Can You Blame Richard Seymour?

The Oakland Raiders are waiting for Richard Seymour to show up. The team just gave up a first round draft pick in 2011 to get the outstanding defensive lineman. Seymour, it seems, doesn't like this one bit.

Can you blame him? Up until this week, Seymour was playing for a team that had legit Super Bowl aspirations. He played for a franchise that is the model of winning in sports. He played for the most respected coaches of our time.

Now he goes to a franchise that has crumbled around the bumbling Al Davis. A team who likes flash over substance. A team whose coach punched out an assistant a few weeks ago. A team that has lost at least 11 games in each of the last six seasons (a 24-72 record over that span).

Contrast that to the Patriots, who have won at least 10 games in each of the last six seasons (a 77-19 record over that span). New England has won three and appeared in six Super Bowls since 1985. Oakland has been to just one Super Bowl since then and were completely trounced by the Buccaneers when they got there.

Seymour knows that this isn't just a one year suck fest. No, he knows that the Raiders will throw the franchise tag on him after the season and prevent him from leaving. I know that Oakland does some weird stuff in the past, but I don't think they are dumb enough to give up a top pick in 2011 for a one-season performance.

I know we, as fans, rip players for not honoring their contracts or not reporting to their jobs on time. But I agree with Seymour here if he decided to sit out the entire season. Yeah, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth about him, but everyone can kind of understand. I mean, if you were working for a prestigious law firm and they traded you to one of those ambulance chasers who advertise during Jerry Springer ... you'd be bent. If you were a chef at one of the finest restaurants in Paris and then dealt to become the fry cook at Burger King ... you'd be bent. For this exercise, you'd make the same money at both places ... but you know that you're new job sucks. That's where Seymour is right now.

I know being traded is tough, especially when the team you are leaving is good and the team your are heading to is bad. It has brought malaise to many players before and will do so in the future.

I'm just saying that I can see where Seymour is coming from.