Have you heard? Shaun is already holding out. And Ruskell has drawn the line.And so it begins. I'm going to post quotes from two different articles that will speak for themselves.
The first is taken from the Trib, entitled "Ruskell's Law":
"Tim Ruskell will not tolerate Seattle Seahawks players uncommitted to the team concept, on and off the field.
"The Seahawks’ new president hasn’t had time for many interviews since diving into his work one month ago. But his message came through clear in a letter Ruskell sent to players earlier this month.
"In the letter, Ruskell demanded full participation in the team’s offseason workout program. He stressed the need for players to believe in the team concept without worrying about who receives the credit. And he outlined good citizenship as a value that is non-negotiable.
"“These things alone do not guarantee success,” Ruskell wrote, “but a lack of complete team-wide participation in the aforementioned areas almost always guarantees failure.”"
Couple this with the "Hawk Talk" bit in the PI:
"As expected, Pro Bowl running back Shaun Alexander is not among the players participating in the Seahawks' offseason conditioning program, which started Monday. Alexander was given the franchise tag last month, but has shown no indication that he is ready to sign the $6.32 million tender."
Mark my words: Shaun is gone.
What a jerk. He's letting his team down. He's letting the legions of fans, the 12th man down. Six million dollars ain't enough?
Get lost, Shaun. You just lost one of your biggest fans.
Blue - you can't honestly be surprised by this can you?
ReplyDeleteAs soon as SA was franchised I knew he'd hold out up until he was traded. Actually, it's in his best interest to do exactly that, since if he signs, he loses input into when and where he may be traded.
And that's what I was trying to convey with my earlier Ruskell post...that he's not gonna put up with any bullsh!t from the players, whether it be hold outs, DWIs, smakin' your girl around, or substance abuse.
If he clears out the hoodlums and malcontents, I won't care if we go 2-14 as long as I can feel proud of the group of guys we put on the field. Truth is, you get rid of the bad apples, and you got a better chance of going 14-2!
Too bad the OLE graphic is so big, it would have been perfect for this post.
I will say this. I am a diehard supporter of his, and everyone knows it. That being said, he should come out of hiding and make a comment or two regarding his holdout. Let's not get too crazy though, all of us are celebrating Jones, now that he's in for the long haul. It's not hard to remember the years he held out all summer and through training camps though. I'm not saying Shaun should be completely supported in this, but we can't get crazy in attacking him.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not surprised, I guess. I guess I was still hoping that the "Stabbed in the back" crap was just in the heat of the moment, because he had been such a model citizen up to that point, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. So I guess I'm just disappointed.
ReplyDeleteObviously trading him is a good idea at this point. But what do we do? Call his bluff and let him hold out until the season starts? He would seriously devalue himself if he did that. The best time for him to make a deal is now.
You're right, Paulie. But Jones holding out affects the team a lot differently than Shaun doing it, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and I can tell you that so far this offseason, he has dropped quite a bit in my eyes. It's a difficult situation for everyone, the FO, the Team, Shaun, and the fans. Hopefully it will all play out well.
ReplyDeleteMe too. My biggest hope is that he gets a long term contract w/ the Seahawks. But the way he's going about it hurts his team and himself.
ReplyDeleteWhy not show up for the workouts? What is to be gained? He'll lose value in the eyes of other teams.
He CAN'T show up to the workouts...he's got too much to LOSE!
ReplyDeleteIf he gets hurt in the workouts, he not only loses his value to the Seahawks, but to anyone interested in a trade.
His holding out is more about his desire to be fiscally responsible than him being selfish.
He/We just have the bad luck of this being a very bad year for RB FAs...teams that need them either have high draft picks or no salary cap space.
It will be interesting to see if he gets offered a long term deal in Seattle or if a trade materializes. From Ruskell's comments, it sure looks like SA's no longer welcome in Seattle.
In either case, I don't expect to see him in training camp or pre-season workouts until one or the other scenario plays out.
Naaaaahhh, I'm not buying it.
ReplyDeleteIf the guy is supposedly working out on his own, what's the difference? And if he participates in contact drills, that makes him more valuable because he's closer to game shape.
It's just a fancy way of saying, "I'm taking my ball and going home."
This is from Pro Football Weekly,
ReplyDelete"The consensus among our Seahawks sources is that the team continues to harbor hopes of trading franchise RB Shaun Alexander, who failed to sign his $6.323 million tender before the league-imposed deadline. But we hear the likelihood of any deal getting pulled off before Draft Day is pretty slim. If Alexander departs, the smart money is on the Seahawks selecting a possible replacement high in the draft or obtaining a veteran in the Travis Henry mold via trade. But we’re told it’s also not out of the question that backup Maurice Morris could be in the mix for a starting job. Alexander has maintained an extremely low profile since being designated the team’s franchise player, and it would surprise nobody if a sticky holdout situation developed in the months ahead."
Fascinating, it may be interesting enough for it's own post but I am too lazy right now to type one.
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ReplyDeleteNiners? Cleveland? Tenn? Oakland?
ReplyDelete