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Thursday, May 16, 2002
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Shaun Alexander |
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ProFootballWeekly.com
asks personnel Editor-in-chief Ron Pollack for his thoughts on the hottest topics in
football.
Seahawks in good hands with Alexander
In yesterday’s spins, we took a look at Ricky Watters’ comment that unless
there’s a big-money deal out there for him, he will most likely retire. We thought
today that spins should take a look at Shaun Alexander, the man who took Watters’ job
in Seattle.
Pollack: Alexander did a spectacular job replacing Ricky Watters last season and making
him essentially irrelevant on the Seahawks. Alexander had a huge year in 2001. The
scouting report on him is that he has great run skills and vision, extremely good balance,
quick feet and a very good burst of speed. Supposedly, his 40 time isn’t the
greatest, but with his burst of speed that makes his 40 time irrelevant.
The biggest negative people seem to say about him is his inability to pick up the
blitz. That’s important because you don’t want to get your quarterback killed,
however, I’m reminded of a comment Jim Brown once made when criticism was voiced
about his lack of blocking. He said "I’m a running back, with the
emphasis on running." Star running backs in the NFL are stars for their ability to
run the ball — it’s important that they block, but first and foremost, they have
to move the chains.
The other question I’ll be curious to see get answered in years to come is how
durable Alexander is. Obviously, last year he carried the load but I want to see how he
holds up when he’s carrying the ball a lot more often. I don’t see a reason why
he should slip at all this year since the talent around him seems better.
Trent Dilfer is an upgrade at quarterback. He’s not a superstar, but he’ll
keep the pressure off Alexander by being dependable. The receiving corps is good. Darrell
Jackson had a strong year last year and I expect Koren Robinson to step up this season and
be much better than he was as a rookie. Jerramy Stevens comes in to improve the team at
tight end, so the skill position talent around Alexander is better than it was around
Watters. I don’t see opposing defenses being able to completely load up to stop
Alexander. |
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