The heat we take on our site when we're wrong about something can get pretty hot at times, the venomous e-mails and those nasty comments at the bottom of our columns could eat up lesser men.
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| Shaun Alexander found the end zone 11 times the past two seasons. (Getty Images) |
When I'm right, I liked to pump out the old chest and let out a scream to let you know it. So here goes:
I WAS RIGHT ABOUT SHAUN ALEXANDER.
For the past couple of years, Seattle Seahawks fans have come at me hard, quizzing me on how I could question their starting back, their favorite offensive player.
Now you know why.
The Seahawks released Alexander Tuesday, just two seasons removed from his MVP season in 2005. Seattle gave him a big, fat contract after that season, an eight-year, $62-million contract, and I predicted then he would take the money and not run, which is exactly what he's done.
Alexander ran for 1,880 yards in his MVP season. In the two seasons since, he's rushed for a combined 1,612. He had 27 touchdowns in 2005 and 11 the past two seasons. He did miss time with injuries, being limited to 23 games the past two seasons, and played last season with a bad wrist that required surgery after the season.
If you didn't know any better you'd say he toughed it out. Not this guy. I've always have questioned his toughness. That's where the "Soft Shaun" label came into play. Some of his teammates also privately questioned his toughness.
They also thought he was all about Shaun. One former teammate told me Alexander would brag to him about his high-school exploits.
"I told him we were all pretty good in high school," the former teammate said. "That didn't stop him. He liked talking about himself."
Can you just see him having a room in his house covered by Shaun Alexander Fatheads?
Alexander did have five outstanding seasons, going for at least 1,145 yards from 2001 to 2005. That's production. There's no arguing that, which is maybe why the organization tolerated his distant ways.
