In an item from June 18 that a reader pointed out to us on Sunday, Clark Judge of CBSSports.com explained that veteran running back Shaun Alexander possibly is drawing no interest on the open market because he has a reputation for being too soft. 

That was the prevailing opinion that developed as Judge polled the coaching and personnel community regarding the attitudes toward Alexander, the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2005.

“He doesn’t have anything left,” one NFC general manager told Judge.  “People are always talking about the numbers, but the numbers don’t tell the story.  There’s the injury factor.  And the hands factor.  And a desire and competitiveness that don’t seem to be there.  He’s never been known as a very tough player, and there have always been questions about his attitude.  I’m not saying that because he’s out there [unsigned] now.  I would have told you the same thing four or five years ago.  Basically, I don’t like him [as a back], and I don’t trust him.”

There’s also a concern that Alexander wouldn’t be worth the cash he’d want, given his stature and accomplishments.

As a result, there’s a good chance (in our view) that Alexander doesn’t find a financial package that he deems worthy of his talents, and that he decides to hang it up.

Meanwhile, a recent item in the Boston Herald, which cites the Judge report, seems offer up a bizarre suggestion that Alexander is being blackballed not because of his football abilities but because of his Christian beliefs.

“This principle is partly what makes Alexander a pillar in his community and a pariah to some NFL general managers,” the Herald item states.  “Football is not Alexander’s first love.”

Meanwhile, Alexander is hoping that a Higher Power will help him to sift through the offers (there are any?) and to find one that will help him finish what he started in Seattle.

“I’m asking God to close doors that need to be closed and open up whatever needs to be open so I can go there, win a Super Bowl, impact the team, impact the community,” Alexander told the Herald.  “That’s been my goal.”

It all sounds good on paper, but there are good Christian men on every NFL roster.  Apparently, God only wants 1/32nd of them to win the Super Bowl each year.

So maybe God has other goals when connecting a player to an employer.  Or maybe God doesn’t really care if a given man or a given team win the Super Bowl.

Anyway, it’s July and Alexander doesn’t have a job.  Our guess is that his best shot will come if he greatly reduces his monetary expectations, and if one of the top backs on another team gets seriously injured during training camp or the preseason.