As much as I hate to put this in writing as I've been a big SA supporter over the years (He's like that frustrating kid we all know that you want to be mad at but just can't), I have now officially reached the point where I am not at all unhappy about the possibility of him not playing.

Seattle needs to find a long term replacement and move on.

The offence just seems to be playing better since he was taken out.

Well I for one agree the offense is doign well, however we do not know how this pass first offense will work with Sa. Make between 01-03 when we ran it SA avg 1300 rushing yards, another 366 recieving and 17 tds. So he cans run it but not until he is healthy. I for one want to see him operate in this offense healthy. I feel that he would do fine as history proves.

Lets not make is sound like the offense working is all becasue of Sa not being in there. We have made a fundamental change in offensive philosphy, that we have not see sa in since 03.

After seeing Brown bring down Devin Hester I have to believe Ruskell made a mental decision to sign Brown to whatever number he wants. The guy is one of the most reliable and consistant kickers in the NFL, he anchors the special teams and over the last few seasons has become a HUGE fan favorite. Plus if we can make Alexander the highest paid cheerleader in NFL history then we can make Brown the highest paid kicker.

I don't think Ruskell will sign a kicker for his tackling ability. Perhaps Josh made amends though for the FG miss he had earlier in the game? That is a kick he needs to make. The tackle? Great stuff, but not the sort of thing that would force me to sign a guy.

What concerns me more is the RB position. If Mo gets dinged, then we have nobody else to carry the pill. Weaver is not the answer at RB and the other guys...no way. They may be able to block.... we need another RB who can be relied upon. Who knows that Holmgren's plan really is? Obviously something is going on that we are not privy to.
Is it just me or does Shaun not heal quickly. perhaps he needs more milk in his diet.

Matt being so banged up also concerns me. Will it just get worse as the season progresses? That many passing attempts will expose him to more injuries. There is no bye week in sight. Its not good when you have to move through a week or practice w/out your QB starter. What are the odds that Seneca is starting on Sunday? Yikes.

I wouldn't worry too much about RB depth. There are some serviceable backs on the waivers should Mo hit IR.

The only way I could see SA getting any more carries as a Seahawk, (and really that means this year as it is highly unlikely he will play for the Hawks or any other team after this season) is if he's totally fine and at peace with playing second string to Mo and realizes that the offensive philosophy is one of 85% to 15% pass to rush percentage.

The idea of Shuan getting any carries because of an idea that, "well Shaun is highly paid and we need to somehow justify his expense" is strait up maddening. Look, we foolishly re-signed him in '06 (some of us knew it was foolish at the time) and now we just have to eat the contract, but lets not hurt the teams chances of success by actually giving him a meaningful role in the offense.

I refer you to Mo Morris and his 4.8 yards a carry one TD performance yesterday which included catches and blocks.

Star4343, I'm afraid we do know that the pass first offense won't work with Shaun, because 1) he can't or won't reliably block, and 2) he can't reliably catch, with or without the cast.

So even if he runs like he used to, and that's a big if, that won't help in these other two areas.

Having lived in Oregon for 20 years and seeing Mo play college, I'm thrilled to see him doing so well in the Hawks offense. The more carries he gets, the better. I also love seeing him catch the ball out of the backfield. This time for him will only improve his skills as an NFL back.

That said, let's wait and see how Shaun does once the cast is off and he is healthy. This is a former MVP who had a lot of success in the past. He isn't past his prime.

I guess if George W Bush has an approval rating of anything over zero percent, I probably shouldn't be surprised that there are morons out there that still defend the indefensible Shaun Alexander. Some of you people are just plain dumb. Simple as that. Donate your eyeballs to science or something useful like that because you're not using them.

Well this dumb moron still supports SA.

GEORGE Z BUSH 2016

I think the biggest problem with SA this year is the cast. Last year he came of the ankle injury and tore off 200 yards against Denver then came up big against Chicago in the playoffs. I just hope he doesn't listen to Seattle fans and decide to hang it up early. That would be a loss for the Hawks. Can anybody really see Mo's as feature back? Damn good thing Ruskell picked up a couple of solid WR's/TE's and got rid of the crappy ones, you know who you are.

"I guess if George W Bush has an approval rating of anything over zero percent, I probably shouldn't be surprised that there are morons out there that still defend the indefensible Shaun Alexander. Some of you people are just plain dumb. Simple as that. Donate your eyeballs to science or something useful like that because you're not using them."

Man you've been hanging around those fantasy leagues too long. Yes I understand Peyton should be our QB, LT our RB, Wayne and chad johnson our WR but I am more grounded than you. SA is a good back and Mo's a good backup plain and simple. Crying about our situation and offering no solution does not help.

1360

400

for those of you that don't know what those numbers mean, if morris averaged just 85 ypg rushing, 25 ypg receiving those are his numbers for the year 1760 combined not bad. so enough about him not being able to be the answer. this team needs a hard running north south runner, he fits that bill perfectly. the o-line needs a back to believe in that will make the most of what they give him. as they get more comfortable with each other his numbers will go up. remember this is now a pass first team now which means the run will be less expected. like with the bears they play the pass we run, run pass. the great thing about mo and weaver in the backfeild is you can run a pro set with both going out into the flat on oposite sides, brutal combo.

and if morris had shaun's carries with his average he would be right at 910 yards foe the year

I wonder if it is possible that with all the criticism leveled at Shaun he might actually come back and really bust ass. I have dogged him for 2 years now, but since everyone does it and he's obviously noticed, perhaps he will actually just turn it up and run like he's in a contact year. Part of me wants to believe that its still inside him.

