Uhh... Since when?

[Itsmytime]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/ex-seahawk-shaun-alexander-to-marshawn-lynch--don-t-change-your-style-135202995.html

Since when was Alexander EVER what we would call physical running back?

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Alexander was absolutely not a physical style runner.... Not even close.. He had his own system of lowering his shoulder and getting low and just going down and accepting the yards that were given...He rarely fought threw tackles ... He was good at his style and it worked for years but he was not physical like Lynch not even close...

 

[Warden]

Unless Alexander was near the goal line, he was as soft as one could be

 

[Itsmytime]

So yeah whomever wrote this article didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

 

[Anointed One]

That year he led the league in rushing/TD's, he was 21st in the league in yac...

Walter Jones:

"I think anyone could have done what Shaun Alexander did behind our OL. All he had to do was make a linebacker or safety miss. I would have loved to block for Lynch"

 

[Wedgie]

Without Hutch, Alexander seemed pretty average.

 

[blstoker]

I have never understood Seahawk fans' ire at Alexander. It just doesn't make any sense. Now no other franchise would look at a RB as productive as Alexander and be anything but grateful (except Buffalo with Simpson, but that's for major non-football reasons). Not many teams can claim to have a RB that ran for nearly 9500 yards (almost 11000 total from scrimmage) with 100 TDs (112 total) in just 8 years, one of which was as a back up.

Also, in 2005, Alexander was "stuffed" behind the line of scrimmage the second most times of his career (41; he had 42 in 2001) for the most yards (100). So, 11% of his carries that year ended with him tackled behind the line, which was just about his career average (11.8%), That same line allowed Maurice Morris to be tackled behind the line on nearly 23% of his carries.

Alexander may have not been the same style of runner as Lynch, but he averaged over 100 yards from scrimmage and a over a TD a game in his time here as the Seahawks starter. I'm not sure how much more can be asked of the performance he gave this team.

 

[gohusk]

I have never understood Seahawk fans' ire at Alexander. It just doesn't make any sense. Now no other franchise would look at a RB as productive as Alexander and be anything but grateful (except Buffalo with Simpson, but that's for major non-football reasons). Not many teams can claim to have a RB that ran for nearly 9500 yards (almost 11000 total from scrimmage) with 100 TDs (112 total) in just 8 years, one of which was as a back up.

Also, in 2005, Alexander was "stuffed" behind the line of scrimmage the second most times of his career (41; he had 42 in 2001) for the most yards (100). So, 11% of his carries that year ended with him tackled behind the line, which was just about his career average (11.8%), That same line allowed Maurice Morris to be tackled behind the line on nearly 23% of his carries.

Alexander may have not been the same style of runner as Lynch, but he averaged over 100 yards from scrimmage and a over a TD a game in his time here as the Seahawks starter. I'm not sure how much more can be asked of the performance he gave this team.

You're honestly bringing the offensive line up? He had Jones and Hutch clearing holes for him. It's kind of sad that he did get stuffed as much as he did. He deserves credit for the job he did but let's not pretend that just about every other RB in the league was drooling over the o-line he had to work with.

 

[blstoker]

You're honestly bringing the offensive line up? He had Jones and Hutch clearing holes for him. It's kind of sad that he did get stuffed as much as he did. He deserves credit for the job he did but let's not pretend that just about every other RB in the league was drooling over the o-line he had to work with.

So, Emmitt Smith wasn't very good cause he also had Hallers and All Pros blocking for him?

I didn't bring the line up, Jones did. I love Walter Jones, but he doesn't have 1 All Pro selection when Alexander isn't the starting running back behind him. Hutchinson got all 5 of his with Alexander and Adrian Peterson running behind him.

Running backs make lines look good just like lines make running backs look good (and they can make each other look bad too).

