After winning NFL MVP honors following the 2005 season and signing a big-dollar contract during the ensuing offseason, not many would have suspected that running back Shaun Alexander would be given an outright release by the Seattle Seahawks just two short years later. But that's exactly what happened on Tuesday night.

Alexander getting the axe doesn't exactly come as a shock, but it does mark the end of a dramatic decline in performance with the club. The signs have been there for a couple months now with the acquisitions of free agents Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett, who come as much cheaper options over a guy who has severely underperformed based on the dollars he has been paid over the last couple seasons.

Injuries and a decline in play on the offensive line can be pointed to somewhat as reasons for the downturn in his production, but it also appears Alexander has lost a step. There were also concerns at the time that once he got his big payday following the 2005 season that complacency might set in, and that could also be a contributing factor.

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