CHENEY – Since early January, when his final carry of the 2004 season went for a one-yard gain midway through the fourth quarter of a playoff loss to the St. Louis Rams, Shaun Alexander has kept himself busy.
He’s made appearances at a wide range of events, from Seattle to Los Angeles to Kentucky to Georgia, kept himself in shape through private workouts, signed a one-year contract, and attended the birth of his second child.
One thing he hasn’t done is play football with his Seattle Seahawks teammates.
Today, after nearly seven months of keeping a fairly low profile, Alexander is finally expected to join his teammates for a football practice.
“It’ll be great to get him back in here. We need him,” offensive coordinator Gil Haskell said. “We know (backup Maurice Morris) would do great, but it’s always good to have Shaun back.”
Alexander was expected to arrive at Eastern Washington University on Sunday night or early this morning, and all indications are that he’ll practice today.
After a summer full of ongoing contract negotiations and unattended minicamps, Alexander should step right into his role as starting halfback.
Although Alexander signed a one-year, $6.323 million contract tender last Tuesday, his arrival at training camp was delayed by the birth of a second daughter last Thursday. Morris continued to handle the bulk of the reps in Alexander’s absence, and soon the two-time Pro Bowler will soon resume carrying the load.
While Alexander’s contract situation is still unresolved – his demand for a long-term deal was never met, so he had to settle for a one-year deal – no one seems concerned about Alexander being distracted by any off-the-field issues.
“His mindset now is to try to get 2,000 yards,” running backs coach Stump Mitchell said. “That’s the bottom line.”
Nor are there concerns about Alexander’s conditioning.
“He told me he’s in the best shape of his life,” Haskell said, “and I believe him.”
“He’s in good shape,” added Mitchell, who saw Alexander on numerous occasions throughout the summer. “He worked out all summer long, so that’s not going to be a problem.”
Now that Alexander is on his way to re-joining the team, the biggest question is whether he can duplicate last season. In 2004, he sets franchise records for rushing yards in a season (1,696), touchdowns in a season (20), rushing attempts in a season (353) and career rushing touchdowns (62).
So what can he do for an encore?
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get the same kind of production, maybe even a little more, that he had last year,” Mitchell said. “… He’s always going to miss a cut here or there, something that he can do better. He’s going to get his carries. Hopefully we’ll be better as an offensive team, and he’ll be better as an individual.”
This season could be Alexander’s final one in Seattle. Part of the agreement he made in signing the one-year franchise tender was that the Seahawks would not designate him the franchise player again.
Unless the two sides can work out a long-term deal before next March, Alexander seems likely to move on after 2005.
But that decision won’t be made for seven more months. For now, the Seahawks are happy that their Pro Bowl running back is on his way into town.
“For all of us,” Mitchell said, “there’s a sense of relief.”
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