Shaun Alexander: Seahawks tell him to walk
Shaun Alexander was given his release today, after 8 years in Seattle. The writing had been on the wall for some time, as the Seahawks went out and signed not one, but two free agent runners this offseason: T.J. Duckett and Julius Jones. Alexander has been synonymous with the Seahawks under Mike Holmgren’s tenure.
Over a 5-year period (2001-2005), Alexander enjoyed one of the most dominant statistical runs in NFL history:
- 1,653 rushes
- 7,504 rushing yards
- 4.54 YPR
- 87 rush TDs
- 183 receptions
- 1,346 receiving yards
- 11 receiving TDs
- 1,473 fantasy points
- 3 Pro Bowls
- 1 All Pro
- 1 NFL MVP
Unfortunately things haven’t been the same since Alexander’s MVP season. Over the last two years, he’s missed 9 regular season games, averaged just 3.6 yards per rush (after never falling below 4.0 in any season prior to 2006), and failed to break the 1,000-yard mark.
So what now? Alexander has expressed an eagerness to test the free agent market for the first time in his career; and there’s little question he’ll have suitors. With the NFL draft looming, expect teams to consider Alexander after they see how their drafts unfold this weekend.
Assessing his options:
- Sign with a contender
- Sign with a team desperate for RB help
- Find a team that fits both criteria
Is Alexander willing to take a backseat or, at the very least, accept a role as part of a committee? Are there any teams that could be considered a) contenders AND b) could possibly use Alexander as their main runner? Let’s take a look at all the teams that finished 0.500 or better in 2007 as a starting point:
- New England Patriots (16-0) — L. Maroney
- Dallas Cowboys (13-3) — M. Barber
- Green Bay Packers (13-3) — R. Grant
- Indianapolis Colts (13-3) — J. Addai
- Jacksonville Jaguars (11-5) — F. Taylor & M. Jones-Drew
- San Diego Chargers (11-5) — L. Tomlinson
- Cleveland Browns (10-6) — J. Lewis
- New York Giants (10-6) — B. Jacobs
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) — W. Parker
- Seattle Seahawks (10-6) — Not applicable for obvious reasons
- Tennessee Titans (10-6) — L. White
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) — E. Graham & W. Dunn
- Washington Redskins (9-7) — C. Portis
- Arizona Cardinals (8-8) — E. James
- Houston Texans (8-8) — A. Green & C. Brown
- Minnesota Vikings (8-8) — C. Taylor & A. Peterson
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-8) — B. Westbrook
Realistically, there are three teams out of this group where Alexander could be the main ball-carrier without upsetting the apple cart too much. Of course, in the NFL where parity abounds, there are a number of teams with losing records last year that could contend this season; particularly if they had a better ground game. Here are the bottom ten teams last year in rushing yards:
- Kansas City Chiefs (32nd) – Larry Johnson is under contract, was hurt last year
- Detroit Lions (31st) – Definitely in the market for a RB; will they draft one?
- Chicago Bears (30th) — Benson isn’t guaranteed anything
- Arizona Cardinals (29th) – James is under contract, would Alexander be any better?
- New Orleans Saints (28th) — Bush is there, and McAllister says he’ll be back this season
- San Francisco 49ers (27th) – Frank Gore should be healthy
- Atlanta Falcons (26th) — Signed Michael Turner to a monster deal
- St. Louis Rams (25th) – Steven Jackson is healthy
- Cincinnati Bengals (24th) — Need a runner, unless Rudi Johnson finds a fountain of youth
OK, so where does that leave us? Alexander is very likely going to have to accept a committee situation unless Chicago, Cincinnati or Detroit are willing to commit to him.
Where do YOU think Alexander will land?
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