Kevin Mawae was one of the early adversaries of the New England Patriots dynasty. Playing for the New York Jets from 1998-2005, Mawae was a key cog in the center of their offensive line and constantly did battle with the Patriots' strong defensive line. As aggravating as Mawae was for Patriots defenders to face, Mawae himself was frustrated by many members of the Patriots front.
One of the guys that particularly got under Mawae's skin was Richard Seymour. The former first-round pick of the Patriots gave Mawae fits in their battles that took place from 2001-2005. And ahead of his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Mawae took a moment to open up on the feelings he had towards Seymour as a player.
"I hated him," Mawae said of playing against Seymour to NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran. "I told him last year during the Super Bowl week when he was a finalist that he was the one guy I hated playing against. He was a great competitor and he'll probably join us one day. I hated him. I just loathed him as a player."
And Mawae's vendetta against Seymour wasn't just about him being a member of the Patriots. It was personal.
"Forget about the Patriots," Mawae said. "I hated him, the way he played the game. I think that out of everybody that I've ever played with and against, he's the one that probably -- we needled each other back and forth. And it never stopped."
And one of the forms of "needling" that Mawae discussed involved Seymour's penchant for following opponents back to their huddle, and getting in a couple of cheap shots along the way.
"He had a habit of as you walked back to the huddle, he'd walk right behind you and just keep kicking you in the calves," Mawae said. "And it's like, you wanted to turn around and punch him. That's what he wanted you to do though, so you kinda had to grin and bear it and bite down on your lip so you don't retaliate. Because that was what he was trying to get you to do."
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This seems to fit Seymour's M.O. as a tenacious, tough player who was able to get into his opponent's head. That's part of the reason that he was able to become such a dominant, all-around defensive lineman who racked up 57.5 sacks during his 12-year NFL career.
And as Mawae has distanced himself from his playing career, he has been able to appreciate Seymour's abilities a bit more.
"He was a phenomenal player," Mawae said of Seymour. "He'd play every defensive position along the front. He'd play defensive end, outside linebacker in a 3-4 front. He was a very good player from the very beginning."
Perhaps Seymour, who was a Hall of Fame finalist this past February, will have a bust next to Mawae at some point in the near future. But for now, he'll have to be happy knowing the impact that he had on an all-time great during his playing days.
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