Alexander had great vision, but was not a make you miss elusive runner. He benefited from having two Hall of Fame offensive lineman pave the way for him. Alexander probably lasted as long as he did because he was a big guy, 230 lbs, and he would fall down on the smallest amount of contact or run out of bounds. He always left yards on the field because he would go down to easily.That's why a Shaun Alexander type is so special. True a guy like that does need to be at 100% to be effective, but those guys are often good for 6, sometimes 10 years if later on the become more of a role player. That running style, the elusive, avoiding big hits kind of guys are worth the money (first contract) you just wanna be damn careful extending them.