"We made it work" - Patriots legend pokes fun at Tom Brady during Hall of Fame speech

Richard Seymour was selected by the New England Patriots number six overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. The defensive tackle, who finished his career with the Oakland Raiders, had a total of 498 tackles and 57.5 sacks over the course of his 12 seasons in the league. He also helped lead the Patriots to three Super Bowl wins.

On Saturday, Seymour was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame and took the stage to deliver his speech to all those in attendance at the ceremony in Canton, Ohio. During the speech, he poked a little fun at his former quarterback, Tom Brady.

"We had a young quarterback, but we made it work."

Seymour continued by giving credit where it was due in those three Super Bowl wins -- to the Patriots defense. Tom Brady was still in the early years of his career and wasn’t quite the quarterback he would become. If it wasn’t for Seymour and the defense, the Patriots' championship history would look a lot different.

"Those first three Super Bowls, they were all defensive-led teams. I think for us, the shift really started to happen right after that. And that’s when Brady really became Brady. And then it really just took off. Offense sells, so I totally get it. But those early teams were led by the defense."

The Patriots head into 2022 a long way from the glory days of Brady and Seymore

AFC Wild Card Playoffs - New England Patriots v Buffalo Bills

Seymour was a dominant force on the Patriots defense, along with big names like Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Rodney Harrison, Willy McGinest and Tedy Bruschi. In fact, most NFL purists would say Peyton Manning would have as many rings as Brady, had he only benefitted from defenses like the Patriots had throughout the years.

These days, the Patriots are in their post-Tom Brady years. Bill Belichick, however, is still the head coach, and second-year quarterback Mac Jones shows promise. As for the defense, the offseason losses of J.C. Jackson, Dont’a Hightower, and Kyle Van Noy will most likely mean a regression from their overall performance last year.

In fact, some analysts predict they could be ranked among the bottom ten or twelve in the league. The Patriots are a long way from the days of Tom Brady and Richard Seymour. What’s worse is that they now find themselves in a much tougher division than they’re used to. Beyond that, the AFC is crowded with talented teams. Things are rough all over for the Pats.