What to do with Shaun?

"Absolutely (Shaun Alexander) is capable of, maybe not getting the 1,800 yards he had in that great season in 2005, but being a very productive back. I believe he can. ... There's no reason to think he can't come back and be a very productive back next year."

-- Mike Holmgren, Jan. 15

"I certainly don't think you could put it all on (Shaun). He's been a great player for the Seahawks for a long time, and one of Mike's favorites. ... Who knows how it will come out? We feel good about the group that we have right now, but we'll never stop looking to see if we can get better."

-- Tim Ruskell, Feb. 28

KIRKLAND -- The Seahawks have tried to say the right things when it comes to Shaun Alexander and his future with the team. Their actions have said something quite different.

The club added two running backs in free agency last week. First, it was T.J. Duckett, a big back the team tried to sign last year before he went to the Detroit Lions. Then came Julius Jones, the former Dallas Cowboys starter who lost not only carries but his featured role to Marion Barber last season.

But is either, or the combination of the two, enough to replace Alexander?

After signing Duckett, it was stressed that he is a situational back, giving the team a bigger runner (254 pounds) to use in short-yardage situations -- which have been a problem the past two seasons after Alexander converted on each of his 16 third-and-1 carries in 2005 to lead the league during his MVP campaign.

But one NFC scout said that while Duckett might be built like Brandon Jacobs, the New York Giants' battering-ram back, he doesn't run with that kind of power. Still, Duckett provides some versatility in that he also could be used as the backup to fullback Leonard Weaver.

The addition of Jones, which the club announced Monday, raised more than just a few eyebrows around the NFL because his size and style are closer to those of backup Maurice Morris than Alexander.

One scout referred to Jones as a younger (26), more physical version of Morris (28), a second-round draft choice in 2002 and Alexander's backup for six seasons. Morris has carried more than 100 times only in the past two seasons, when Alexander missed 10 games because of foot and knee injuries.

That's why some believe the Seahawks are not done yet -- and others contend they can't be done yet. It's the same situation with Alexander: Some want him gone and others don't want to give up on him until the team has acquired someone better.

So it should not come as a surprise if the team selects a running back in April's NFL draft, especially if Oregon's Jonathan Stewart or Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall somehow last until the Seahawks make the 25th pick in the first round.

Either one would give the Seahawks a player who runs harder, and is young enough to be the longer-term answer at a pivotal position.

If they can acquire the right back, or feel they have the right combination of backs, then Alexander will be gone -- even if it is later rather than sooner.

His base salary in 2008 is $4.475 million. If he remains on the roster, he will count $6.775 million against the salary cap.

If he is released, the cap hit is $6.9 million -- or the remainder of the prorated $11.5 million signing bonus that was included in the eight-year, $62 million contract he signed in 2006.

The team can split that hit -- $2.3 million this year, $4.6 million next year -- by releasing Alexander after June 1, or releasing him earlier and designating the move a post-June 1 transaction.

But the roughly $4 million they would save by releasing Alexander wouldn't be available until June 2, so there is no hurry to make a move.

Since being selected in the first round of the 2000 draft, Alexander has doubled the career expectancy at his position -- and put together one of the most productive five-season runs (2001-05) in league history while doing it.

Alexander's production has diminished the past two seasons, when he has missed games because of injuries for the first time in his career. He will turn 31 in August.

"We know the type of back Shaun can be," Holmgren said. "I am not ready to buy into the fact that he hit 30 and all of a sudden he can't play anymore."

The question that remains as the club continues to stockpile running backs: How much longer will Alexander continue to play for the Seahawks?