Does Shaun Alexander deserve to be in the HOF?

[RolandDeschain]

No way should he be inducted. I don't think he should be vilified either.

We should be vilifying the fans who think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, though.

 

[bevellisthedevil]

No way should he be inducted. I don't think he should be vilified either.

We should be vilifying the fans who think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, though.

I am glad people have good memories of him. I remember him as a good back that had huge holes provided to him by very good olineman and a fullback who would make cb's ball up and cry to get him to the second level.

 

[pittpnthrs]

Being soft at the point of contact IS NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back. You dont have to be Campbell or Lynch. You can be cut from the Sanders, LT or Faulk cloth and juke the crap out of guy. (BTW, Lynch could do that too - Google Lynch jukes Ray Lewis - Classic). Shaun got the yards that were on the table when the blocking worked well. Not when it didnt.

You're contradicting yourself with this statement. You're saying being soft at the point of contact is NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back and then proceed to list 3 backs that were. You act like Alexander never juked a defender and just laid down when one appeared and thats nowhere near the truth. Its unreal the disrespect the guy receives around here. It reminds me of a guy on another forum that was saying how Carson was better than Lynch because he is always looking for contact. Its as if he forgot about Lynch totally somehow and thats how It seems with Alexander in this thread. When reading some replies in this thread, one would think that Alexander was nothing more than an average back. Its unreal how quickly some forget.

 

[pittpnthrs]

Davis also has 2 Super Bowl wins and 3 All Pros. And I don't think he deserved to be in it.

NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, 20 rushing TD season and a 2000 yard rushing season. He is a Hall of Fame player. He could have played for 15 more seasons rushing for 0 yards every year and still be a HOF running back, due to his 1996 to 1998 seasons.

SA had an MVP,27 tds,1880 rushing and got hosed in SB-Thats a HOF season too.
Here look at his stats closely and tell me he shouldn't be in.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... exSh00.htm

He shouldn't be in. Its not all about the stats. he wasn't individually HOF great. He has HOF stats because he had a great O-Line opening gashes in defenses for him to chew up yards.

Emmitt Smith should have never made it either right?

 

[PNW]

No way should he be inducted. I don't think he should be vilified either.

We should be vilifying the fans who think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, though.

Vilifying should be on supposed Seahawks fans that actually hate the Seahawks legend and all time best RB they’ve had, he’s definitely future ROH. HOF or not was the question, not do you hate him or not? You all sound like jealous ex-girlfriends, maybe you can all get together and pay for a group therapy session

 

[keasley45]

NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, 20 rushing TD season and a 2000 yard rushing season. He is a Hall of Fame player. He could have played for 15 more seasons rushing for 0 yards every year and still be a HOF running back, due to his 1996 to 1998 seasons.

SA had an MVP,27 tds,1880 rushing and got hosed in SB-Thats a HOF season too.
Here look at his stats closely and tell me he shouldn't be in.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... exSh00.htm

He shouldn't be in. Its not all about the stats. he wasn't individually HOF great. He has HOF stats because he had a great O-Line opening gashes in defenses for him to chew up yards.

Emmitt Smith should have never made it either right?

Umm, Emmitt Smith couldn't be kept out. He broke the all time rushing record. At some point, when you play as long as he did, and for as many yards as he did, that's HOF worthy in itself. And Emmitt was a more talented runner than Shaun. He had speed, he had vision, and he wasnt afraid to take a hit. Making a case for him is easy.

 

[pittpnthrs]

SA had an MVP,27 tds,1880 rushing and got hosed in SB-Thats a HOF season too.
Here look at his stats closely and tell me he shouldn't be in.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... exSh00.htm

He shouldn't be in. Its not all about the stats. he wasn't individually HOF great. He has HOF stats because he had a great O-Line opening gashes in defenses for him to chew up yards.

Emmitt Smith should have never made it either right?

