The Curious Case of Shaun Alexander: What Happened to Him?

I sort of remember this guy. He was a running back for some team, somewhere. He was pretty good, I think. He won some sort of award, MVP or something. Yeah, now I remember him. He had 100 rushing touchdowns and almost 10,000 career rushing yards. Three Pro Bowls and the 2005 MVP award. In that same year, he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and racked up a stunning 27 TDs. He had good hands for a power back, too: 1,520 receiving yards for his career that led to his 12 TDs. So how does a guy like this go from top of the sporting world to becoming a free agent doomed to mediocrity? He seemed like he was on the right track to stardom, drafted 19th overall in the 2000 NFL draft. However, playing behind starter Ricky Watters resulted in a subpar rookie season, rushing for 313 yards and a measly two touchdowns. His sophomore season (2001) was a breakout year for the then-23-year-old. Due to Watters' decline in activity and eventual retirement, Alexander played his way to 1,318 rushing ya...