When your offensive line can't get a third of a yard on two consecutive running downs, maybe it's time we stopped hanging the run all against Alexander.

DarthKripple, Alexander is the highest paid cheerleader in the league. We are a better team with him out. He is too one dimensional. He can't catch or block as well as MoMo or Weaver.

That being said the line is mediocre.. as you pointed out we cant get third and a yard on two consecutive running downs.

There is two issues here that need addressed this offseason.

I say they may as well take the cast off and see how he does in a diminished role, maybe use him as the goal line and late game/lead holding back. If his hand falls off or his knee explodes so be it, because as much as I like and appreciate the guy, it would appear his body is done. Use him where he is effective for as long as you can.

SA will restructure his contract in the offseason or he will be released, those are the only two outcomes.

I don't understand this idea of Shaun trying harder or giving him another chance to see what he can do, etc.

I, unlike most, think he does try his hardest and leaves everything on the field. It's not a matter of heart or effort, it's a matter of age and diminished skills on a back who never really had heaps of ability to start with.

Shaun is not fast or quick, lets not debate whether he once was or not, currently he is not and the removal of a cast or six weeks of rest will not change this fact.

Deniers: Did you actually watch Sundays game? There's a huge difference between Mo and Shaun. Also, I believe the whole offense, in particular Matt Hasselbeck prefers Mo for all of the reasons already mentioned but also because with Mo he and Holmgren feel no pressure to have to give a certain amount of carries to Mo. With Shaun, there's been in the past a reluctant acceptance that Shaun has to "get his carries" knowing that it's not best for the team.

At this point i think its safe that Holmgren will do what gives the team the best chance to win. He aint the Gm, SA is under contract and gets his checks and so that's okay, and holmy probably won't be the coach next year so he wants to win and that's just how it is. If Shaun does what he is expected to do then Holmy will play him, very simple. If he doesn't, then Holmy will play Maurice and Leonard.

The team has a vision and hopefully Shaun will be a part of it because he's an awfully talented football player.

Papa - I hope your first line is correct.

As for the second line, I couldn't disagree more. At best, he was a talented player. His continued play on this team only hurts us; the team is less than with him in there.

And this vision the team has, if that includes an abundance of 3rd and 8 situations and 3rd and 1's not converted, I would hope it gets new visionaries.

hawkdawg .. and yet the factsd show i am right sorry, The only problem is Sa is injuries period. I can guarrentee as MH said once healthy S awill be back adn will be getting his touches adn his chance to prove he has iit or not and if he proves he does then you can all wait until he gets hurt again to complain adn prove how muc of a fareweather fans seattle has.

I'm sorry, I'm not the hugest Shaun fan, but have people already forgotten what happened the last time Mo was the featured back for more than a few games? He wore down. He's a relatively small guy, as running backs go, and while he definitely throws his body in there (and I'm glad he does) there's no way he can play a whole season at a high level.

I like what we have. Shaun will heal up and be effective again later in the season. Mo is doing a great job. Weaver is getting VALUABLE experience and seems to get better every game.

Kind of nice that we can expect our RB position to improve over the course of the rest of the season, as opposed to most teams where guys get worn down. Our best RB is on the bench!

One thing everyone seems to forget is that Weaver is more an enourmous half-back than a full-back. The guy really can run, he has moves and can jump--he just runs with a little too much forward lean, kinda like Christian Okoye. Weaver would make a fine half-back, and maybe, if Holmgren wasnt so hesitant to use unproven players, we would get a chance to see what he can do in the regular season...last year in the preseason Weaver looked like a monster.

I guarantee that if we let SA go, we will regret it. The guy still has talent, even if he has lost a little speed. He still has moves, but he's too injured to play well right now. Mo will get injured too, if we try and use him the way we used SA early this year. Because folks, our line still cant run block worth a damn.

Eventually this pass-first thing will fizzle--the hawks will face a team that can rush the passer without blitzing, and the train will be off the rails. When that happens, we better hope SA is healthy and the line can learn how to runblock. Untill then, Im gonna enjoy the aerial assault, and see if we can get Engram a 1000 yard season.

Dont worry, the more this pass-happy offense works, the less likely Holmgren will be to send the offense back to a 50-50 pass run ratio with SA. You watch, Holmgren will figure out what to do with SA, it will be ok.

"Lets not make is sound like the offense working is all becasue of Sa not being in there."

Why not? It is working better without that dead weight being in.

nighthawk2.. Becasue to say what you ar saying is just ignorant. Beside Sa sitting, they totaly changed the offense, got back 2 hurt WR adn added plays. SO you can try all you want to blame it all on Sa but only a ignorant hater foll woudl do that. And that is not menioting the fact that Sa is nto in their becuas ehe is inujured and has ben seince week 1. SO like I said all saying that does is prove you are a hater adn a fairly ignorant fan.