Umm, Emmitt Smith couldn't be kept out. He broke the all time rushing record. At some point, when you play as long as he did, and for as many yards as he did, that's HOF worthy in itself. And Emmitt was a more talented runner than Shaun. He had speed, he had vision, and he wasnt afraid to take a hit. Making a case for him is easy.

More talented? Guess we'll agree to disagree.

Imagine what Alexander could have done behind Smiths line.

 

[John63]

This questions outline the duality and personalization in Seahawks fans.

Some don't care one bit about his stats or facts at all they don't like something about him, so they don't want him in. Forget he was a Seahawk.

Others focus only on the stats and want him in.

I was never a huge Alexander fan, Lynch either for that matter. But taking by dislike of the guy out, the stats and facts support him being in the HOF.

I know some point to the oline, and for half of it they would be right, the left side was great, the right side was bad.

However, another thing some forget is how much better would Alexander be if he had a Wilson in his prime using that read option? Or playing on a team that was focused on the run, unlike the team he was on were Holmgren had to right on his clip board to remember to run.

What for some it boils down to is running style one is a bulldozer the other is a cut back runner. But their style should not determine if they get in or not, there productivity should, and in that there is NO conclusion other than Alexander belongs in. And while I don't like him, he was a Seahawk and as such would like to see him in.

Also, FYi I think you will find Alexander had a better YPC than Lynch on short yardage as well as between the 20s.

 

[ZorntoLargent]

He should be in the "Hall of Walter Jones was a HOF lineman".

 

[Flyingsquad23]

The fact is the deniers have nothing but their own memories and the always dependable eye test to back their claims. It’s sad that people can find ways to hate on even the all-time Seahawks greats. His supporters aren’t arguing that he is the GOAT, just the fact that he should be considered for the HOF. Plenty of borderline players are in the hall and for a supposed Hawk fan to actively work to discredit one of the best to ever run the ball for us is ludicrous.

He ran with a different style than the other backs that reached the top of the Hawks records book but that doesn’t change the fact that he gave all of what remained of his football life to the Hawks.Yes he was running on empty and dealing with numerous injuries at the end and it showed, but I also remember that the vaunted line everyone is pointing at was nowhere near the quality at the end as it was in his beginning. There were so many times I watched him get the handoff and have two or three defenders free in the backfield, hard for any back...especially for one that was clearly nearing the end.

Five consecutive years of 300+ carries and only missing 5 games in that span. That same five year stretch had him breaking records held by not only HOF backs but absolute legends...9 consecutive 100yrd games vs divisional opponents and 31 consecutive games with a 10+ yard run(Payton,Sanders). A soft person does not accomplish these things.

Can’t help but laugh at the people making the online argument...news flash...RB’s need help from the whole offense. Not a single player has gotten in the hall all by themselves.


As a side note anyone want to guess how many hits he took in his 41 games at Alabama and 123 games as a Hawk...

 

[keasley45]

He shouldn't be in. Its not all about the stats. he wasn't individually HOF great. He has HOF stats because he had a great O-Line opening gashes in defenses for him to chew up yards.

Emmitt Smith should have never made it either right?

Umm, Emmitt Smith couldn't be kept out. He broke the all time rushing record. At some point, when you play as long as he did, and for as many yards as he did, that's HOF worthy in itself. And Emmitt was a more talented runner than Shaun. He had speed, he had vision, and he wasnt afraid to take a hit. Making a case for him is easy.

More talented? Guess we'll agree to disagree.

Imagine what Alexander could have dome behind Smiths line.

For sure

 

[keasley45]

Being soft at the point of contact IS NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back. You dont have to be Campbell or Lynch. You can be cut from the Sanders, LT or Faulk cloth and juke the crap out of guy. (BTW, Lynch could do that too - Google Lynch jukes Ray Lewis - Classic). Shaun got the yards that were on the table when the blocking worked well. Not when it didnt.