 

[dude82]

I think, for the most part, it's Alexander's personality that put people off towards him. His "I got stabbed in the back" comment made him look like a selfish douche at a time when the team was enjoying its most success in about two decades. He never really lived that down despite trying to apologize and explain what he meant. He was never a bruising runner, but he took hit-avoidance to a whole new level in his last couple of years here, especially after getting hurt, which only cemented that selfish douche rep. Based on that quote from Jones, you get the sense that at least some of his teammates felt the same way about him. He deserves HOF consideration for the numbers he put up and the records that he set (later eclipsed by Tomlinson), but I think his reputation in Seattle is permanently in the ditch.

 

[blstoker]

His "I got stabbed in the back" comment made him look like a selfish douche at a time when the team was enjoying its most success in about two decades.

It was a stupid thing to say, and he should have kept that emotion inside (but we all have seen players lose their emotions in good and bad ways with the press).

From most of the observations I've made, people tend to blame Alexander's contract for Hutchinson leaving. Those same fans point to Hutchinson leaving as the reason the team took a fall from the top of the NFC West (even though the Hawks won 19 games over the next 2 seasons). It just appears that Seahawks fans blame Alexander for the losing seasons of 2008 & 2009 (and to a lesser extent, 2010 & 11) that took Seattle out of the playoffs.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

I have never understood Seahawk fans' ire at Alexander. It just doesn't make any sense. Now no other franchise would look at a RB as productive as Alexander and be anything but grateful (except Buffalo with Simpson, but that's for major non-football reasons). Not many teams can claim to have a RB that ran for nearly 9500 yards (almost 11000 total from scrimmage) with 100 TDs (112 total) in just 8 years, one of which was as a back up.

Also, in 2005, Alexander was "stuffed" behind the line of scrimmage the second most times of his career (41; he had 42 in 2001) for the most yards (100). So, 11% of his carries that year ended with him tackled behind the line, which was just about his career average (11.8%), That same line allowed Maurice Morris to be tackled behind the line on nearly 23% of his carries.

Alexander may have not been the same style of runner as Lynch, but he averaged over 100 yards from scrimmage and a over a TD a game in his time here as the Seahawks starter. I'm not sure how much more can be asked of the performance he gave this team.

Alexander was great for that 5 year stretch, but after Hutch left it seemed like he'd go down if the wind happened to be blowing the wrong way. I have nothing against the guy, but I think the way his production dropped off a cliff after that Super Bowl appearance left a bad taste in a lot people's mouths.

 

[blstoker]

Alexander was great for that 5 year stretch, but after Hutch left it seemed like he'd go down if the wind happened to be blowing the wrong way. I have nothing against the guy, but I think the way his production dropped off a cliff after that Super Bowl appearance left a bad taste in a lot people's mouths.

I understand that, but his production was also hampered by a series of injuries that really left him in a difficult position. Bruised foot, that eventually became a broken foot, broken wrist, sprains to both knees and ankles and maybe more, but I can't remember.

I'm not saying the guy was perfect, but he he was the greatest RB the Seahawks have ever had, even with the lower production of the last 2 seasons. Besides, I just don't quite get why injury ridden 2006 & 2007 seasons override what he did from 2001-'05.

 

[BSUSeahawk]

Walter's comments pretty much tell the story.

That being said, even though he had an incredible O-line, it fit his game perfectly. He had incredible vision and had that one great cut move. But that was also his biggest problem -- his game didn't translate to a subpar O-line because he couldn't really fight through contact.

 

[chf]

I never got the antipathy towards Alexander. We'd seen that style before in Seattle before, with Chris Warren too.


And sure, a talented back would have been good running behind that line, but let's not pretend you could put any stiff back there. Alexander had some pretty jaw dropping games. That big night against the Vikings will always stick with me.


What I understood even less was people grumbling about them paying him that last contract.


Of course Holmgren and the organization were trying to change the Alaska south mindset, make Seattle into a destination; which of course we now all take for granted.


Seattle used to be Siberia.

 

[Labgrownmangoat]

He was solid in Seattle. He was the tiptoe burglar in DC.