As the yards and accolades continue to pile up, Shaun Alexander hasn’t forgotten the biggest reasons for his breakout season.
They go by the names of Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck, Chris Gray, Chris Terry and Mack Strong. In most circles, they’re more commonly known as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive linemen.
“Mack’s one of us. He’s a lineman,” Tobeck said of Strong, the Seahawks’ 33-year-old fullback. “He fights that a little bit, but we consider him one of us.”
With Strong leading the way, and five linemen clearing holes in front of him, Alexander has rumbled to the top of the NFL with 1,055 rushing yards. He’s on pace to break franchise season records in rushing yards, touchdowns and yards per carry.
And he knows he hasn’t done it on his own.
“It’s all of us together,” Alexander said Monday, after registering his third consecutive 100-yard game. “This whole summer, it started with us talking with each other about the things that each of us do well and expecting it to carry through to the season. And that’s what’s going on. We expect big things out of each other, and each guy has to do his part.”
While Jones and Hutchinson went to the Pro Bowl last season, the other three linemen rarely get their due. And Strong was snubbed from going to Hawaii last February despite putting up the best numbers of his career.
“I keep on telling him that unfortunately it’s going to depend on how I do,” Alexander said. “He keeps getting overlooked. That’s being in the Northwest, as opposed to being in New York or a place that’s won a bunch of Super Bowls.”
Despite Alexander’s eye-popping numbers, Strong isn’t dreaming of going to the Pro Bowl.
“Not after last year, when I felt like I had the best statistics of my career and didn’t make it,” Strong said. “That’s still a goal of mine, but it’s way in the back. Distant.”
Seattle’s run blocking has been a strength for years. A Seahawks running back has gone over the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past seven seasons. But this year has seen the line take it to a whole other level.
“We’re doing a good job in the running game, and that’s a great thing,” said Jones, a left tackle who has gone to the past three Pro Bowls. “As an offensive lineman, you want that. You want your running back to run well and do the things that Shaun is doing right now. So it’s just worked.”
The run blocking has made a few minor adjustments this year, the most notable of which has been rotating assignments. While the Seahawks run the same group of running plays each week, they alter blocking schemes based on the opponent.
“We kind of do some fresh things week in and week out,” Tobeck said. “We’re running the same plays, but blocking them a little differently this week and a little differently next week. That keeps teams off balance.”
Alexander has gone over the 100-yard mark in five of Seattle’s nine games this season. He has hit that milestone in each of the past three games, becoming the first Seahawks running back to ever do it in back-to-back-to-back games.
It’s important to note that two of those opponents – No. 28 Carolina and No. 29 St. Louis – are ranked among the bottom five in the league in rushing defense.
But Seattle’s running game has been running over just about everyone this season. Alexander is averaging 5.4 yards per carry, has as many 150-yard efforts this season (four) as any other Seahawks running back has in his entire career and has scored 12 times.
He’s having a career year. And he might not be the only one.
“If we keep padding my stats, then people will say: ‘How’s he getting all these yards?’” Alexander said. “And they’ll realize that it’s Walt, Hutch, the rest of the offensive line, and Mack Strong.”
Quick snaps: The league had no formal announcement regarding the status of Seahawks wide receiver Koren Robinson on Tuesday. Robinson was scheduled to have his appeal of a possible four-game suspension heard. … Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (bruised right knee) probably won’t practice today, leaving Trent Dilfer to take snaps with the No. 1 offense.
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