Mike Patterson signs with the New York Giants

According to Mike Garafolo of USA Today, long-time Eagles defensive tackle, Mike Patterson, has signed with the team's NFC East rival, the New York Giants. Patterson was released by the team earlier in the offseason, following 8 years in Philadelphia. He was the longest-tenured player on the team at the time of his release, having been drafted in the 1st round out of USC in 2005 (Trent Cole and Todd Herremans were both selected later in that same draft).

While Patterson is the third member of the team to join another NFC East squad (he joins Cullen Jenkins in New York and Darryl Tapp signed with the Redskins last weekend), this one is likely to bother fans much more than other two transactions. Patterson was a staple of the post-Super Bowl Andy Reid-era and was a full-time starter until he underwent surgery on his brain prior to this past season.

For the Giants, Patterson will likely be a rotational player. Over his career, he has amassed 16.5 sacks and 4 force fumbles. He is a very good player against the run. Patterson only appeared in 5 games this past season and had just one sack.

So what are your thoughts about Patterson staying within the division? Do you think things would have gone differently if Andy stayed?