That would be the plan if Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander can't play Monday night against San Francisco because of knee and ankle injuries, aside from the cracked wrist he's dealing with.

It's too early to say for sure that Alexander won't play and Maurice "Mo-Mo" Morris will step in as the starter, but it's not too early to say there are Seahawks fans who would welcome having Morris in the lineup instead of the struggling Alexander.

Just don't ask Morris about it. He's not listening to any clamoring for a change.

"I don't pay attention to what's going on outside. My big concern is what goes on in this locker room," Morris said.

Through the years, Morris has been Alexander's backup, his slashing style with a burst of speed a contrast to Alexander's glide-and-slide, patient method of running the ball. Morris, smaller and more elusive, is a good change of pace.

But Morris has become a bigger part of the offense this season and last, mainly because Alexander was hurt and missed six games in 2006. Then there is the notion that Alexander doesn't look like the same player who was NFL MVP in 2005.

The reasons for that are many, but here and now, Morris is giving the Seahawks 4.6 yards per carry, while Alexander averages 3.3.

"He plays the game a certain way, he hits things pretty quick," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said of Morris. "I will say this, though: We wound up throwing the ball, one drive (at Cleveland) I threw it 10 times, ran it once. I think (Morris) also benefits from that especially if you soften things up a little bit and then the running game or the back has a chance to do some stuff."

Everyone who follows the Seahawks knows how underachieving the running game has been. Holmgren hasn't come out and said he will make a change, but Alexander has to be able to show good mobility by the end of the week. Or else Morris is the man.

As hard as Morris runs, he is susceptible to concussions and minor injuries and has missed time in the past. In a perfect world, Holmgren would use both Morris and Alexander as he has in the past, with Morris spelling Alexander for a few plays and getting a few passes thrown his way.

But the Seahawks are so out of answers that Holmgren said he will play to the team's strengths starting this week and look to pass the ball more.

Maybe the biggest challenge for Morris is getting the memory of failing to gain the yard he needed for a first down on a fourth-down run in overtime last week out of his head.

"That's going to be stuck in my head until the next game," Morris said. "It just makes you go out there and continue to work hard. It gives you more motivation."

The Seahawks could use some of that, having lost three of four. The running game is in a funk. Alexander is injured. Fullback Leonard Weaver can do some things as a ball carrier but isn't likely to get many touches. Morris is the guy with the breakaway speed and cutback ability who can make the Seahawks multidimensional and spark a renewed vitality in the offense.