Nothing lasts forever. And that adage is no more appropriate than the NFL, where you can be a star one day, and a has-been the next. Just ask the former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, who was released yesterday. How the mighty really have fallen. Alexander is a three-time Pro Bowler, and won the NFL MVP award in 2005, when he set a league record for TDs in a season with 27 to go with 1,880 yards rushing. So good and so confident were the Seahawks with his 2005 season that they rewarded him with a huge $60+ million contract in March 2006. In retrospect, a mistake. So, he’s only two seasons removed from one of the most impressive seasons for any player, and he’s now unemployed. That is amazing.
True, Alexander began to get injured. And he seemed to be slowing down. He was never really that fast anyway, as he was more of a shifty runner who excelled by making his little hesitation move to set up his blockers and then find a hole. Well, the last two years and last year especially, Alexander began getting slowed by those injuries and the holes that appeared for him so readily before started to close. Poor performances then ensued. Then the boos rained down from disgruntled Seattle fans.
I wouldn’t call what the Seahawks are doing by going to a committee of Maurice Morris, Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett the answer to the Seahawks’ rushing problems, but it seems the trend these days is to go with a committee of backs. Let competition drive these guys to perform their best.
Will Alexander play elsewhere? Most likely. He’s already attracting interest from some teams, including the Colts and Patriots. Not bad, considering these are good teams and we now know Alexander will only excel if he’s in a good offensive situation. He’s also 30, an age when most RB’s begin their decline. Given his penchant for injury the last few years, he’s not the kind of guy to carry the load for a team’s rushing attack. However, it’s unlikely the Colts (*Joseph Addai*) or the Patriots (*Laurence Maroney*) will need Alexander to handle more than 10-15 carries a game.
It’s definitely a new world in the NFL. The Seahawks’ President admitted as much: “It shows you how ever-changing it is, how tough this game is, and you can’t play forever,” Tim Ruskell said of cutting Alexander.
Loyalty and big contracts mean nothing nowadays. Shaun Alexander is a stark example of that. And he won’t be the last player to be cut in similar fashion.
re: I hope the Pats don’t sign him. That makes Maroney look even worse as a keeper in my fantasy league.
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LB23
maroney he’s one of the most frustrating guys to follow in the NFL. You know he’s got the talent. Sometimes he shows up, sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes the Pats don’t give him a lot of touches.
- Freddie Footballer
re: Ya Maroney’s pretty much hit or miss. Doesn’t help that he only gets a chance to hit or miss about 8 games a year when the Pats aren’t pass happy.
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LB23
NE makes sense if he goes there expect Alexander to be a solid RB for them and possibly a good value fantasy pick. Alexander is still adept at getting into the paint in goal line situations, something Maroney still needs to work on. I see Maroney as the “between the 20’s” RB and Alexander getting the nod in the redzone. -bB
Alexander – Dillon like? It’s almost like he would fill the position that Dillon played with the team. If they sign him, anyone who’s hoping Maroney will the sole guy will be sorely disappointed.
- Freddie Footballer