You're contradicting yourself with this statement. You're saying being soft at the point of contact is NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back and then proceed to list 3 backs that were. You act like Alexander never juked a defender and just laid down when one appeared and thats nowhere near the truth. Its unreal the disrespect the guy receives around here. It reminds me of a guy on another forum that was saying how Carson was better than Lynch because he is always looking for contact. Its as if he forgot about Lynch totally somehow and thats how It seems with Alexander in this thread. When reading some replies in this thread, one would think that Alexander was nothing more than an average back. Its unreal how quickly some forget.

You're actually claiming the guys i mentioned above were soft??

Ok. No need to continue this further.

Shaun wont get in.

When he didnt have the continuity of the O-line and 2 HOF's, Toebeck, and a cast of underrated , and unheralded others opening holes for him, his YPC dropped from 5.1 in 2005 to 3.6 and 3.5 in 2006 and 2007. Yes, he had a few injuries but none that could account alone for the drastic decline in production. He sat out for the foot while it healed. Then he went on to Washington after being a free agent for 6 months. 6 months. Why? because every other team in the league knew then what some here know now. That he was a product of his O-line. And who signed him, but Jim Zorn. nd what happened there? behind another average o-line, he was ousted by Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts.

and what did JIM ZORN have to say about Alexander's 'want to' and effort? This is a quote directly from him when asked whether Shaun was unfairly cast:

Told of this theory, Zorn partly agreed but said: “Repeating that ’05 season would have been hard. And he just seemed to either not have the knack, or he seemed to take a view of, ‘Hey, listen, when the hole’s there, I’m going to run through, but if the hole’s not there, you might as well go and call the next play.’

“Shaun didn’t have a great work ethic in Seattle,” Zorn added. “He didn’t. He said he felt practice was for everybody else.”

How many other RB's in the HOF have such a damning thing said about them?? Sheeshh. Take off the glasses.

But I guess Jim Zorn hates him too like the other 31 teams in 2008 who didnt want to touch him and rest of us that see past the stats and can rightfully attriibute his success in good part to those who paved the way for him.

 

[Bobblehead]

Gotta give a shout out to Joe Jurevious, that guy, I believe was the single most player responsible for Alexanders break out runs. Joe was a phenomenal down field blocker who would wipe out secondary defenders, thus allowing Alexanders big runs down field.

 

[John63]

Being soft at the point of contact IS NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back. You dont have to be Campbell or Lynch. You can be cut from the Sanders, LT or Faulk cloth and juke the crap out of guy. (BTW, Lynch could do that too - Google Lynch jukes Ray Lewis - Classic). Shaun got the yards that were on the table when the blocking worked well. Not when it didnt.

You're contradicting yourself with this statement. You're saying being soft at the point of contact is NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back and then proceed to list 3 backs that were. You act like Alexander never juked a defender and just laid down when one appeared and thats nowhere near the truth. Its unreal the disrespect the guy receives around here. It reminds me of a guy on another forum that was saying how Carson was better than Lynch because he is always looking for contact. Its as if he forgot about Lynch totally somehow and thats how It seems with Alexander in this thread. When reading some replies in this thread, one would think that Alexander was nothing more than an average back. Its unreal how quickly some forget.

You're actually claiming the guys i mentioned above were soft??

Ok. No need to continue this further.

Shaun wont get in.

When he didnt have the continuity of the O-line and 2 HOF's, Toebeck, and a cast of underrated , and unheralded others opening holes for him, his YPC dropped from 5.1 in 2005 to 3.6 and 3.5 in 2006 and 2007. Yes, he had a few injuries but none that could account alone for the drastic decline in production. He sat out for the foot while it healed. Then he went on to Washington after being a free agent for 6 months. 6 months. Why? because every other team in the league knew then what some here know now. That he was a product of his O-line. And who signed him, but Jim Zorn. nd what happened there? behind another average o-line, he was ousted by Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts.

and what did JIM ZORN have to say about Alexander's 'want to' and effort? This is a quote directly from him when asked whether Shaun was unfairly cast:

Told of this theory, Zorn partly agreed but said: “Repeating that ’05 season would have been hard. And he just seemed to either not have the knack, or he seemed to take a view of, ‘Hey, listen, when the hole’s there, I’m going to run through, but if the hole’s not there, you might as well go and call the next play.’

