camp by the end of the day. With a renegotiation of his contract that covers just this season, Seymour arrived at Gillette Stadium before the Patriots' night practice session began at 7 p.m. but did not work out with the team.

FOXBOROUGH -- The New England Patriots may be coming to town, but Richard Seymour said this Sunday's match up isn't any different from any other game. Seymour said he doesn't have a problem with anyone on the Patriots despite being traded at the beginning of the 2009 season to Oakland. He is focused on trying to help his teammates win their next game as he called every game for the Raiders " a big game. " Seymour appeared to be guarded in his comments as he talked with the New England media via conference call this afternoon but said since he has been in Oakland he...

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff One of the more interesting scenes in the NFL Network's special "Bill Belichick: A Football Life" occurs during the Patriots' 2009 training camp, when team owner Robert Kraft spoke with then Patriots defensive tackle Richard Seymour and asked Seymour to compare that year's group to the best teams in the franchise's history. The light bulb that went off in the heads of Patriots fans watching the show was that the team was just about to trade Seymour, weeks later, to the Oakland Raiders.

Oakland Raiders coach Hue Jackson has no regrets regarding his team's first-round draft pick this year. After all, what's not to like about a 10-year veteran with three Super Bowl rings and six trips to the Pro Bowl? "Richard Seymour is everything that we thought he would be and a little bit more," Jackson said on a conference call Wednesday. "I tell everybody, he was our first-round draft pick this past year. I'm very happy about what happened as far as the trade to here and he's playing well for us. " The New England Patriots also have...

The Oakland Raiders agreed yesterday with potential free agent defensive tackle Richard Seymour on a two-year, $30 million contract that includes $22.5 million in guaranteed money. SI.com first reported the contract, saying Seymour would be paid $15 million each of the next two years with $7.5 million in 2012 guaranteed in a bonus. The team would not confirm the deal. The Raiders gave the Patriots a 2011 first-round pick for Seymour before the 2009 season and owner Al Davis made it a priority to keep Seymour.

The studded Yankees cap hanging in Patriots tight end Chris Baker’s locker isn’t going anywhere. He estimates he has about 60 of them at home, and some things he can’t give up, even if he is in the land of the Red Sox. Baker lists his hometown as St. Albans, N.Y., in Queens. After a career at Michigan State, the Jets brought him home as a third-round pick in 2002. After seven seasons in New York, Baker signed as a free agent with the Patriots in March. The trek north shifted Baker to the other side of a rivalry that began at the Polo Grounds in 1960, and 99 regular-season...

FOXBOROUGH - Richard Seymour hinted to fellow defensive end Ty Warren during the offseason that he thought his days as a Patriot could be nearing the end. Warren didn’t think much of Seymour’s cryptic comments until he got an early morning text message from Seymour yesterday saying the Patriots had sent Seymour to Oakland for a 2011 first-round pick. Just like that, the man teammates called “Big Sey’’ said see ya, his Patriots career over after eight seasons. “He will definitely be missed,’’ said Warren.

FOXBOROUGH -- We have not seen the tall man with the booming voice for days now. Richard Seymour has been missing from the Patriots' locker room during media time. His teammates tell us he's working hard to get to the point where he might be able to play Sunday. On yesterday's injury report, the 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pound Seymour was listed as questionable, an upgrade from the doubtful next to his name since he injured his left knee on a hit by Jets center Kevin Mawae Dec. 26. The signs point to progress, but enough for Seymour to play in Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis...

Many in New England contended for the past year that if Richard Seymour insisted on being the highest-paid defensive lineman in the NFL, his days with the Patriots were numbered. As of this moment, his days here just increased by another four years and his new pay scale will make him one of the highest-paid defensive players in the game, regardless of position. So much for people's contentions. Seymour declined to discuss the terms of the four-year extension he agreed to this week, although industry sources familiar with the negotiations said it is worth more than $7 million a...

FOXBOROUGH - Richard Seymour spent the previous two seasons getting by on God-given ability, guts, and guile. Injuries to his elbow and knee turned him into a diminished doppelganger of the dominating, disruptive defensive end he'd been since he entered the league in 2001. Seymour has taken the frustrating experience of playing injured and turned it into a fruitful one. After listening to his body creak and moan for two seasons and listening to critics complain about his performance, he has gone from dormant to dominant once again.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Diego Chargers have never been shy about expressing their feelings for the Patriots. They've referred to them as "classless. " Said their team motto is "if you're not cheating, you're not trying," and accused them of being dirty. But the vitriolic rhetoric that has marked this rivalry seems to have dissipated, or at least it's under wraps, as the teams prepare to meet Sunday in San Diego, their fourth matchup in the last 21 months. What has been a grudge match between two AFC heavyweights has reached the point of begrudging...