| NEW ORLEANS — After being scrutinized non-stop by a
number of teams at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last February, Richard Seymour had
little reason to believe he’d end up spending his rookie campaign in New England. "After
the Combine, I visited Arizona, Green Bay and San Francisco, but New England didn’t
really seem to show any special interest in me," said Seymour, an imposing 6-6,
305-pound defensive tackle who could very well end up being one of the key figures on
Super Sunday. "But on Draft Day, they gave me the call, and I was just fortunate that
things ended up like they did."
The Patriots feel the same way about Seymour, even though the sixth overall selection
in the 2001 draft was not an instant force on their multiple-front defensive line.
"He was coming off a good college career, but coming into our system, which was a
little bit of a two-gap system at that time, he struggled with it a little bit, because
the technique was completely different than what he was used to," said Romeo Crennel,
the Patriots' defensive coordinator.
"Also, during the course of the year, Richard had some injuries that kept him out
of a few games. But he has made really good progress. He’s a very solid individual,
and a very good player. I think he will develop into a quality performer in this
league."
There was no questioning the level of Seymour’s play at the University of Georgia,
where he combined with Marcus Stroud (who was drafted seven picks later than Seymour, by
the Jaguars) to form the top DT tandem in college football for two seasons.
But there were some issues with Seymour, especially in terms of his leverage and
tendency to play too upright.
"Yes, there were concerns," Crennel said. " Anytime you get a big, tall
guy like that, you’re concerned about his leverage. But he can bend his knees. And he
really hustles and runs to the football for a big guy. You’ll see him chase the ball
down the field, from sideline to sideline, and that’s been a pleasant surprise."
Seymour, who saw action in 13 of 16 regular-season games with 10 starts, gives Crennel
a lot of credit for his steady development.
"Our defensive coordinator has been like a father figure to me," Seymour
said. "He always stays on me, no matter whether I make a key tackle or a couple of
sacks. He always finds things I need to keep working on, always critiquing my game.
Anytime you have someone pushing you and trying to bring the best out of you all the time,
I have to give him great credit."
Seymour feels the same way about veteran linemate Willie McGinest. The Patriots’
fifth all-time sack leader (with 51.5, including six this season) has gone out of his way
to take the rookie under his wing.
"I would have to say Willie McGinest has been instrumental as far as getting me to
watch film and teaching me how to be a professional," Seymour said. "He’s
really helped me, getting me to take care of my body and just doing the little things,
like lifting weights. He’s been instrumental in my development. He’s helped me
learn the right way to practice and how to condition myself throughout the season.
It’s a long season, not like college. I hope I can do the same thing for younger
players when I become a veteran."
Helping Seymour perfect his craft has come naturally for McGinest.
"He’s a well-rounded guy with a really good family upbringing," McGinest
said. "He reminds me of the way I came in, when Chris Slade took me under his wing.
Richard’s a guy with a whole lot of potential, a whole lot of talent. I talked to
(Patriots head coach Bill) Belichick before the season, and he said Richard was one of the
guys who was going to help us get this thing going. He has a tremendous amount of talent.
"Despite his youth, he’s a lot more mature than a lot of rookies who come
into this league. He sees the big picture, gets himself ready and listens. I’ve given
him advice, but I’m not going to tell you that I told him to do certain things that
are the reasons why he’s played so well. He’s a talent within himself. He asks
me questions, and I lead him in the right direction. I’m not one of those veterans
who says to rookies, ‘Don’t talk to me.’ You want to help these guys, and
show them the right direction, especially if they’re going to help you win games,
which is something Richard has definitely done."
Seymour will have to be at his best against the Rams a few days from now. Having
emerged as the Patriots’ primary run stuffer, he knows he faces a daunting challenge
against one of the league’s most underrated offensive lines.
"They have really solid guys up front," Seymour said. "They have a Pro
Bowl player at right guard (Adam Timmerman), and they don’t allow too many sacks.
They’re committed to protecting Kurt Warner because they know he’s their bread
and butter. We have to find a way to get pressure on him and, of course, Marshall Faulk.
They do a lot of things — six-, seven-man protection, slide protection — they do
a lot of things to mix it up. They have a really good coaching staff over there as well,
so we know we’re going to have our hands full. But as a competitor, you look forward
to this kind of matchup, and you have to accept the challenge. Now, it’s just a
matter of preparation."
Seymour talked about the special challenge posed by Faulk, who in recent weeks has
carried the load for the Rams in crunch time.
"The main thing is you can’t go in there and try to kill the guy because
he’ll make you miss," Seymour said. "You just have to get your hands on him
and wrap him up. If you go at him trying to dive first, he’ll make you go off the
diving board, and you’ll miss the guy. He’s the total package. He brings all
elements to the game."
How surprising has the Patriots’ stunning success been to Seymour?
"I didn’t expect this at all," Seymour said. "Especially being one
of the top 10 picks, I didn’t have a clue as to how good the team was going to be.
And then we were 5-11 last year and started off 0-2. It was kind of rough early on, but we
have some veteran guys on this ballclub with great character, and I think that has really
taken us over the edge in the second half of the season. We have a great coaching staff
that has put us in the right places at the right times to make plays.
"We’re just going to go out there and put on a show this Sunday." |
