There are always topics to ponder and opinions to take in the canon of Boston sports. Each week, the Mass Media will talk to Alan Wickstrom, UMB’s Sports Information Director, and get his opinion on a relevant Boston sports topic.

This week, Alan shares with us his thoughts on the recent trade of Pro-Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

“I think it’s a great move by the Patriots.Obviously, from a long term perspective, because for 2009, the Patriots will take a hit defensively. Long term, though, they probably weren’t going to sign Seymour after the season anyway and they tend to sell high and I don’t think you can get a better return than a potential top 10 pick in the 2011 draft.

Since Belichick has been in New England, the Pats have had a history of not holding onto high picks and I think part of the reason for that is having to pay for them. However, if the new CBA stipulates a cap on rookie contracts, then that might not be a problem anymore and they could draft a high pick without the worry of being tapped financially.

The other part of this is that Belichick and his staff see these guys every day and they know much better than the fans what the players are going to contribute, so if they felt that Seymour had lost a step and that the defense could get by without him, then I have faith in that.

To me, the more interesting part of this is why would the Raiders do it? If they were one player away, I could understand it, but Seymour might be the difference between five wins or eight and then he’ll probably walk at the end of the season. If anything, the Raiders need as many first round picks as they can get, so from their point of view, this deal makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, except when you consider that anything that Al Davis has done in the past decade hasn’t made much sense.”