Alexander has advice for ML

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 02995.html

Article is kinda funny, just for the fact that its coming from ol' Softy himself. I loved SA for what he did, but he really didn't like to take too many hard tackles. And he loved the sideline running where he could just step out when contact was about to be made.
During his playing days I could tell exactly why: he didn't want to sacrifice his body for the game--knowing that he's got a full life after football. Good for him, but it did get kind of annoying to watch at times.

Alexander ran with a style that meant he was able to run for 1800 yards and score an NFL record 28 touchdowns at the age Lynch is right now - and compile 5 consecutive seasons with over 350 touches and 1500 scrimmage yarrds (Lynch has 0 seasons with 350 touches) without missing a game.

Getting tired of the soft narrative

Alexander seemed to effortlessly avoid the big hit. Lynch seems to say gimme your big hit I will knock you down anyway.
Two outstanding backs two different run styles, why can most not celebrate them both for what they did and continue to do. Alexander had the better line but if needed he would put his shoulder down. Soft doesn't run on a broken foot. Lynch will never be as shifty as Shaun and for sure no one will ever say Shaun ran with Lynch's bruising style. I myself am thankful I got to see both in their prime and witness records and super bowls due to them.

At the end of Alexander's career, I saw him fall untouched into a fetal position to avoid getting hit, in his own backfield. The play took a three yard loss. That lasting image tarnished my view of him but only for the career window of his last couple of seasons. If he would have retired two seasons earlier, folks would have a much different perception of him.

He was only soft when it was evident his heart wasn't in the game anymore. Before that, he was tough as nails.

I think Chris Warren would have had very similar "MVP type" numbers if plugged into Holmgren's scheme, behind that offensive line.

There was no tougher runner in the red zone than Shaun Alexander.

The amount of hate he gets these days is absurd. Respect the only MVP in team history. His vision and cutback ability was amazing.

Let me know when Lynch rushes for 266 yards in a single game or matches any of Alexander's records

SA scored at least 15 TD's in 5 consecutive seasons
Back to back seasons of 1600 yards +

And you can call him soft all you want, but he carried the load a lot more than Lynch did. From 2001-2005 he averaged 330 caries a season, with the high being 370. The most Lynch has carried the rock in a single season is 315.

SA was a true workhorse beast who got better with the more carries he got. Stop diminishing him. It makes you look bad.

Alexander was not the RB that Lynch is. That OL, particularly the left side, and FB was on par with the Cowboys early 90s run blocking. Both Alexander and Smith are good backs, but not special. Their blocking was special.

I wouldn't say isn't the back as Lynch they aren't apples to apples. Alexander did have a superior line but he had some hellish vision and moves. The line didn't make him a good back he already was, I don't think you can quantify what yardage and td's they got him. Straight comparison in their prime both are awesome but different.

vin.couve12":qh0p97kd said:

Alexander was not the RB that Lynch is. That OL, particularly the left side, and FB was on par with the Cowboys early 90s run blocking. Both Alexander and Smith are good backs, but not special. Their blocking was special.

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Lynch would miss the hole with that line just as often as he does with this line though - if there's one criticism I have of Lynch, it's that because he knows he can make cornerbacks miss tackles he ducks outside when there's a hole for a gain. Turbin is so much better at hitting the hole, and if he could break those ankle tackles would run for massive yardage, now think what Alexander would do in those situations.

To put Alexander's achievements down as a product of the line does him a massive disservice, in the open field Lynch breaks tackles that would never have come close to Shaun in the first place.

vin.couve12":30a380j6 said:

Alexander was not the RB that Lynch is. That OL, particularly the left side, and FB was on par with the Cowboys early 90s run blocking. Both Alexander and Smith are good backs, but not special. Their blocking was special.

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This flawed argument keeps getting repeated as if every year was 2005. Shaun got it done the years previous, too. (And for the 1000th time, SA got most of his yards to the right in 2005.)

Not to mention it's insulting to our current o-line who are currently the highest rated run blocking unit and got Lynch 1600 yards in 2012. (Because you have to be consistent with RB matters less than O-line. Otherwise you are equivocating.)

