Throwback Poll: Was Shaun Alexander Soft?

AgentDib · Nov 30, 2020

I say no. His career was shortened due to injuries, but that's true for most RBs. Shaun's playstyle relied on vision, quickness and instincts instead of being physical. Running through people may be what the Hawks want out of their first down backs these days, but avoiding people in the first place is pretty good too.

This is what Holmgren had to say about it in late 2007, well after Shaun's decline:

Mike Holmgren":35cr16z3 said:
Would I like him to hit the hole, on occasion, a little quicker and get it up in there? I've said that from day one and he knows it for the last however many years he has been here. But at the same time his style has produced some wonderful things. He goes around (the end) and scores a touchdown and I'm happy so you have to be careful with that. He has great instincts. There are times -- I've told him so I'm not saying anything to you that I haven't told him -- and he's told me (what he was thinking at the time) and he agrees with me that this is why I did this. We talk about that all the time. When the running game isn't going though there's a lot to pick at. Now it's our job to get it going so we can back people off just a little bit on that."

Tokadub · Nov 30, 2020

Define "soft"... ?

Was he soft compared to Marshawn Lynch... ? WHO IS NOT SOFT ON OFFENSE COMPARED TO Marshawn Lynch? Chris Carson, Thomas Rawls (for a VERY small period of time)?

Other than Chris Carson, and Thomas Rawls every single one of our offensive skill position players were soft comparatively to Marshawn Lynch... You could argue Doug Baldwin, and Golden Tate, maybe even Sidney Rice (he took a beating) all those guys gave it their all every day.

Hell even Ricardo Lockette wasn't soft that boy flew down field to disintegrate grown professional athletes...

EDIT: I gotta add Russell Wilson if we are gonna be fair... he's tough as hell.. hasn't missed a single start... can't argue it.

But no... Shaun Alexander was not soft... we almost won a Super Bowl on his back and we got robbed vs the Stealers... that was so blatant man I will never live in peace with those referees...

Shaun Alexander was MVP in 2005... LaDainian Tomlinson was MVP in 2006... Adrian Peterson was MVP in 2012... other than that 16 of the last 19 MVPs were QBs... so Shaun Alexander was good in my opinion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press_NFL_Most_Valuable_Player_Award

chris98251 · Nov 30, 2020

Yes he was soft, Lynch, Doornink, Watters, John L Williams, Curt Warner, all much more physical, Shaun was so soft he would not pass block and had to be taken out of the line up. None of the others were, so that makes him a one dimensional back as well since he was rarely in a game for a passing situation.

It was why as a 1st rounder he could not take the position from Ricky Watters also, he was soft and continually in Holmgren's dog house.

Holmgren drafted him hoping for Watters 2.0 or a Roger Craig 2.0. He got a Franco Harris clone, run out of bounds and go down. The reason Rocky Blier was so popular was because he got the tough yards and was physical as well. Franco was on a multiple Super Bowl teams and had a long career granted. But nobody talks about him in regards to all-time greats either really unless your in Pittsburgh, still I think they more fondly think of Bettis.

getnasty · Nov 30, 2020

Charmin Soft! Great vision and great OL but he never ran out of a tackle.

Flyingsquad23 · Nov 30, 2020

The dude had 5 straight years with 300+ carries and you say he never ran through a tackle...I have a hard time calling any NFL player soft let alone a RB. SA took a pounding for 11+ years of his life and produced at record levels. Definitely NOT soft.

Maelstrom787 · Nov 30, 2020

I'd think it foolhardy for him to attempt to be hard-nosed when his style worked excellently in the first place. I wouldn't call him soft so much as a runner who relied (and thrived) on his strongest assets - his vision and sense of timing. That's not soft, it's smart.

ivotuk · Nov 30, 2020

He was smart. Chris Carson needs to let up once in a while to preserve himself.

Bo Jackson had so much muscle that it ripped his ball right out of it's socket. Bones can only take so much before muscle take over and causes damage. Ever see those horrible weight lifting accidents?

TreeRon · Nov 30, 2020

Flyingsquad23":2wh7ltkd said:
The dude had 5 straight years with 300+ carries and you say he never ran through a tackle...I have a hard time calling any NFL player soft let alone a RB. SA took a pounding for 11+ years of his life and produced at record levels. Definitely NOT soft.

This....NO guy (or gal) that makes it to the NFL is soft.

sdog1981 · Nov 30, 2020

He was so soft he only played in 16 games a year for 6 seasons, averaging 1400 yards and 17 rushing TDs for those 6 seasons.

The soft tittle is all based on that era of the Seahawks. The team was perceived as soft so all the players were thought of as soft. If Alexander played for Pete he would get all the "tough guy" buzz words.

Hawkstorian · Nov 30, 2020

He was a different style of back than what you're supposedly comparing him to. Why is that such a problem? His distinct style created its own wear on his ankles and knees....

