Alexander falls from Seahawks' nest

It's only a matter of time now before the Seattle Seahawks release Shaun Alexander, and only the veteran running back himself seems to be surprised. 
Seattle's pair of backfield acquisitions have made Alexander expendable. The Seahawks appear to be heading toward a two-back system featuring the bruising T.J. Duckett and the shifty Julius Jones, brought in from Detroit and Dallas, respectively, to revive a running game that was a putrid 20th in the National Football League last season. Maurice Morris might be retained as a back-up to Duckett and Jones -- his 2008 cap number in somewhere around $1 million -- but Alexander seems the likely man on the outside looking in.
Age and injury have caused Alexander to slip into quick decline, a familiar story for most NFL running backs as they approach 30 years old. Alexander, who turns 31 in August, captured the league's MVP award in 2005 on the back of 1,880 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns, one of the best seasons enjoyed by a running back in league history, but his struggles since then hardly validate his lofty price tag. Alexander signed an eight-year, $62-million deal before the start of 2006 and hasn't come close to repeating his career bests thanks to a combination of injury and changes in personnel.
Prized left guard Steve Hutchinson signed a seven-year deal with Minnesota before the start of the 2006 season, weakening Seattle's offensive line, but not to the point where an elite rusher like Alexander should perform the way he has -- or hasn't. Alexander suffered a broken left foot in 2006 and was limited to 896 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games, excellent totals when projected over a full season, but the way that Alexander failed to rebound in 2007 in the true concern. He rushed for 716 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games, hardly worth the cash that he deposited into his bank account over the past two seasons. Alexander has already collected more than $32 million in salary and bonuses from his 2006 deal.
Seattle's playoff dismissal is another red flag. The Seahawks' inability to run the ball or stop the run resulted in their ouster at Green Bay, a 42-20 destruction in the NFC Divisional round. Seattle built a 14-0 lead inside the opening three minutes of the game before crumbling, with Alexander staggering to 46 yards on 15 carries to bring his total to 66 yards in two postseason contests.
Could a combination of Jones, Duckett and Morris have done better? It's hard to think that they could be any worse. They are certainly younger and cheaper than Alexander, and the very nature of player turnover in the NFL dictates that Alexander will be put out to pasture.