Shaun Alexander: The Fall of an MVP

He has scored 112 touchdowns, good for 13th on the all time touchdown list. He has racked up 9,429 yards, leaving him 571 yards short of the sacred 10,000 yards.

He has the second MVP award in Seattle sports history, and was beloved for leading the Seahawks to their first super bowl appearance in franchise history.

Now, he is unemployed, and still seeking a team to give him a chance.

Shaun Alexander is arguably the best running back in Seahawks history. The 19th overall pick in 2000 had a nose for the end zone, scoring a then record 28 in 2005.

He is also the only player in NFL history to score more than 15 touchdowns in five consecutive seasons.

He finally broke through in the playoffs in 2005, racking up a franchise record 134 yards and two touchdowns in a rout of the Carolina Panthers.

He won the rushing title once in 2005 and came in second in 2002 and 2004, one yard behind New York Jets running back Curtis Martin in the ’04 campaign.

With all these accolades, you would think that teams thin at running back would be calling him constantly.

However, in Alexander’s case, teams continue to pass on the former MVP. Alexander’s spiral started at the beginning of the 2006 season. 

After signing an eight-year contract worth $62 million, Alexander struggled out of the gate.

He rushed for 187 yards in the first three games of the season, but was then sidelined with a broken foot—an injury he suffered in the season opener against Detroit.

He came back Week 11 against San Francisco. The following week, he ran for 201 yards on Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers. 

Then, against the San Diego Chargers, he ran for 140 yards on Christmas Eve, which would be his last gift to Seahawks fans.

The following season, he rushed for only 716 yards in 13 games. He was then released by the Seahawks following the signings of T.J. Duckett and Julius Jones.

After a brief four game stint with the Washington Redskins in 2008, Alexander continues to look for another team to give him a chance.

In a recent interview with KNBR in the Bay Area on May 11, Alexander explained how he felt about the situation in Seattle.

“I came back and played in November and December, in seven games I had 700 yards rushing, it’s not like that’s a bad season, and football has its bumps and bruises. I think that my 2006 season was a good season if you take it for what it was.”

“Sometimes, unfortunately, I was only compared to myself.  It’s like you’re not doing the same things and they are like ‘were getting rid of you’ and it’s like ‘ok, well who are you going to bring in to replace me?”

“Of course it is a business and Seattle was upfront with me and Ruskell did what he felt was best for the team, but Duckett and Jones did what they did and I don’t think they had combined the yards I had with a broken hand and a buckled knee.”

“If you compare me to me, I wasn’t the same. But if you compare me to them, you probably would have stuck with me if you had thought about it.”

Alexander was close, but unfortunately wrong. In his 2007 season, Alexander had 716 yards and four touchdowns. Duckett and Jones combined had 870 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Alexander didn’t seem resentful of Seattle, and laughed a lot during the interview.

In the end, Seattle needed a change of scenery. Letting go of Alexander was the first step to helping heal the anemic rushing offense. Still, Alexander’s story remains a bad taste in many Seattle fans mouth.

He was one of the best running backs in football during his prime. Now, he is just another running back seeking to make a comeback, one he hopes doesn’t lead to the unemployment line again.