The only possible argument for him being "soft' is he didn't come back from injuries some thought he should .... but every RB in team history had their careers end with injuries, even the unassailable Marshawn.

So , I implore you, stop looking at Shaun through the Marshawn lens. Marshawn was a completely unique dude and incredible to watch .... but just based on pure talent and production, SA had a 4 - 5 year stretch that was beyond anything we've ever seen nor will ever see again.

MVPs --- Shaun Alexander 1, Rest of Seahawks History: 0.

Lawke · Nov 30, 2020

Yeah, i dont think its really fair to compare anyone to beast mode, just because of how freakishly physical AND healthy he was. And maybe im misremembering it, but i coulda swore some of the whole "soft" label was given to Alexander due to the difference in how he ran in the redzone vs out of it and how some people felt like he should have run that hard all the time. Personally, i think his injuries cut short what probably would have been a 100% hall of fame career and he wouldnt have ended up with the soft label the way he has.

TheLegendOfBoom · Nov 30, 2020

Yes.

Alexander wouldn’t have been the same without Jones and Hutch.

This guy is not a physical create your own hole and punish defenders as Watters was.

We were spoiled with Lynch.

hawkfan68 · Nov 30, 2020

chris98251":396jdw8u said:
Yes he was soft, Lynch, Doornink, Watters, John L Williams, Curt Warner, all much more physical, Shaun was so soft he would not pass block and had to be taken out of the line up. None of the others were, so that makes him a one dimensional back as well since he was rarely in a game for a passing situation.

It was why as a 1st rounder he could not take the position from Ricky Watters also, he was soft and continually in Holmgren's dog house.

Holmgren drafted him hoping for Watters 2.0 or a Roger Craig 2.0. He got a Franco Harris clone, run out of bounds and go down. The reason Rocky Blier was so popular was because he got the tough yards and was physical as well. Franco was on a multiple Super Bowl teams and had a long career granted. But nobody talks about him in regards to all-time greats either really unless your in Pittsburgh, still I think they more fondly think of Bettis.

No SA wasn’t soft. However after he injured his foot he didn’t have the same acceleration and speed he had prior to that. That combined with his OL getting weaker contributed to his struggles post injury.

Curt Warner’s running style is very close to SA’s style. Curt was great but no way would I say he was a physical back. He was a magnificent cut back runner and he made people miss. Curt also ran behind a very good line. Steve August, Ron Essink, Reggie McKenzie, and Blair Bush.

DangerousDoug · Nov 30, 2020

Smooth and talented runner with great vision who also had the benefit of running through gigantic holes opened by one of the best left sides in NFL history (Jones/Hutch). Not to say he wasn't great, but compared to the running style of Marshawn/Carson, he ran soft.

KinesProf · Nov 30, 2020

No. Nobody who steps on a pro football field is soft.

People tend to underestimate what exactly is happening on an NFL; but, be fortunate enough to get close to a sideline for some live action and you'll realize how silly of a thought it is to think any of them are soft.

OrangeGravy · Nov 30, 2020

Flyingsquad23":m12tujlu said:
The dude had 5 straight years with 300+ carries and you say he never ran through a tackle...I have a hard time calling any NFL player soft let alone a RB. SA took a pounding for 11+ years of his life and produced at record levels. Definitely NOT soft.

AND all that being said, he was the biggest BI!CH in the NFL in the last 20 years

Flyingsquad23 · Nov 30, 2020

OrangeGravy":3b7lfd6o said:
Flyingsquad23":3b7lfd6o said:

The dude had 5 straight years with 300+ carries and you say he never ran through a tackle...I have a hard time calling any NFL player soft let alone a RB. SA took a pounding for 11+ years of his life and produced at record levels. Definitely NOT soft.

Click to expand...

AND all that being said, he was the biggest BI!CH in the NFL in the last 20 years

And your credentials? Your addition to the thread is applauded...you are pathetic

TypeSly · Nov 30, 2020

I don't think he was soft. Just because he avoids contact, it doesn't make him soft to me. I think that's smart. As for his reputation of running out of bounds, I don't know where that comes from. I don't seem to remember him running out of bounds prematurely.

AROS · Nov 30, 2020

TypeSly":352dynob said:
I don't know where that comes from. I don't seem to remember him running out of bounds prematurely.

Actually I do remember many times where he did just that. I used to say "Ah man, don't Chris Warren it!!!" LOL... For the record, I loved Warren but he also had the habit of running out of bounds to avoid contact at times. They were both very similar that way. However, I do NOT think of Shaun as "Soft". He was a fantastic running back with probably the best vision I have seen in my lifetime. I do not fault a man who by no fault of his own (injuries) started to adjust his game to preserve himself.

The 2005 NFL MVP will always have a special place in my heart. Fun to watch, fun to root for.

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