Hawkfan77 wrote:Why does it seem that most people voting in this poll are newer fans who came along during the SB run and remember SA during his years of decline?
I take Alexander hands down. I love BeastMode, but come on, this is SA by a mile. The guy won an MVP award! And for everyone talking about the line and how anyone could put up his numbers with that OL just stop. I'm not arguing that we didn't have a stud OL and the best in team history, but SA did what he did for years straight, it wasn't just his record breaking year.
For the record, not all of us are newer fans. We just happen to disagree with you.
Our O-line didn't just materialize out of nowhere in 2005. The Jones-Hutch-Tobeck-Gray combo had been together since 2001, which was Alexander's sophomore season. Hutch was injured in 2002 for 12 games, but by 2003, he and Jones were both Pro Bowl regulars.
Now look at Alexander's impressive numbers. They take off when he takes over for Watters in 2001, dip a little in 2002, and then improve consistently from 2003-2005. All of that happens in tandem with a solid LT-LG-C-RG combo, and the dip coincides with the one season in that stretch where part of the line had to be shuffled due to injury.
That consistency along the bulk of the O-line (and especially the interior of the O-line) is absolutely VITAL to a team's run game, and it's something we've never had during Lynch's time with the team.
And I want to make clear that my choice doesn't hinge on thinking Alexander was soft, or that he was in any way something other than an elite RB. The question was which back in his prime would we want for a SB run right now. And I think with the shuffling we've had to do on our line this season, Lynch is the better choice. He obviously isn't the same home run threat that Alexander was, but he's more consistent in getting positive yardage. The way our team plays right now, I think that's hugely important.