January 23, 2008
The News of the Day
Let's be honest with ourselves, sometimes the big story of the local news cycle isn't related to our relatively quiet political scene. And on a related note, sometimes the most clueless person in Seattle isn't a politician (most Seahawks fans will get the point).
Posted by Eric Earling at January 23, 2008
07:30 AM | Email This
1. I'm glad Mike is coming back for another year and I hope (like probably many others) that Mora is his replacement. Alexander, in my opinion has lost it and will never again be the back he once was. If the 'Hawks go 'all out' and get the most powerful front line they can, Alexander may be somewhat resurrected...but I doubt it. If they do get that class front line and give Hasselbeck more time, tho I think it will really give them a shot. Hopefully the defense can be retained and improved...then look out. I'm hopin!
2. Alexandar may be a great back, but his weakness (pass blocking and catching) will be a big asterisk on his career. With the receiving corps that the Hawks have, I look for Mike to go out in a blaze of offensive glory, most of which doesn't include a running back who can't pass block.
The biggest thing that hurt the Hawks this year was not only their offensive line, but the loss of Mac Strong. Mac could pass block and catch passes.
3. I'm really tired of hearing about how Alexander's failures were the fault of the offensive line. How is it that Mo Morris was able to average 4.5 yards per carry behind that offensive line?
It's time to move on. Give Morris the ball and draft a running back this spring. And don't ever give a mega contract to a running back about to hit 30.
4. Does the fact that he was playing with some kind of 'injury' the whole year mean anything to you. Do you not think they need an improved OL? But I do agree overall on Alex...the 'quickness' in the legs doesn't seem to be there any more?
5. Yeah, I think Alexander is a very classy guy. And he's smart. Once he took that big hit, he's never been the same because he realizes that one more big hit could leave him crippled for the rest of his life. But he should do the right thing and retire instead of dragging down a team that is reluctant to move on to a better back. He still has some good days, but he needs to be like 2004 or 2005 if the Hawks want to be competitive in December.
6. If he wasn't well enough to perform at 100%, he shouldn't have been playing. Period. So I don't excuse his poor performance on a wrist injury. He primarily carried the ball in his other hand anyway, and he has never been much of a pass receiver.
Spending big money on an aging running back is a losing proposition, and the Seahawks have learned an expensive lesson. Could the O-Line improve? Certainly. But if Morris had been given the opportunity to start 16 games last year, he would have easily been a 1,000 yard rusher behind the existing line. The problems on the line are not as dire as the Alexander defenders (what few of them are left) make them out to be.
7. After Hutch was picked at 15 in the draft and the Seahawks were criticized, I thought Spencer at 25 and the top center at that would have been much better. Too many times I saw Spencer in Hoss' face as he was bull rushed into the QB.
8. An injured wrist has nothing to do with dancing around behind the line of scrimmage and then falling down.
I always thought Chris Warren was the softest running back I'd ever watched. No longer.
And I've liked SA from the start. I thought he was a great draft pick and I enjoyed watching him run at Alabama. But he's done.
No restructure. Nothing. Waive him and save what minimal cap space is there.
9. Shawn was a great back until Hutchinson left. Since then the blocking has been weak. Maybe he was appearing better than he was when Hutch was here, or maybe the line is just that much worse now. I'd say improve the line AND draft a back since it seems to take a couple years for a back to get going anyway. By then Shawn will be admitting that he's done.
10. Shawn was a great back until Hutchinson left. Since then the blocking has been weak.
And alot of running backs would have been great behind Jones and Hutch. Great offensive lines have a habit of making average running backs look good.
But somehow, Morris was able to average 4.5 yards per carry behind that weak blocking this season. Why? Because he's a better runner than Shaun now, and more importantly, he runs hard. That's the other argument I've grown tired of in regards to Alexander. The "that's just his running style". What's that? Soft?
If we are paying $62 MILLION for a running back, I don't want one that goes down the moment a defender lays a finger on him. Or one who plays just not to get hurt. I want one that runs with passion and purpose. Just watch every running play that Marion Barber touches the ball and you'll see a running back worth every penny he's getting.
11.
Hopefully Holmgren and Alexander will continue to drive the Seahawks back down to .500 status, where they belong. Then, as during the Dennis Erikson era, I can go to Ticketmaster on Friday and get seat for Sunday's game...no problem.
12. Someone needs to give Shawn the "It's not you, it's us!" speech and send him on his way.
13. Palouse said: "But somehow, Morris was able to average 4.5 yards per carry behind that weak blocking this season."
Granted Morris got more yds/carry. But Alexander was hurt. Carrying the ball in the wrong arm, no ability to stiff-arm a tackler... It did hurt his average, no question. But next fall he should be healthy. Wait till then to make the final call on whether Shawn is washed up. If he runs up to the line and makes a sharp right turn on every play, cut him.
14. Carrying the ball in the wrong arm, no ability to stiff-arm a tackler
He hurt his left wrist. He has always carried the ball in his right arm.
And if you watched him run, stiff arms weren't the problem. Collapsing before getting hit, not hitting the hole, running soft, was.
If he restructures his deal, then they can give him another shot and see if they can get anything out of him. But from his interviews so far, it seems he is unwilling to do that. If that's the case, he should be cut.
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