Richard Seymour — Leading the Pack

Over the past 3 years, Richard Seymour has become one of Raider Nation’s newest heroes.  Seymour’s career stats say it all, with 479 tackles, 54.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles, there is no denying that this 310 pound defensive tackle has been a key factor in paralyzing offenses across the league.  It was no surprise that the Raiders acquired Seymour in 2009. “I had no clue of what took place. I had found out Sunday morning before we got ready to play Buffalo”, Seymour recalled, when discussing the Patriot’s sudden decision to trade the 7-time Pro-Bowler.

The Patriot’s decision to release Seymour was a blessing for the late owner of the Raiders, Al Davis.  Davis believed Richard Seymour possessed the ability to be a leader to the struggling team.  Despite rumors about Seymour being unhappy with his move, he has taken pride in being a Raider and a mentor to his fellow teammates.

“I was always a fan of the Silver and Black…My dad was a Raider fan. Whoever he liked, I liked. Just the mystique of that uniform. It’s more than a team. You’re carrying a culture with you,” Seymour says.  Embodying the Raider culture is definitely one lesson Seymour has continued to impress upon his teammates.

“All I’ve done is ask guys to understand what it takes.  We had a talented team but we had a lot of young guys.  Young players don’t know what they don’t know.  It’s not their fault. I accepted a leadership role in changing the mentality around here…Winning is not something you just do on Sunday.  It’s the little things that make champions.  How well do you prepare?  How hard did you work all week?  Talent alone doesn’t win football games.  I was taught hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.  What can you do if you have both?’’ says the 11- year veteran.

The 2011 Pro-Bowl pick’s devotion to improving team excellence extends far beyond the regular 16-week season.  During the most recent NFL lockout, Richard Seymour flew his teammates to Atlanta to participate in a week-long program created by Competitive Edge Sports.

“If we were going to get together, I wanted to make sure that it was organized.  And it was very organized. We ran it like a combine; guys were in at 8 and out by 12,” he says.

Seymour is confident that, “At the end of the day, when its all said and done, [he] really enjoy[s] and [is] glad that [he] made the right decision in coming out to Oakland and being part of Raider Nation”. And so are Raider fans; Seymour has been a crucial player in the team’s turnaround from having a 5-11 record (2008), to currently being tied for the AFC West Championship. Seymour was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after blocking two field goal attempts against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Eve.  Seymour not only saved the game from going into overtime, but has also made the possibility of the Raiders being in the playoffs a realistic one.  With a Raiders win and a Broncos loss on Sunday, the Raiders will be in the post season for the first time since he arrived.  And that’s a major accomplishment.