“Shaun didn’t have a great work ethic in Seattle,” Zorn added. “He didn’t. He said he felt practice was for everybody else.”

How many other RB's in the HOF have such a damning thing said about them?? Sheeshh. Take off the glasses.

But I guess Jim Zorn hates him too like the other 31 teams in 2008 who didnt want to touch him and rest of us that see past the stats and can rightfully attriibute his success in good part to those who paved the way for him.

Well actually several players that players with LT felt he did not run hard inside the 20s, and he ran out of bounds to much, So sorry if you look there are some who say bad things about every player. Also, there are others who spoke very highly of Lt and Alexander.

I mean of course you bring in a quote that backs you stance on him which again is personal and not based on stats.

"In a March Sports Illustrated article, Shaun Alexander’s former teammate, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, said he believes Alexander is Hall-of-Fame material. “I sure do,” Hasselbeck said. “I’m not an expert on the numbers and I was never that big into stats. When we were teammates, he was one of the best running backs in the game, a household name, on the cover of Madden, breaking franchise and NFL records seemingly all the time.

“I do not know of a better red-zone runner,” Hasselbeck said. “There have been some great runners in NFL history that were Hall of Fame runners but weren’t great goal line running backs. I think Barry Sanders might be the greatest running back of all time. But on the goal line or inside the three-yard line was not his strength.”

Nate Burleson, another one of Alexander’s former teammates, believes Alexander is very underappreciated. “He’s a quiet individual who went out there and didn’t talk about how great he was,” Burleson said. “He’d rather do it on the field. And also I believe because it was a small window of time where he was the best running back in football.” "

amazing how there are other opinions as well and this form guys who actually player with him not an ex player

 

[chris98251]

Being soft at the point of contact IS NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back. You dont have to be Campbell or Lynch. You can be cut from the Sanders, LT or Faulk cloth and juke the crap out of guy. (BTW, Lynch could do that too - Google Lynch jukes Ray Lewis - Classic). Shaun got the yards that were on the table when the blocking worked well. Not when it didnt.

You're contradicting yourself with this statement. You're saying being soft at the point of contact is NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back and then proceed to list 3 backs that were. You act like Alexander never juked a defender and just laid down when one appeared and thats nowhere near the truth. Its unreal the disrespect the guy receives around here. It reminds me of a guy on another forum that was saying how Carson was better than Lynch because he is always looking for contact. Its as if he forgot about Lynch totally somehow and thats how It seems with Alexander in this thread. When reading some replies in this thread, one would think that Alexander was nothing more than an average back. Its unreal how quickly some forget.

You're actually claiming the guys i mentioned above were soft??

Ok. No need to continue this further.

Shaun wont get in.

When he didnt have the continuity of the O-line and 2 HOF's, Toebeck, and a cast of underrated , and unheralded others opening holes for him, his YPC dropped from 5.1 in 2005 to 3.6 and 3.5 in 2006 and 2007. Yes, he had a few injuries but none that could account alone for the drastic decline in production. He sat out for the foot while it healed. Then he went on to Washington after being a free agent for 6 months. 6 months. Why? because every other team in the league knew then what some here know now. That he was a product of his O-line. And who signed him, but Jim Zorn. nd what happened there? behind another average o-line, he was ousted by Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts.

and what did JIM ZORN have to say about Alexander's 'want to' and effort? This is a quote directly from him when asked whether Shaun was unfairly cast:

Told of this theory, Zorn partly agreed but said: “Repeating that ’05 season would have been hard. And he just seemed to either not have the knack, or he seemed to take a view of, ‘Hey, listen, when the hole’s there, I’m going to run through, but if the hole’s not there, you might as well go and call the next play.’

“Shaun didn’t have a great work ethic in Seattle,” Zorn added. “He didn’t. He said he felt practice was for everybody else.”

