Many football fans refer to the NFL as "Not For Long" based on the ever-revolving door of injured, retired, traded and cut players. This weekend in New England, the departure of defensive end Richard Seymour echoed just that.
With the loss of one of the greatest Patriots defenders of all time, the franchise's greatest quarterback Tom Brady reiterated that despite recognizing the business aspect of the sport, it's never easy on teammates — especially those who have made such an impact on the team and city.
"Football is unconditional love. It’s tough in a lot of ways because
you develop relationships with your teammates,” Brady said Tuesday morning on WEEI. "These are your friends
and your family. You spend more time with these guys than you spend
with your own family. A guy like him, who has meant so much to the
organization — being here going on his ninth season, three
championships, being a team captain — he’s just a wonderful person."
Brady also sees past this trade as just a movement of personnel. Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots have and will always be a very systematic team where the blueprint and schemes — not so much the players — are the keys to success.
"Our goals are the team goals," Brady said. "At the same time, you’ve got to understand what’s best for the team isn’t always what's best for you as a player. It’s a real fine line because you want to feel the commitment and the loyalty to the team, but you’ve got to understand it doesn’t go both ways. And that’s OK, because we’re getting a lot out of it as well. Having the opportunity to win, the opportunity to play and improve as a player, those are all things that being in the situation we’re in with the Patriots, there’s nothing more you can really ask for."
