That number only makes sense if we are talking about correlation and not causation. When a player wins the MVP or has a great season, then they get the Madden cover. And like Shaun Alexander did this past offseason, they spend more time making media appearances, trying to sell a book, and shooting commercials than working out and preparing for the next season. Compound that with a nice fat contract and less financial incentive to play well and it is not surprising that Alexander was not off to a very good start. Losing Steve Hutchinson did not help either.
Maurice Morris is not Shaun Alexander, but he is a quality player. His ability to contribute in the passing game actually fits better with what Seattle has been doing this year. Morris has been playing better than Alexander so far this season. His numbers in the Giants game (15 carries for 18 yards) are misleading. Most of that came in the second half when the Seahawks were pounding it up the middle and running out the clock.
Another reason to remain calm is that this injury is not that serious. Alexander will miss this week's game against Chicago, but the Seahawks have a bye the following week. The bone in his foot is not displaced and the fracture is very small, so he could conceivably be ready to return in Week 6. However, it might be more realistic that we do not see Alexander until Week 13 or maybe in Week 11 and 12 to get the rust off. Alexander could miss that much time, not because of the extent of his injury, but because he might not be needed and it would be more important to have him back for the playoffs.
The Seahawks might miss Alexander against Chicago, but they should be fine against St. Louis following the bye week. Minnesota nearly beat Chicago and Maurice Morris is a lot like Chester Taylor (and the rest of the Seahawks are a lot better than the Vikings), so it is not a stretch to think Seattle can still beat the Bears. There is also no reason to think the Vikings will be able to beat the Seahawks at Qwest in Week 7. It would be nice to have Alexander back for the Week 8 trip to Arrowhead, but the Chiefs offensive line is struggling so far and they are currently without their starting quarterback, although Trent Green should be back by then.
It would be surprising if the Seahawks did not go at least 2-2 in the next four games, even without Alexander. It wouldn't be surprising if they rattled off four more wins, either. They should be somewhere between 5-2 and 7-0 after Week 8. The Seahawks then play Oakland and St. Louis at Qwest, take a trip to San Francisco, and then get Green Bay at home on Monday night. Those games are as easy as they come in the NFL. Anything can happen in the NFL, but it is pretty reasonable to think the Seahawks will be at least 8-3 or better after the first 12 weeks of the season.
The bottom line is that the Seahawks can win without Alexander. He should be able to rest without the team dropping too many games. It would be nice to give him some action against San Francisco and Green Bay to knock off the rust before an important game at Denver in Week 13. The Seahawks close with 3 of their final 4 games against Arizona, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay. Those teams are a combined 2-7 right now and two of them (Arizona and Tampa Bay) will be starting rookie quarterbacks. The Week 15 game against San Diego will be tough.
Looking at the schedule for the rest of the year, the most important games are going to be at Chicago, Minnesota, at Kansas City, at Denver, and San Diego. It looks like Alexander will definitely miss the first two and probably the third as well, but he should be back for the last two of those games. The other 8 games left on the schedule are against some pretty weak competition.
This Seahawks team does not live an die with Shaun Alexander. If Maurice Morris can average 62 yards a game, 2.9 yards per carry, and get into the endzone when handed the ball from the 2-yard line, then he will be doing as much as Shaun Alexander did in the first 3 weeks of the season when the Seahawks went 3-0. If Morris gets injured, then it might be time to hit the panic button. However, Alexander should be able to come back sooner if the team needs him.
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