Fair enough.
You still have not answered why the Pats extended Seymour in 2006 and why it took them 5 years after the funeral to get rid of him.
Because of his talent and age and their desire to retain him short term while they continued to evaluate his long term value and reshape his mentality. And because the alternative was likely an ugly one. I said so at the time. They tried in the aftermath of the holdout to reel him back in. Just never worked. They lined him up to throw out the first pitch at Fenway solo in 2005, he refused, then they paired him with Tedy and he agreed. They were hoping to show him what it means to be an icon in this town. He didn't really care. Kraft took him on the Israel pilgrimidge in 2006, as he had Tommy before him. He enjoyed the scenery but the message again fell on deaf ears.
Lawyer raised him from a pup here and the damage was career long. Winning's great but get yours. Scheme, shmeme. Talent matters. It's a business. He reportedly started looking for his after 2003. His teamates were watching, including Branch, Givens, Samuel.
They rolled the dice because Bill believed that he was a football matters guy and a force when healthy. Just turns out it didn't matter enough. And he wasn't ever totally healthy (for which he also developed a grudge) and he was one of those guys who can't find a way to play at a consistently high level when hurt (unlike his QB). In hindsight they probably should have traded him entering 2006 rather than extending him. I would have done it in foresight but onnly because my read on him from the holdout on was he wasn't going to change. He was just never all in and while he was publicly quiet in comparison to some stars, there was always that understated edge of self importance in Richard's comments that wasn't lost on everyone.
As I said before Pioli used to talk about what it meant and took to be a leader here, and they were simply never going to extend themselves for guys who were not similarly willing to make some sacrifices, on and off the field, to be part of the core of what they were building here. That's the underlying philosophy of the system. His deal was unique when it happened for a reason. A compromise of sorts that gave him what he wanted short term and gave them something they could live with while pondering if he was worth investing in long term or a better alternative would present itself. Had they felt he was an additional extension would have been worked out. Wasn't gonna happen. And while he was not a guy they would have simply walked away from as they did with Milloy (who was far more vocal and assertive in the locker room and far less productive on the field at a time when they were clearly restrained by the cap), he did not represent sufficient value to them in his final season here when someone was offering a 1st for him and they needed to retain the tag for Wilfork. I know that gauls the win now crowd, but after 40 odd years of mediocrity this organization is committed to competing to win indefinitely.
And the fact is given his performance over the last 4 years there is no way to gauge whether he would have made a difference on the field this season. He didn't in 2005 or 2006, they didn't need him to for most of 2007, which was fortunate considering he wasn't available, and he didn't make the plays to save them in the one game when they needed him to and he was available. In 2008 he had a good statistical season but absent Brady that wasn't nearly enough. This season given the transition and new faces and one continuing disappointment I'm not sure he would be helping on the field anymore than hindering off it absent an extension. He didn't have to deal with loss often here and when he did he didn't always deal with it well. He tended to be an unaccountable, win with talent, lose with coaching kind of guy. Ron persued and built an enduring relationship with him entirely on that basis.
