Richard Seymour was never easy to define.

Tedy Bruschi? Inspiration. Troy Brown? Selfless. Tom Brady? Legend. Adam Vinatieri? Clutch. One-word definitions that pretty much tell the story.

Richard Seymour? Uh, “commanded a lot of double-teams that allowed others to make plays” doesn’t seem like it should be on a poster. That’s life in the trenches, I guess. Guys on the defensive line have never sold tickets.

And he never had “that play.” You know, the one that must be included in a career highlight reel. Think Brady in the snow. Vinatieri vs. the Rams. Brown forcing the fumble in San Diego. Can’t think of one for Seymour. And his career stats don’t jump out at you, either.  

But let’s not make the mistake of minimizing what Seymour meant to the Patriots over the last eight seasons. At his peak (think 2003-2006) Seymour was the best lineman in football. He could play end and get all over the quarterback or move to the inside and shut down opposing runners. Seymour was THE reason the 3-4 defense worked. The 2003 and 2004 Patriots will be, I suspect, the two best football teams you’ll ever see in New England. And Seymour was, at the very worst, the second most valuable member of those title winners.

If Andre Tippett still holds the title of Greatest Defensive Player in Patriots History then Seymour is as good a candidate as any for the silver medal. In the Belichick era (2000-present) there have been 11 First-Team All-Pro seasons from Patriot players. Vinatieri twice, Brady, Randy Moss, Matt Light, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison and Ty Law each earned a spot once. Richard Seymour had three such seasons. I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest that no player from the Team of the Decade dominated his position to the extent that Seymour did during his time in New England.

About 15 minutes after the trade was announced I received this text message.

“Seymour gone. Better early than late. Hall of Famer?”

I think Seymour will breeze into the Hall of Fame. To be fair, maybe he’ll have to wait a year or three, but there is no doubt in my mind that he’ll be inducted. Five Pro Bowls and the three First-Team All-Pro selections while playing for a team that won three Super Bowls and four AFC Championships? Lock.

Think of the other teams that have won three or more in a similar span. The Cowboys of the 1990s already have Aikman and Irvin. Emmitt won’t have to wait past 2010 (his first year of eligibility). Same goes for Deion Sanders in 2011. Larry Allen will get in eventually as well. The Steelers teams of the 1970s have 10 guys in Canton. Okay, they won four Super Bowls. But the Dolphins of the early 70s won only two Super Bowls and they have had seven players elected. So if history is any indication you are looking at somewhere around five Patriots from the “dynasty” years to wind up wearing the mustard jacket.

You know Brady is in, of course. As is Belichick. Next in line would be Rodney Harrison, I guess. (An interesting case. We’ll see if he gets the McGwire treatment. I doubt it, but who knows? The voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame can be quirky, to be kind.) Then it has to be Seymour. And sure, if Seymour had played his entire career in Seattle or Kansas City and put up the exact same numbers with the same amount of Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams he might not even be a finalist for enshrinement. Helps playing for a winner. You think Lynn Swann and his 336 career catches would be remembered had he played in Atlanta?

(And no, I don’t count Junior Seau as a Patriot. Gotta win at least one Super Bowl. I would’ve (grudgingly) granted Randy Moss access to the dynasty club if the Patriots had beaten the Giants, but now we are talking at least five years between Super Bowls. Lovett Purnell was as much a part of that group as Moss.)

But let’s not be confused here. As great as Seymour was (or is, maybe) this was a tremendous move by Belichick. Admit it, you’ve already Googled “2011 NFL Mock Draft.” Is there any way this won’t be a top 10 pick? And it’ll most likely be with a rookie cap, so the Patriots may actually keep this pick, instead of continuing on this quasi-bizarre path of constantly trading in what appears to be an attempt to land every selection in the 2028 draft.

Look, I don’t think Seymour is cooked by any measure (he had a terrific bounce-back 2008 season) but his days as an All-Pro are over. He’s got about 150,000 miles on the tires. (I’ll go ahead and present him with the “Oldest 29-year old in the World Award” for 2009. Previous winners were Tara Reid in 2004 and Antoine Walker in 2005. We’ve already contacted Lindsay Lohan about 2015 and her people are very interested.) I’m thinking those knees aren’t going to improve as he enters his 30s. The Patriots, by all accounts, were not going to re-sign him after this season. Yep, the defense will take a hit. But would you rather have (A) the 14th best defense in the NFL in 2009 or (B) the 17th best defense in the NFL in 2009 with a possible top overall pick in 2011? Let’s face it: with or without Seymour, the fate of the 2009 Patriots does not rest with the defense.

I’m starting to think that Belichick calls Al Davis at the same time every day and just throws out the most absurd trade offer he can think of. Just think, if Zach Miller catches 50 passes again this year he’ll probably wind up costing the Pats a whopping seventh-round pick. If I’m a Raiders fan it might be time to at least meet with a divorce lawyer. Tough to have a lot of confidence when the man pulling the trigger for your franchise was born three years before Johnny Cash.

But this is a column in praise of the work by Seymour over the past eight seasons. I would submit that the choice of No. 93 with the sixth overall pick in the 2001 draft was the second-best selection of the Belichick/Pioli regime. (And yes – I wanted Koren Robinson or David Terrell. I always want the WR or RB. I’m still baffled that Hart Lee Dykes was a misfire.) And I get why Troy Brown and Tedy Brucshi retiring meant more to fans than the trading of Seymour, I really do. But watch Wes Welker and Jerod Mayo and you know. Maybe you don’t want to admit it, but down deep you know they’ve been replaced by guys at least as good. That’s not going to happen with Ron Brace or whoever takes over. It’ll be hard enough to get production to match the Seymour of 2007 and 2008, but the Seymour of 2003-06?

Impossible to replace.

Think I found my definition.