Wednesday, April 23, 2008
OVER NOW
So this is how it ends. Sure, there were people out there who thought Shaun Alexander would tail off after getting the big contract, but did anyone think the decline would be quite this precipitous? The guy that won the MVP for the 2005 season is right now looking for work going into the 2008 season. Quite something, really. One comparison I like to make is that Markus Naslund has been on the decline for the last four seasons with the Canucks. The West Coast Express line (Morrison/Naslund/Bertuzzi) saw its peak in 2002-03, and Naslund went off with a 104-point season. Since then, it's been 84, 79, 60, and 55, all while wearing the captain's "C." If it weren't for the rumors that the Canucks are about to hire Naslund's agent as the GM, I would say he would get run out of Vancouver. The point is that Naslund's been falling for the last four years, but the Canucks and their fans might still be stuck with him (though it might run the coach out of town).
I can't help but think about when Shaun Alexander landed on the cover of Madden '07 and got injured pretty early on the following season. At that point, Jeremy became a full believer in the Madden Curse.
I can't help but think Alexander's going to have a 1000-yard season for someone else, but there was no more room for the Seahawks to wait. I'm still kind of surprised they didn't wait until June 1st, but whatever.
This should make for a slightly more fun draft weekend, I guess...