After being cut by the Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago, former MVP Shaun Alexander is beginning to make phone calls to teams about finding a new job. One of his phone calls will be to his favorite childhood team, the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Making calls to teams. Bengals are on our list!” Jim Steiner, Alexander’s agent, told The Enquirer in an e-mail Wednesday.
The 30-year old Alexander (21 on Aug. 30) was born in Covington, KY and raised in Florence, KY.
Alexander signed an eight-year, $62 million deal after the 2005 season and has not been the same since. He missed six games in 2006 as well as six games in 2007 due to a fractured left wrist and knee and ankle problems.
With their ten (10) picks in the past weekend’s draft, coach Marvin Lewis stayed away from drafting a RB. Since his standout season in 2005, Rudi Johnson has slowly been declining due to a series of injuries (and a controversial new diet that many believe has caused him to lose his bruising running style). Michigan product Chris Perry has not been able to stay on the field, aside from the 2005 season, due to varied injuries. 2007 second round pick, Auburn RB Kenny Irons, had a stand out training camp and pre-season before having it cut short during a pre-season game in Detroit.
In my opinion, sign Alexander as long as you can sign him for cheap. The only running back currently on the Bengals’ roster who has been durable for the past two seasons is Kenny Watson. By adding Alexander, the Bengals have a back that, if healthy, has all the intangibles of a franchise back. If you sign Alexander and he, Rudi and Perry come back healthy, there would not be a better trio of running backs in the NFL. It is a cheap win-win situation for both parties concerned. The Bengals need a proven, durable back and Alexander has something to prove to all of the critics who have said his career is over.
Memo to all Bengals players: PLEASE stay away from becoming a Madden Cover Boy. The Madden Curse continues…
