Seymour Could Be a Hit in Atlanta
Sep 23, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Jerricho Cotchery (89) tries to break free from the grasp of Oakland Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour (92) in the first quarter at the O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
I hope everyone is having a great and happy memorial day remembering our troops who fought and died for our freedom. My grandpa was one of the men who fought in World War II and he has always had a huge impact on me. One thing that he loved and lived for was football. He was a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and my mother was a die-hard Vikings fan after they moved to Minnesota. As I was born in Georgia, my mom passed the love of football down to me as I became a die-hard Falcons fan. Oddly enough, my dad was never into football that much. It was always me and my mom screaming at the TV while my dad took that time to cut the grass or fix the air-conditioner. He’s started to come around more recently, but he hates close games and doesn’t like high-pressure situations. That didn’t bode well in a Falcons household.
My point being, football is a family thing and I hope everyone has spent a good day with their family. If you read my blogs, you know I like to talk about what could happen. Let’s look at Richard Seymour.
You’ve heard the recent news that the Falcons were in “serious” talks with Seymour. You probably heard the most recent news that they weren’t really that serious with those talks. It is all a big mystery. We don’t know if he wants too much money, if the Falcons are no longer interested, if they are waiting for June 1st before signing, or some other unforeseen event.
That won’t stop me from trying to find out what would happen if he did sign the dotted line and put on the red and black. The falcons lost Vance Walker, a promising young tackle to the Raiders over free agency. Jonathan Babineaux is probably the most underrated tackle in the league. Corey Peters isn’t really anything special; he gets the job done but he isn’t really elite. Peria Jerry is just a dream that he’ll eventually come into his expectations, but he is prime for the ‘bust’ tag. If Atlanta could get some pressure and run help up the middle, things could be significantly different. It’s not necessarily an immediate need, but could definitely be helped. If Richard Seymour did sign, what kind of impact would he have?
That would depend on how healthy he is. His career is spotty with injuries, but I don’t think that would be too big of a worry. Mike Smith has his old guy club that doesn’t have to practice as often. Also, the Defensive tackles work in a rotation that would keep him fresh. But I do believe this guy can play. He’s old, but last year he had 3 sacks while only playing in half the amount of games. That would have been a 6-sack season and that’s damn good for a 4-3 DT at his age. If he was in Atlanta, he would probably be kept healthier, but wouldn’t see quite as much play time. That’s another reason why Atlanta wouldn’t want to pay too much for the guy, but he could have a decent year or two before his retirement.
If he were to sign with the Falcons I would expect to see 3-4 sacks, but a lot more productions with the rotation than last season. There would be constant pressure up the middle. With Osi on the outside, and if Goodman turns out to be a hit (see what I did there) the defensive line could become a strength.
Seymour could be real beneficial for the right price. But overpay for him, and I’ll be writing reasons he isn’t a fit. We can only hope for the best.