Alexander's release sign of the times

It's amazing how fast things can change in the NFL. Just two years after being named the league's MVP with a then-record 28 touchdowns for the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, Shaun Alexander is unemployed. He was released today after eight years with the club. He leaves as their all-time leading rusher.

It was somewhat apparent this would happen when the Seahawks signed a pair of free agent running backs this offseason in the Cowboys' Julius Jones and the Lions' T.J. Duckett. But for one of the faces of the franchise, it was hard to imagine this day would actually come. At least so soon, anyway.

The man who graced the cover of Madden '07 will now be waiting by the phone for an offer from another club. There's no doubt he will find work quickly. But the shock will still remain.

Loyalty no longer exists in the NFL, if it ever did at all. Alexander was not only one of the most successful players in franchise history, but also one of the most well-liked and well-respected. But injuries hampered him the past two years, as he failed to top 1,000 yards after doing so the previous five seasons. And just as Ricky Watters was bumped out the door by Alexander, Alexander is being bumped out by Jones and Duckett.

Number 37 will likely be number one on a lot of teams' priority list, at least ones who need a running back. Where ever he ends up he does not figure to be the presence he once was in Seattle, where he once sat among the league's elite backs. The soft-spoken and oft-smiling Alexander is yet another victim of a vicious cycle. But heck, if Jerry Rice can be cut by the 49ers and Zach Thomas by the Dolphins, Alexander can be just as abruptly sent packing by the Seahawks. While his salary cap number made it a somewhat logical decision, it is still unfortunate to see the former MVP depart the Pacific Northwest.