How many other RB's in the HOF have such a damning thing said about them?? Sheeshh. Take off the glasses.

But I guess Jim Zorn hates him too like the other 31 teams in 2008 who didnt want to touch him and rest of us that see past the stats and can rightfully attriibute his success in good part to those who paved the way for him.

Well actually several players that players with LT felt he did not run hard inside the 20s, and he ran out of bounds to much, So sorry if you look there are some who say bad things about every player. Also, there are others who spoke very highly of Lt and Alexander.

I mean of course you bring in a quote that backs you stance on him which again is personal and not based on stats.

"In a March Sports Illustrated article, Shaun Alexander’s former teammate, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, said he believes Alexander is Hall-of-Fame material. “I sure do,” Hasselbeck said. “I’m not an expert on the numbers and I was never that big into stats. When we were teammates, he was one of the best running backs in the game, a household name, on the cover of Madden, breaking franchise and NFL records seemingly all the time.

“I do not know of a better red-zone runner,” Hasselbeck said. “There have been some great runners in NFL history that were Hall of Fame runners but weren’t great goal line running backs. I think Barry Sanders might be the greatest running back of all time. But on the goal line or inside the three-yard line was not his strength.”

Nate Burleson, another one of Alexander’s former teammates, believes Alexander is very underappreciated. “He’s a quiet individual who went out there and didn’t talk about how great he was,” Burleson said. “He’d rather do it on the field. And also I believe because it was a small window of time where he was the best running back in football.” "

amazing how there are other opinions as well and this form guys who actually player with him not an ex player

Lets ask Anthony Simmons, remember it was a him or me situation with Alexander. Shaun got upset because Anthony called him a Pussy in front of the team If I remember right or something to that effect which caused a riff on the team.

 

[IndyHawk]

Alexander's stats would be drastically lower if he played behind the same O-Line Lynch did.

It's kind of annoying how some people think Shaun Alexander is a HoF back based on pure stats and nostalgic memories of his time in Seattle. More objectivity needs to be brought to this table...

If Shaun had played with Lynch's ferocity and willingness to run through b1tch3s every single down, he'd have like 40 more TDs and 6,000 more yards for his career stats, and THAT would absolutely be HoF-worthy - not just because of the stats, but because of the elite, sustained EFFORT. That EFFORT was only visible in the red zone from Shaun, and THAT is why he DOES NOT DESERVE to be in the Hall of Fame.

I don't know Roland,in watching that video I'm seeing"Poetry in motion"
It's used to describe Gayle Sayers but SA cutting through creases and
going at odd angles while not losing speed reminds of Sayers in his
videos.
Sayers once said "It was easy" and just maybe for SA it was easy.
I think most people have a hard time accepting that a RB can
be great without plowing into DL and LB's. I get that but If you can
use vision,speed and cuts to go around them so they drop off you
is that not good?

 

[IndyHawk]

Emmitt Smith should have never made it either right?

Umm, Emmitt Smith couldn't be kept out. He broke the all time rushing record. At some point, when you play as long as he did, and for as many yards as he did, that's HOF worthy in itself. And Emmitt was a more talented runner than Shaun. He had speed, he had vision, and he wasnt afraid to take a hit. Making a case for him is easy.

More talented? Guess we'll agree to disagree.

Imagine what Alexander could have dome behind Smiths line.

For sure

Emmit more talented?Ha ha Nooo!
Maybe more hardworking..He had the
best line the game has ever seen..HOF's
all around him on offense..

 

[keasley45]

Being soft at the point of contact IS NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back. You dont have to be Campbell or Lynch. You can be cut from the Sanders, LT or Faulk cloth and juke the crap out of guy. (BTW, Lynch could do that too - Google Lynch jukes Ray Lewis - Classic). Shaun got the yards that were on the table when the blocking worked well. Not when it didnt.

