Article: Seymour has shown plenty of fight

[DefenseRules]

http://www.boston.com/sports/footba.../07/seymour_has_shown_plenty_of_fight/?page=1
Seymour has shown plenty of fight
By Ron Borges,

FOXBOROUGH -- It was the worst of times and then it got really bad. That's the kind of season it's been for five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

Pain, both mental and physical. Loss, both on the field and in the locker room. Disappointment, both in his body's rebellion and in his team's difficult struggle to get back to the playoffs. Yet through it all Seymour has persevered, remained faithful to himself, his team, and a higher power and, in the end, triumphed -- which is why he enters today's wild-card playoff game against the feisty Jets at Gillette Stadium confident in his team's ability to turn back a stern challenge.

"I've heard [Jets coach] Eric [Mangini] has brought a lot of boxers in there to talk with his team," Seymour said last week, a grin on his face. "That's good. That's good. Because when they come to Foxborough there's going to be some fighters here waiting for 'em."

Chief among them will be Seymour, who has played all year with a range of injuries that have limited him in ways opponents recognize, but others may not. Aching quad. Sore knee. Sprained ankle. An elbow bent so badly during a game in Buffalo Oct. 22 that his arm should have broken after Rodney Harrison landed on it with the full weight of his 220 pounds.

You tell em Seymour!
Geez, Big Sey was banged up this year and I don't think he missed a game. Right?

For a time in the middle of the season, the injuries limited his production, the low point coming when he was shut out Nov. 12 against the Jets playing with a throbbing knee, sore quad, braced elbow and from a new position. He was shifted from one side of the line to the other to replace injured Ty Warren, a move that left him not only physically depleted but mentally at a loss."I felt like I wasn't right that game," Seymour acknowledged. "It was like running with the wrong shoes on. My elbow. My knee. My ankle. It seemed like it was always something. Sometimes you feel like you're not what you should be but you want to be on the field. At that point, I wasn't really able to hold guys off because I only had one arm, but you come up with ways to compensate. I had to bring out other qualities in my game. I watched more film. Started doing little things. Hitting the cold tub. Hitting the hot tub. Trying different therapies. Looking for any kind of edge to balance things up.

...and after reading this part, I owe Big Sey an apology for all the times I felt like he wasn't doing enough out there. Afterall, the guy is only human.
All things considered it was a good article by Borges, and I am no Borges fan. And I have even more respect for Seymour than I had before.

 

[RayClay]

Paging Dr. Z, paging Dr. Z.

 

[lobster]

The last few games Seymour has clearly been resting or favoring injuries. The Titans were actually running against him, which almost nobody has done this season.

 

[jczxohn1]

A big sloppy kiss from Borges for his exclusive during Sey's contract hold-out.

That said, he deserves it.

 

[The Predator]

I think DeBrickshaw will have his hands full today.

 

[mavfan2390]

The last few games Seymour has clearly been resting or favoring injuries. The Titans were actually running against him, which almost nobody has done this season.

Well it's pick your poison, on the other side you have another all-pro caliber stud who can stuff the run like nothing, and in the middle you have a 330 pound nose tackle who looks like he eats centers for breakfast...I actually expect to see Jarvis Green a LOT today creating pressure on the Jets as they have no run game.