When you talk about football in the 2000s, you can never leave out the New England Patriots. The same can be said about Super Bowl titles as well because they are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most championships of all-time with six. Each time I think about those Patriots teams, I think of the way they got the job done and how there were key contributors. If you think back to every championship Bill Belichick won, his defenses always had one guy that could rush the passer. I’ll name a few of those guys. Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins, Chris Long, and then, there was Richard Seymour. This Summer, Richard will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
During his playing days, he was one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. Richard’s skillset was tremendous, and the Patriots used him in a variety of ways. Standing at six feet six inches tall, he found ways to use his length to his advantage. The long arms always gave him an advantage upfront because even if he couldn’t get to the quarterback, he could still get his hands up and knock the ball down at the line of scrimmage. For Richard to be so big, he was very quick. His explosiveness stood out each time. Richard’s natural position was a defensive end. However, he could also play on the inside of the defensive line. When the Patriots drafted Vince Wilfork and added more depth to the defensive line, that allowed Richard to play at his natural position. Richard was such a beneficial piece to the linebackers on those New England defenses because he was able to get home to the quarterback or he would command double teams. Anything the Patriots asked of him, he did it. His versatility stood out consistently.
Richard was a key piece for the Patriots’ first dynasty. He was a member of those teams that won the three Super Bowls in four seasons. Number 93 retired as a seven-time pro bowl selection, a three-time first-team all-pro selection and most importantly, a three-time Super Bowl champion. He joins his former teammate Ty Law as the second Patriot from the 2000s to join the hall.
