Alexander the Great? Insiders say unemployed ex-MVP done at 30

That's fine, except when Seattle went to Super Bowl XL it was on the back of Alexander. He carried the team to the championship game with one of the best seasons of anyone anywhere -- scoring an NFL-record 28 times (since broken by LaDainian Tomlinson) and rushing for a career-best 1,880 yards.

And it's not as if that were an aberration.

Alexander had been remarkably consistent up to that point, averaging 1,400 yards rushing and 17.5 scores in each of the previous four years. People kept saying he was "soft," but Alexander kept producing. More important, he never missed a game.

But that stopped in 2006 when he was sidelined six starts with a broken foot. Then he missed three games last season with a broken wrist. Now he's out of work.

"There's just too much wear and tear on the guy," said an AFC personnel director. "He doesn't have the suddenness or quickness he once had. He doesn't have the speed, either. He's no longer a reliable player, which means I'm not interested in him."

He's not alone. I couldn't find an Alexander fan out there, although several general managers conceded that someone probably will take a flyer on the guy -- convinced he can help them as a spare part.

"I don't see why," said an NFC head coach. "He doesn't have the speed to help you as far as third downs are concerned, and he's not a physical player. So he's not going to help you between the tackles.

"At this stage of his career he might've been able to do for Seattle what Jerome Bettis did for Pittsburgh, but he's not the big, strong back Bettis was. So, honestly, I don't see him filling a role as a backup."

But he's not filling any role. And that's hardly what you'd expect from someone who was the league's MVP only three years ago.

"It's a story that's been told a million times," said an AFC defensive coordinator. "The wear and tear on running backs is so quick that the margin is really thin.

"You know how coaches talk about 'a wall?' Well, 'the wall' for running backs is quick. It's much slower for a quarterback or offensive line, where they don't look quite the same from one year to the next. But for a running back you can see it happen almost overnight."

Look no farther than Tennessee's Eddie George. One year he's running for 12 touchdowns and 1,165 yards. Three years later he's out of football.

Dallas tried to use him as a part-time back in 2004, but the move failed -- with George rushing for a career-low 432 yards and four TDs. A year later he was gone. "He wanted to be paid like an elite back," said one AFC assistant, "but he was more of an over-the-hill guy at the end of his career. It's tough when you go home and see that MVP trophy because you want to be paid like an MVP.

"And maybe that's what's happening to Shaun Alexander. Teams out there aren't willing to make a commitment to a long-term contract because of his injuries and wear on the tires. It's a bitter pill to swallow when you're making $6 million, then, all of a sudden, your agent tells you you're looking at a one-year deal worth $750,000."

At this point, I don't know how Alexander sees his life or his career evolving, and I don't know what he wants out of his next contract -- if, in fact, he gets a new contract. Steiner seemed to indicate somebody somewhere was interested in hiring him, but that's not the point.

It's been too quiet for too long for someone of Alexander's stature.

"I just think he doesn't want to play," said one league scout. "I think he has a number (for a contract) in mind, and no one is willing to pay that number. If you ask me, money's probably an issue. I don't know that he wants to make that commitment to football any more."

Maybe. But you'd think someone would try to find out.