Curry has hip pointer

HOUSTON – Relieved isn’t the right word to describe linebacker Aaron Curry after Sunday’s game.

Curry had to hold his breath to bear the pain of lifting up his right leg to put on a sock.

But considering that Curry was taken off the field on a cart in the fourth quarter, the hip-pointer he suffered – while teeth-grittingly painful – wasn’t the worst-case scenario.

“I’ve never been on the cart,” Curry said. “Even when they brought the cart out, I told ’em I didn’t want to get on a cart. That’s just not a ride you want to take.”

Curry, the team’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, had no choice after teammate David Hawthorne collided with him on a fourth-quarter running play.

“Hat’s off to Heater for just playing full speed no matter what the situation was,” Curry said.

Curry stayed face down on the turf for a couple of minutes before he was rolled over. It wasn’t until after he was taken off the field that the strength began to return to his leg.

How was he feeling afterward?

“Better than I was on the field,” Curry said.

X-rays detected no fracture in his hip. His availability going forward won’t be known until later this week.

The other injury Seattle will be waiting on is Nate Burleson, who suffered an ankle injury after a third-quarter reception. He will undergo tests this morning in Seattle.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh left the game after a wicked fall in which he landed on his head, and did not return. He said after the game he is OK.