Call him Alexander the Great
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Fifty-eight carries over two games should be enough. The guy gained 355 yards, for Pete’s sake, so Shaun Alexander should be satisfied. But he never is.
So when Alexander was asked earlier this week if he had a limit for carries in a game, he surprised all by having a definitive answer.
“Yeah,” Alexander said, “I believe it’s 81. After 81, I’m like, ‘No more carries. We’re going to have to wait until next week.’ “
The way Alexander has been running the ball lately, the Seattle Seahawks might be wise to push that limit.
He’s got more rushing yards the past two weeks than anyone in the NFL. Only Reuben Droughns has had more yards in back-to-back games this season (369 on Oct. 10 and 17).
Alexander now ranks second in the NFL with 879 rushing yards and is on pace to break the Seahawks’ single-season rushing record (1,545 yards, by Chris Warren in 1994). He leads the NFL with a 5.1 yards-per-carry average.
So maybe the Seahawks should test Alexander’s limits. Could eighty-two carries really be that taxing?
“He’s playing well, now,” coach Mike Holmgren said this week. “As long as we’re running the ball, I’m going to hand it to him. All of a sudden we stop running, I’ll try something else.”
Alexander has given no indication that he’s slowing down, nor should the St. Louis Rams’ 28th-ranked run defense tempt Seattle to get away from its ground game. So Sunday’s game plan might look a bit like a political strategy.
Shaun Alexander to the right. Shaun Alexander to the left. Shaun Alexander right down the middle.
“Defenses have to stop the run,” left guard Steve Hutchinson said. “They have to respect it, and that opens up the passing game.”
Alexander averaged 19.2 carries per contest over the first six games of the season, including a total of just 28 in back-to-back games against New England and Arizona. Holmgren came out after the Arizona game and said he needed to start running the ball more often, leading to Alexander’s 32 carries in a win over Carolina, followed by 26 carries last Sunday.
Notes
Seahawks linebacker Anthony Simmons was added to the injury report with a strained hip, but he returned to practice Thursday. … Defensive end Grant Wistrom (knee) was held out of practice and is doubtful for the game.