You're contradicting yourself with this statement. You're saying being soft at the point of contact is NOT a defining characteristic of a HOF back and then proceed to list 3 backs that were. You act like Alexander never juked a defender and just laid down when one appeared and thats nowhere near the truth. Its unreal the disrespect the guy receives around here. It reminds me of a guy on another forum that was saying how Carson was better than Lynch because he is always looking for contact. Its as if he forgot about Lynch totally somehow and thats how It seems with Alexander in this thread. When reading some replies in this thread, one would think that Alexander was nothing more than an average back. Its unreal how quickly some forget.

You're actually claiming the guys i mentioned above were soft??

Ok. No need to continue this further.

Shaun wont get in.

When he didnt have the continuity of the O-line and 2 HOF's, Toebeck, and a cast of underrated , and unheralded others opening holes for him, his YPC dropped from 5.1 in 2005 to 3.6 and 3.5 in 2006 and 2007. Yes, he had a few injuries but none that could account alone for the drastic decline in production. He sat out for the foot while it healed. Then he went on to Washington after being a free agent for 6 months. 6 months. Why? because every other team in the league knew then what some here know now. That he was a product of his O-line. And who signed him, but Jim Zorn. nd what happened there? behind another average o-line, he was ousted by Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts.

and what did JIM ZORN have to say about Alexander's 'want to' and effort? This is a quote directly from him when asked whether Shaun was unfairly cast:

Told of this theory, Zorn partly agreed but said: “Repeating that ’05 season would have been hard. And he just seemed to either not have the knack, or he seemed to take a view of, ‘Hey, listen, when the hole’s there, I’m going to run through, but if the hole’s not there, you might as well go and call the next play.’

“Shaun didn’t have a great work ethic in Seattle,” Zorn added. “He didn’t. He said he felt practice was for everybody else.”

How many other RB's in the HOF have such a damning thing said about them?? Sheeshh. Take off the glasses.

But I guess Jim Zorn hates him too like the other 31 teams in 2008 who didnt want to touch him and rest of us that see past the stats and can rightfully attriibute his success in good part to those who paved the way for him.

Well actually several players that players with LT felt he did not run hard inside the 20s, and he ran out of bounds to much, So sorry if you look there are some who say bad things about every player. Also, there are others who spoke very highly of Lt and Alexander.

I mean of course you bring in a quote that backs you stance on him which again is personal and not based on stats.

"In a March Sports Illustrated article, Shaun Alexander’s former teammate, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, said he believes Alexander is Hall-of-Fame material. “I sure do,” Hasselbeck said. “I’m not an expert on the numbers and I was never that big into stats. When we were teammates, he was one of the best running backs in the game, a household name, on the cover of Madden, breaking franchise and NFL records seemingly all the time.

“I do not know of a better red-zone runner,” Hasselbeck said. “There have been some great runners in NFL history that were Hall of Fame runners but weren’t great goal line running backs. I think Barry Sanders might be the greatest running back of all time. But on the goal line or inside the three-yard line was not his strength.”

Nate Burleson, another one of Alexander’s former teammates, believes Alexander is very underappreciated. “He’s a quiet individual who went out there and didn’t talk about how great he was,” Burleson said. “He’d rather do it on the field. And also I believe because it was a small window of time where he was the best running back in football.” "

amazing how there are other opinions as well and this form guys who actually player with him not an ex player

Not amazing at all. Just different coming from a coach responsible for assessing the ability of a player to contribute to a team and whether that player should even be on the team. Different still when the talent evaluators on 31 other teams also looked at Shaun Alexander and came to the same conclusion and decided not to offer him a contract.

 

[keasley45]

Walter Jones: "I think anyone could have done what Shaun Alexander did behind our OL. All he had to do was make a linebacker or safety miss. I would have loved to block for Lynch"

Not that the opinion of the guy who blocked for him his whole career matters more than Nate Burlesons...

But he probably just hates him too and is a crap evaluator of NFL caliber RBs.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Seahawks HOF, Ring of Honor etc. Absolutely.
Pro Football Hall of Fame? I don't think so. But he had one hell of a career. And no, I don't dislike the guy at all.