Bucs/NFL

Seahawk prays but won't play

By TIMES WIRES
Published September 28, 2006

KIRKLAND, Wash. - Shaun Alexander asked for and got another round of CT scans Wednesday on the previously diagnosed cracked bone in his left foot. But the tests showed the same break in the fourth metatarsal that was there Monday.

So despite feeling "great" after two days of praying and "a bone machine" feverishly working at Alexander's house, he says he is out indefinitely.

"Unless it's the Super Bowl, I don't think that Mike would even let me think about playing," an upbeat Alexander said of coach Mike Holmgren. "A lot of swelling is gone, a lot of blood from the bone (is gone), but there is still a crack."

Holmgren saw Alexander in the team headquarters Wednesday morning without the boot given to him by trainers and was beginning to "jump all over him."

Alexander then surprised his coach by telling him that he was ready to play Sunday against the Bears.

"Shaun Alexander came in feeling very, very good. Kind of frisky, as a matter of fact. Told me he could play in the game," Holmgren said earlier Wednesday, before Alexander's latest tests.

"I said, 'Wait a second. Let's take a deep breath here.' But he really believes that he is feeling good enough to play."

He still does, even after his retest. When asked if he felt healed, Alexander said, "In a sense, yeah."

"I still got inside of me a little bit of wishful thinking, like I might heal up (for Sunday)," he said, chuckling.

Alexander initially bruised the foot in the season opener at Detroit. He told friends, family and Holmgren that he believes the power of prayer has healed his foot. Holmgren did not completely discount that power.

"I believe in the power of prayer," he said.

"Let me put it that way."

Chargers safety says he shipped cough syrup

SAN DIEGO - Chargers safety Terrence Kiel admitted to shipping at least two parcels of prescription cough syrup to Texas, Drug Enforcement Agency officials said Wednesday, a day after Kiel was arrested at team headquarters.

While Kiel did not disclose his motive, the agency in Texas has found widespread abuse of codeine-based cough syrup mixed with soft drinks or drugs and referred to as "lean," said John Fernandes, the special agent in charge of the San Diego office. A pint bottle of "lean" can cost between $200 and $325 on the street, he said.

Kiel was arrested on two counts of transporting a controlled substance and three counts of possession for sale of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

Kiel's status for Sunday's game at Baltimore was not immediately known. He was jailed Tuesday and released on bail.

Also, the team announced fellow safety Bhawoh Jue will miss Sunday's game after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday. His status from there will be determined next week.

Bengals: Linebacker Odell Thurman, already suspended for the first four games of 2006 for violating the league's substance abuse policy, was suspended for the rest of the season after his arrest on a charge of drunken driving. He was arrested at about 3 a.m. Monday, and police said his blood alcohol was 0.18, more than twice the level of 0.08 at which a person is presumed impaired in Ohio.

Also, rookie defensive end Frostee Rucker went on injured reserve and will miss the season. The third-round pick out of Southern Cal has not played this season because of a shoulder injury.

LIONS: Receiver Corey Bradford was released. The nine-year veteran, who signed a $7.4-million, four-year deal in March, caught three passes for 36 yards in the opener but none as a reserve in the past two games.

PANTHERS: Linebacker Dan Morgan and tight end Mike Seidman won't play Sunday against New Orleans. Morgan hasn't played since sustaining his fifth career concussion in the opener, and coach John Fox said there is no target date for his return. Seidman hurt his knee Sunday.

RAMS: Seven-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Pace was limited in practice due to post-concussion syndrome and is questionable for Sunday. He was hurt Sept. 17 when he was bowled over on an extra point.

Also, defensive end Anthony Hargrove returned to practice. He was fined an undisclosed amount after skipping two days of practice and meetings last week. Hargrove apologized to the team but declined to disclose where he was.

REDSKINS: Quarterback Mark Brunell sat out practice as a precautionary measure. He sustained a large cut on his throwing elbow Sunday when he was shoved by Houston's Thomas Johnson during a fumble return. He sustained an infected cut on the same elbow three years ago.

VIKINGS: Quarterback Drew Henson was signed to the practice squad while Tarvaris Jackson recovers from a knee injury. The ex-Yankee minor-leaguer signed an eight-year deal with Dallas in 2003 that included $3.5-million guaranteed. But he started only one game, in 2004, before being released this past preseason.

[Last modified September 28, 2006, 05:56:54]