Alexander points to cast
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Nearly every week this season, Shaun Alexander has had more chances to make excuses than yards. Each time, he’s mostly deflected the chance.
On Thursday, the Seahawks’ stalled running back hinted that the cast he’s been wearing over his cracked left wrist for the last six games has a lot to do with his production.
He has just 460 yards rushing – his lowest total through seven games since 2002 – and two touchdowns this season, two years after he set the league record with 28.
“We talk about it, but it’s just one of those things,” Alexander said three days before inconsistent Seattle (4-3) plays at surging Cleveland (4-3). “I think we do X-rays again Monday and do all the scans and I think that we’ll all be totally surprised, but now we’re kind of at the stage of, ‘When can I take the hits and bend backwards and things like that?’ As soon as we do that, then we’ll be ready to go. I can’t do that with the cast.”
Coach Mike Holmgren said Wednesday that doctors still don’t know when Alexander’s cast will come off.
“The cast is just too big,” said Alexander, the 2005 league MVP, even though it’s now black and far smaller than the white one he initially wore Sept. 16 at Arizona.
“It’s definitely different and definitely difficult, but we just have to go out there and play,” he added. “Football, everybody has injuries. And mine just is a bummer.”
Another bummer has been the Seahawks’ ineffective blocking and blown assignments along an offensive line that has three new starters since Alexander romped for 1,880 yards two seasons ago.
Tapp wears wrap
Defensive end Darryl Tapp had surgery last week to get six screws inserted into a bone below the ring finger of his right hand.
Tapp broke the bone while getting a team record-tying four sacks in the previous game, a rout of St. Louis.
This week, Tapp has been wearing a huge, club-like cast over the hand, something resembling a foreign-object trick from professional wrestling.
“Actually, it is going to be smaller. We’re just max protecting it right now for practice,” said Tapp, who has 5 1/2 sacks this season and whose play forced the trade of ousted starter Bryce Fisher to Tennessee in September.
Tapp, a second-round draft pick from 2006, said he already notices he will not be able to use his hands as much to ward off blockers.
“It’s a big difference, especially as far as a guy dealing with guys in the run blocking at practice right now. I can’t get my hands on them,” he said. “All I can do is get my nub out there and hopefully I’ll stand them up.”
Peterson scares Hawks
Seattle got a scare when linebacker Julian Peterson crumpled to the ground during a drill.
But after a few minutes of trainers attending to him, the Pro Bowl player jumped up, finished practice as normal and said there was nothing to it.