Shaun Alexander Could be Headed Home

Free agent running back Shaun Alexander was a Cincinnati Bengals fans while he was growing up in Florence, Kentucky, a small town 12 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Now there's talk that Alexander, the 2005 NFL MVP, could be returning home.

I don't suspect that many teams are presently beating down Alexander's door at this point, but it would make a lot of sense, from a public relations and football standpoint, for the Cincinnati Bengals to do so.

Last year, Cincinnati actually had a poorer season running the ball than Seattle did, finishing 24th in the NFL in that category. Rudi Johnson was limited to 11 games, rushing the ball 170 times for fewer than 500 yards, resulting in a dismal 2.9 yards per carry average. Back-up Kenny Watson ran well at times, but he's 30 years old, has just 9 starts on his NFL resume, and is better suited as a third-down back.

A healthy Shaun Alexander, perhaps motivated both by his release by the Seahawks and by playing in an area he thoroughly dominated while in high school, would be an improvement over Rudi Johnson on the field.

Alexander is also a local hero. He's a high-character guy with an easy-going personality that would instantly make him a fan favorite on a Bengals team that could use some good PR these days.