Oldskool Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Shaun Alexander: "Sometimes, unfortunately, I was only compared to myself." Posted by Danny O'Neil Shaun Alexander ran his way to national prominence as a member of the Seattle Seahawks so while he's one year and a team removed from his time here, some people around the country are still trying to figure out just what happened. Well, at least Tom Tolbert is. Tolbert is a former NBA player whose haircut resembled an enraged bobcat while he was in the league. Now, he's a shaved-head radio host with KNBR in the Bay Area and on May 11, Tolbert and Ralph Barbieri interviewed Alexander after he was visiting a group of youth football players in Saratoga. Alexander was released by Seattle in 2007. "Sometimes, unfortunately, I was only compared to myself, you know what I mean?" Alexander said. "So it's like, 'Oh, you're not doing the same thing, we're getting rid of you.' So it's like, 'OK, who are you going to bring in to replace [me]?' " The answer was Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett, and Alexander compares himself to them with those rose-colored glasses that always made Alexander's self-image a little more flowery than reality. So here's what Alexander said next: "I don't even think they had combined the yards I had with a broken hand, a buckled knee, you know?" Here's reality: In Alexander's final season in Seattle, he played 13 games, gained 716 yards on 206 carries (3.5) and scored four touchdowns. Last year, Duckett and Jones combined for 870 yards on 220 carries (4.0) and totaled 10 touchdowns. Here's Alexander again: "At the end of the day, you're like, 'OK, well, if you're comparing me to me, I wasn't the same, but if you compare me to them, you probably would have stuck with me if you would have thought about it.' " And once again, reality intrudes: The Seahawks appear to believe Jones and Duckett are the twin pistons of a more powerful running game because the biggest change they made to the running game this offseason was to watch Maurice Morris walk on out the door so he can run for Detroit. Alexander is not on a roster, but he is not retired, either. He said he is working with new trainers in New Jersey and hopes that something might pan out with Washington, where he played four games last season. "I think that if a team gave me a shot, I think that they would be so pleased with what they got," Alexander said. "They would feel like they got a ticket to have somebody that could play really, really well for nothing. I think that would shock a lot of people." For the rest of the article, see http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawksblog/2009220582_shaun_alexander_15.html?syndication=rss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKM311 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 The last sentence in the post tells a lot. He is willing to take close to vet min and play. He is deserving of that, but nothing else. BTW...I hope the Skins do not bring him in as Portis/Betts are experienced enough, that we need young blood in the rotation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyConway Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 You have to appreciate his determination but IMO Mason > Alexander. In fact Mason > Betts/Cartwright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Alexander is done. He is a 230 pound back that does not run with power and has slowed down noticeably from his peak years. If he were stronger at the point of attack he might be a Gerald Riggs-type short yardage and goal line back, but that was never his game in the NFL. The Redskins don't need Alexander. If anything the Redskins need a YOUNGER and FASTER back to complement Portis and Betts, a playmaker who can get outside. That's not Alexander. I think Zorn did Alexander a favor in 2008 by letting him 'audition' for the NFL with the Skins in mid-season but I didn't see any interest in bringing him back in 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooooley47 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 That is interesting. I hope we never have to revert back to him being on the roster, but more power to him for not giving up. If he really wants it bad enough, he could prove to be valuable to some team out there. I just hope its not the Skins. I was never really impressed with him. He was running behind one hell of an O-line in Seattle during his prime. I always thought of him as being soft, and I dont think I am the only one who thought that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKINchiefer Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 You have to appreciate his determination but IMO Mason > Alexander. In fact Mason > Betts/Cartwright. Why can't SOME other fans see this? They need to get past all the man-crush bulls*i*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soup Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 well he can hope in one hand and (Bad Word) in the other and see which one fills up first. Edge is still out there right? I'd rather give Edge a shot than Alexander. What does deion Sanders call alexander; the tippy toe...something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKM311 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Why can't SOME other fans see this? They need to get past all the man-crush bulls*i*. Because Mason would only be > Cartwright if he had proven himself in STs. He has not, therefore he does not earn a roster spot. It is the exact reason why Leon Washington got his extension. He does both. Mason does not. So with Betts (Better RB) and Cartwright (Better ST player), Mason is expendible. If people want Mason to make the team, they need to start rooting for him excelling at ST rather than RB, because only then does he make this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_Pressure Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Runningbacks are a dime a dozen. They really are. We could draft anybody, put them in and get over 1,000 yards out of them. You take a football, you run towards a hole. Some are average, some are good, some are great, but anybody can run. Fresh legs > Old legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexxskins Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 I can't stand watching a RB with good size tip toe to and through the LOS...I just can't stand it. Please retire Shaun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 and people in hell want ice water..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKINchiefer Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Because Mason would only be > Cartwright if he had proven himself in STs. He has not, therefore he does not earn a roster spot. It is the exact reason why Leon Washington got his extension. He does both. Mason does not.So with Betts (Better RB) and Cartwright (Better ST player), Mason is expendible. If people want Mason to make the team, they need to start rooting for him excelling at ST rather than RB, because only then does he make this team. I'm sure he will excel at both and surpass both of them, as long as he doesn't slack and expect a roster spot like I bet he did last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKINchiefer Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 and people in hell want ice water..... and Cerrato wants smaller eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwpanic Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 ...keep hoping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKINchiefer Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 ...keep hoping If anyone, it will at least be Rock. ...just watch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfWashington Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 We're one in 32 teams that have even remote interest in him. He won't be back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knowledge316 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 yeah, i hope he gets another shot, but NOT from us i've seen enough of him and he isn't worth it at all we need to get younger at the RB position, not older Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roanoker Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 He was not that impressive last year. I hope he finds a team, just not the skins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmoskins80 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 at best he would only be brought in like last year as a last resort if someone has an injury he has some opportunities to prove himself, but never managed to get anymore than a few yards per carry, not strong enough or fast enough to be any sort of change of pace back, but if the injury bug hits during the season not a bad option that could be available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinpride1 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I heard rumors that Zorn changed the running scheme to fit him so if true go buzz off Shaun!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MumboSauce Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I was hoping he would have something when we picked him up last season..but I hated how he ran the ball. I wish him the best, he seems like a good guy but I think he's done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkRascadizzle Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 well he can hope in one hand and (Bad Word) in the other and see which one fills up first. Edge is still out there right? I'd rather give Edge a shot than Alexander. What does deion Sanders call alexander; the tippy toe...something tip toe burglar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I hope we dont go with Alexander. Id rather give Aldrige the job and cut/trade Betts. I like Rock and think his production can and does equal that of Betts. CP, Rock and Aldridge this season looks good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselPwr44 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Invite him to camp, let him and Mason take all the snaps in preseason and then cut 'em both before the start of the season. CP and Betts are fresh to start 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissU28 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 they better call shaun...he's so much better than Portis and Betts COMBINED....why the seahawks weren't a dynasty with him I'll never know Bench Portis!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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