Monday, January 03, 2005
Sour Grapes
Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks finished 1 yard short of New York Jets running back Curtis Martin for the season's rushing title. Though break. To rush for 1696 yards only to come in second in a title that is only for pride...and to lose it by 1 stinkin' yard! (now, I'm not complaining too much...I had both Alexander and Martin on my fantasy football team!)
But Alexander says it's not his fault he didn't get the title. It's the coach's fault. His exact words were "I got stabbed in the back". Seriously? Alexander rushed for 1696 yards in 16 games and the 1 yard he needed was because the coach called a quarterback sneak? It has nothing to do with any tackles he could have broken? What about when he fumbled? He could have gotten an extra yard on one of those plays earlier in the year. What about those games where he only rushed for about 30 yards instead of 150 like he often does? He rushed the ball 353 times. There was plenty of opportunity to pick up one (or two for the title) yard in those 353 times.
Sour grapes. I'm disappointed in his reaction. I'm not disappointed that he's upset he didn't get it. But to blame someone else? Give Martin his props, be humble and take it like a man. It's really beneath him to blame it on the coach.
Maybe Shaun Alexander should take a page out of the late Walter Peyton's book. If any running back in the history of the NFL deserved a touchdown in a Super Bowl, it was him. But you know what? William "The Refrigerator" Perry, a defensive lineman, got one instead. Yet Peyton was a class act and as far as I know, never publicly complained or blamed anyone for it.
UPDATE: Shaun Alexander apologized for his comments. Specifically, he said:book blog.
I wonder if he apologized after reading this post? ;-)
But Alexander says it's not his fault he didn't get the title. It's the coach's fault. His exact words were "I got stabbed in the back". Seriously? Alexander rushed for 1696 yards in 16 games and the 1 yard he needed was because the coach called a quarterback sneak? It has nothing to do with any tackles he could have broken? What about when he fumbled? He could have gotten an extra yard on one of those plays earlier in the year. What about those games where he only rushed for about 30 yards instead of 150 like he often does? He rushed the ball 353 times. There was plenty of opportunity to pick up one (or two for the title) yard in those 353 times.
Sour grapes. I'm disappointed in his reaction. I'm not disappointed that he's upset he didn't get it. But to blame someone else? Give Martin his props, be humble and take it like a man. It's really beneath him to blame it on the coach.
Maybe Shaun Alexander should take a page out of the late Walter Peyton's book. If any running back in the history of the NFL deserved a touchdown in a Super Bowl, it was him. But you know what? William "The Refrigerator" Perry, a defensive lineman, got one instead. Yet Peyton was a class act and as far as I know, never publicly complained or blamed anyone for it.
UPDATE: Shaun Alexander apologized for his comments. Specifically, he said:
I'm human...Anybody can at one time pop off. I've done it several times. I think in the position I'm in, I need to own up to it...It got the best of me. I definitely blurted out stuff I shouldn't have said. I wouldn't want to take any light away from this team and what we have accomplished.Well done, sir. You've been redeemed in my
I wonder if he apologized after reading this post? ;-)
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