Hey, back off Alexander a bit

It was a move that Shaun Alexander has made thousands of times before, usually with great success.

On Sunday against the Rams, the Seahawks were up 10-3 in the second quarter. Seattle had the ball, first and 10, on the Rams 39-yard line.

Matt Hasselbeck had just connected with Bobby Engram for a 22-yard gain and the crowd rocked Qwest Field with a roar. Amped with anticipation, the 68,164 was ready to see the Seahawks pour it on.

But on this play, Hasselbeck handed off to Alexander, who tried to scan the blocking as he ran around right end. Suddenly, Rams weakside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa caught him and slammed him to the turf for a yard gain.

“Booooooo!” the crowd responded. It echoed throughout the building. The tone was angry. The tone was accusatory.

This is life now for Alexander. The NFL’s Most Valuable Player just two seasons ago, Alexander has become the fans’ symbol for a Seahawks ground game that has turned into the Petrified Forest.

“Our fans, they’re loud and they keep it crazy,” Alexander said, when asked about the booing directed at him. “All they have seen out of me is great games, over and over and over again. When I don’t put them together, they get frustrated. But I’m frustrated, too, about it. It is what it is.”

But what is it?

What it’s not is its formerly overpowering self. Seattle’s running attack is 22nd in the league, with 92.6 rushing yards per game. It picks up 3.5 yards an attempt, 26th in the league. In their first seven games, the 4-3 Seahawks have scored just two touchdowns on the ground.

It is Alexander who’s hearing it from the fans. It’s Alexander, not the Seahawks offense. Mo Morris doesn’t get booed on 1-yard gains. Neither does the offensive line on Morris’ 1-yard runs. It’s Alexander.

But is it Alexander who, at 30, is slowing down? Is it an offensive line that’s still searching for the magic of 2005?

It’s become a burr in coach Mike Holmgren’s saddle.

“Shaun Alexander seems to be the lightning rod,” Holmgren said this week. “I am here to tell you that there are times when there’s nothing there. There is nothing there. We are not blocking well at this particular point. So that must improve.

“He has been a little unfairly criticized, in my opinion.”

Certainly, this is not the offensive line that was the NFL’s best in 2005. Gone is all-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson. His spot now belongs to Rob Sims, a second-year player. Center Robbie Tobeck is retired, replaced by third-year man Chris Spencer. Guard Chris Gray is 37. Hall of Fame tackle Walter Jones is 33.

Great offensive line play requires continuity, which the Seahawks don’t currently have. Add to that the retirement of fullback Mack Strong and you see the difference between what Alexander had going for him at his peak and what he has now.

That doesn’t let Alexander off the hook. The productive span of an NFL running back is short indeed. You can count the number of NFL running backs 30 years of age and older who have gained 1,000 yards in a season on both hands.

Holmgren knows this. That’s why, on certain short-yardage situations, Morris is in the backfield.

Nevertheless, fan intolerance toward Alexander is curious.

From 2001 through 2005, Alexander lugged the ball 1,653 times for 7,504 yards. In that time, he averaged 330 carries a year. He is, by far, the Seahawks’ leading runner. He also leads the Seahawks in punishment absorbed.

Alexander belongs on the short list of all-time Seattle superstars that includes such names as Griffey, Brown, Martinez, Sikma and Wilkens. Few have given more of himself than he has.

Where Alexander is concerned, there never has been so much of a whiff of serious controversy that inflicts many big-time athletes. No reports of domestic violence. No driving under the influence. No nasty contract spats. He’s a family man whose faith is devout and well known.

Alexander is a standup guy.

Yet, for whatever reason, fans have never fully embraced Alexander as they did the names above. And now, they’re turning on him.

For weeks, Holmgren has said the running game needs fixing — system-wide, not one player. But we see no improvement after seven weeks.

“Other people are trying to fix this and I’m trying to delegate a little bit,” Holmgren said. “But after (Sunday) and after reviewing the film, it’s going to get a little tense around here if I don’t see some improvement.”

As far as fans are concerned, it’s already pretty tense.

Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. To reach Sleeper’s blog, click on “Dangling Participles” on www.heraldnet.com.

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