Is it really so hard to believe the RB and the O-Line are a symbiotic unit? SA was great and so is Marshawn. We should be proud of that fact.

vin.couve12":1g4ahe5t said:

Alexander was not the RB that Lynch is. That OL, particularly the left side, and FB was on par with the Cowboys early 90s run blocking. Both Alexander and Smith are good backs, but not special. Their blocking was special.

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I disagree. Every player has their weaknesses. Not every player's strengths are elite. Alexander's strength was his vision and it was elite. That made him special.

Alexander is to Eric Dickerson what Marshawn is to Earl Campbell.

Two distinctly different styles.

Also to complete the reduction ad absurdum, the 2005 o-line was brilliant at pass blocking. (Where thr left side argument matters the most.) So that means Hasselbeck was overrated ( and owes the majority of his stats to them), too, right?

Lynch is great, but SA was great also. SA wouldn't get stopped on 3 and 1 from the 1yd line, inside the 10 he was almost automatic to score. Outside the redzone he didn't take the chances he took when a TD was on the line.

vin.couve12":1pxz7hg3 said:

Alexander was not the RB that Lynch is. That OL, particularly the left side, and FB was on par with the Cowboys early 90s run blocking. Both Alexander and Smith are good backs, but not special. Their blocking was special.

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And Lynch has had Michael Robinson, Russel Okung and Max Unger. All have made the pro bowl.

Lynch has had plenty of help in his career in Seattle.

When the going gets tough I would take Lynch over Alexander any day.

cesame":3b91j107 said:

There was no tougher runner in the red zone than Shaun Alexander.

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All this proves is that he was softer outside of it, which is fine. He wanted to preserve himself. What annoys me personally is people saying he was never soft when he very obviously was on purpose, with intention, by design, of his own accord. Just admit it everybody, and move on. Doesn't mean we can't appreciate him for what he did for us while also thinking he was a soft runner overall.

RolandDeschain":2j4ks8g5 said:

cesame":2j4ks8g5 said:

There was no tougher runner in the red zone than Shaun Alexander.

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All this proves is that he was softer outside of it, which is fine. He wanted to preserve himself. What annoys me personally is people saying he was never soft when he very obviously was on purpose, with intention, by design, of his own accord. Just admit it everybody, and move on. Doesn't mean we can't appreciate him for what he did for us while also thinking he was a soft runner overall.

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The problem is there are many who don't appreciate what he accomplished and write him off as a product of the o-line.

HomerJHawk":2zq144gr said:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/ex-seahawk-shaun-alexander-to-marshawn-lynch--don-t-change-your-style-135202995.html

Article is kinda funny, just for the fact that its coming from ol' Softy himself. I loved SA for what he did, but he really didn't like to take too many hard tackles. And he loved the sideline running where he could just step out when contact was about to be made.
During his playing days I could tell exactly why: he didn't want to sacrifice his body for the game--knowing that he's got a full life after football. Good for him, but it did get kind of annoying to watch at times.

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So, hmm, uh, he should have sought out pounding contact?
I would think that even though you and a lot of others call him a "softy", he rolled up 1,880 yards in '05' ,and that doesn't impress Y'all.
Shaun was MONEY in the red zone, and he did pound the rock when he was anywhere near the Goal Line.

Seanhawk":2iftw4eh said:

The problem is there are many who don't appreciate what he accomplished and write him off as a product of the o-line.

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Well, we did have an amazing offensive line in the early-mid 2000s.

RolandDeschain":l3vjoxm1 said:

All this proves is that he was softer outside of it, which is fine. He wanted to preserve himself. What annoys me personally is people saying he was never soft when he very obviously was on purpose, with intention, by design, of his own accord. Just admit it everybody, and move on. Doesn't mean we can't appreciate him for what he did for us while also thinking he was a soft runner overall.

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I reject the entire premise of what you say. Choosing not to initiate the contact on every carry does not equate to running soft. He had a very very successful style, it's fine if that style was not to your liking, but claiming he, or any other professional football player ran soft is insulting, and it's especially insulting to an NFL RB with more than 2500 touches in his career.