Shaun Alexander Talks Seahawks, Kenneth Walker III, USAA and More in B/R Interview

Much of the discussion surrounding the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the 2022 season was whether they would tank after trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.

So much for that.

Instead, Seattle is 6-3 and in first place in a daunting NFC West that also features the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and a presumed contender in the San Francisco 49ers.

To hear Seahawks legend Shaun Alexander tell it, that success can be traced back to what the organization has been building since he came into the league in 2000.

"It's the culture," he told Bleacher Report. "When I first came to Seattle, they had only been to the playoffs a few years. Me coming from the University of Alabama, where winning is always a part of it, that was not the culture in Seattle. But by the time we got done, we had won the division four years in a row and been to the playoffs five years in a row and went to the Super Bowl. We changed the culture to winning.

"And then Coach [Mike] Holmgren leaves, Pete Carroll comes in and brings in Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch and the Legion of Boom. Even though they were all great, they also got to be part of a culture in the city that was like, 'Hey, we're winning.' And they took it to another level, won a Super Bowl and carried on the torch of winning."

It was up to Geno Smith to carry that torch of winning this season, and he has done just that while completing 73.1 percent of his passes for 2,199 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions in nine games.

He has outperformed Wilson and even defeated the Broncos in Week 1 all while building that culture Alexander highlighted.

"So now we lose Russell and everyone is like, 'Is this a good trade?' Well, losing Russell is never good, but we can always come back and do it again with the Seattle Seahawks culture that is built for winning," he said. "Geno Smith, we're so proud of him as he's just shocking us all. And Kenneth Walker is just playing lights out. I think he's going to win Rookie of the Year. You get all this together, and it's pretty special. They're in a place where they're just believing, and you can see it on the field."

Walker has been quite the backfield partner for Smith and has already exceeded the expectations that came with being a second-round pick.

The rookie running back has been a savior for the rushing attack ever since Rashaad Penny suffered a season-ending fractured fibula during a Week 5 game against the New Orleans Saints. He has posted 512 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in his last five games as he looks to continue the proud running back tradition in Seattle that includes Alexander and Lynch.

The Michigan State product has certainly impressed one of them.

"He's really explosive," Alexander said. "There's some running backs who are fast but not necessarily explosive, meaning in one or two steps he can attack a person trying to tackle him. Or he can catch a toss or pitch and he's juking out linebackers, and then in one step he's exploding. That always works in the red zone and the goal line. You see him running and then all of a sudden there's another gear he attacks toward the end zone. It just turns into touchdowns and big plays. And he's going to keep on getting better at it, so it's going to be pretty awesome to watch."

Walker still has a long way to go to reach Alexander's level.

The University of Alabama product was a first-round pick in the 2000 NFL draft and played eight seasons in Seattle and one in Washington. His resume includes the 2005 league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, three Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl appearance.

Alexander led the NFL with 370 carries for 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns during that 2005 campaign, which was his fifth straight season with more than 1,100 rushing yards and at least 14 rushing touchdowns.

His physical running style wore out opposing defenses and helped him improve as games and even seasons progressed, and he set a number of Seahawks franchise records, including rushing attempts (2,176), rushing yards (9,429), rushing touchdowns (100), total touchdowns (112), single-game rushing attempts (40), single-game rushing yards (266) and single-game rushing touchdowns (four).

So what would those numbers look like if he played in today's offensive-oriented NFL with a 17th game on the schedule?

"Prime Shaun? Those numbers are going to be stupid," he said while laughing.

While the Seahawks won't have prime Shaun for their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Germany on Sunday, Alexander is in the country as part of his partnership with USAA, which is the NFL's official Salute to Service partner.

He and former Buccaneers fullback Mike Alstott led United States military service members deployed in Germany at the U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria in the USAA's Salute to Service NFL Boot Camp.

Military members participated in many of the same drills used at the NFL Scouting Combine, including the 40-yard dash, broad jump and three-cone shuttle. There was also a friendly competition, with participants wearing Seahawks and Buccaneers colors.

"We're trying to give the military an experience they've never had before," Alexander said. "… It's me and Mike Alstott out here, and we've just been having a great time. It's just a lot of fun, we're laughing and telling stories and cracking jokes.

"It's such a great atmosphere. The military does so much, we're just trying to let them know how much they're loved and how much we honor them. … We can never tell the military that we love them enough and that we're thankful for them enough."

This opportunity is particularly important for Alexander since his brother served in the armed forces.

"I remember when my brother would call from Germany, call from France and call from different places in the United States," he said. "I just felt like it was so honoring and so amazing to have a brother who is representing the country and willing to give his life to help our country be amazing."

While Alexander is using his platform to appreciate the military, he was the subject of some recognition this year when the Seahawks inducted him into their Ring of Honor during halftime of their Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

He became the 15th overall member and the third member from Seattle's 2005 Super Bowl XL team (Matt Hasselbeck and Mike Holmgren) to receive such an honor.

"The experience was amazing," Alexander, who also got to raise the flag before the game in Seattle, said. "I felt so honored by the Seahawks to do that and be a part of their Ring of Honor that they're going to honor forever. It's really cool. Everybody who plays busts their tail to try to be great and to see if they can set goals that are so high it changes the environment. And that's what I did, so for them to honor me and put me in the Ring of Honor is just really special."

Perhaps some members of the current Seahawks can eventually join him if they continue to play at such a high level this season.