Are the Silver and Black on Crack?

By Fernando Gallo

In the words of Vince Lombardi: What the hell is going on here?

The Raiders have traded for defensive end Richard Seymour, giving up a first-round pick in 2011 in the process. That the Raiders made a move from completely out of left field is not really a story these days. But this trade? Oy vey...

For the Patriots, I completely understand why they made this deal. Seymour is in the last year of his contract and they don’t like to pay anybody. He’s got three rings already, so he’ll likely want to set up the rest of his life with one last fat contract. The Pats certainly weren’t going to give him that, so they trade him for a possible top-ten pick. Makes sense.

As for the Al Davis All-stars - what are you guys thinking? This move makes sense for a team that really is one piece away from Super Bowl contention, but not for the bumbling Raiders. Seymour is a former Pro Bowler, and certainly talented, but is his addition going to shore up a run defense that got gashed by three of four opponents this preseason? Doubtful.

This solidifies the fact that Davis is simply too stubborn to succeed in today’s NFL. He refuses to flat-out rebuild, and this latest reach might be one of the most painful. Based on the fact that Oakland hasn’t won more than six games since 2002, the pick they just gave up is likely to be a good one. And if Seymour leaves for free agency after this year, this is one of the dumbest trades in NFL history.

On a slightly different note, is there some sort of secret, under-the-table deal between Davis and Patriots owner Robert Kraft? These two teams just can’t seem to get enough of each other. The Raiders hired former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan from the Patriots in 2004, gave away Randy Moss to them in 2007 in a deal that still gives me nightmares, and sent disgruntled defensive lineman Derrick Burgess there earlier this year. Oakland seems to be doing New England a lot of favors - how about a little reciprocation one of these days?