Seahawks' Alexander out indefinitely with foot fracture

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KIRKLAND, Wash. -- The Seahawks' insulation from the recent hex of Super Bowl runners-up has a crack. League MVP Shaun Alexander has a broken left foot and will be lost to the Seahawks for at least a couple of weeks.

Madden Curse strikes again?
It is hard to ignore the trend known as the "Madden Curse." Since NFL players began to grace the covers of the Madden NFL games in 2000, misfortune has befallen each cover-boy -- including Shaun Alexander. ESPN.com examined the "curse" after it struck last year. Story.
Cover athlete	Impact	Game Edition
Shaun Alexander, Seahawks	Non-displaced fracture in foot	2007
Donovan McNabb, Eagles	Sports hernia in first game of season; team divided by feud with T.O.	2006
Ray Lewis, Ravens	First season without INT, missed last game of season with broken wrist	2005
Michael Vick, Falcons	Fractured right fibula day after game hit shelves	2004
Marshall Faulk, Rams	Ankle injury, never again broke 1,000 yards for season	2003
Daunte Culpepper, Vikings	Struggled to 4-7 before season-ending knee injury	2002
Eddie George, Titans	Career year, but key turnover led to playoff loss	2001
Barry Sanders, Lions (shared cover with Madden)	Abruptly retired week before training camp	2000
John Madden	N/A	1989-2000

Alexander missed practices last Wednesday and Thursday because of soreness from a bone bruise he sustained while rushing for 51 yards on 19 carries in the Sept. 10 season opener at Detroit.

Holmgren said last season's NFL rushing leader was on crutches inside team headquarters Monday, a special player's off day following their third straight win. Alexander had departed the facility by the time Holmgren made his announcement.

"You lose the MVP for a while, it's a hit," Holmgren said. "Let's face it, he's the MVP. We're not going to sugarcoat it."

The test of whether this crack becomes the gaping void that has derailed the previous five Super Bowl losers begins Sunday night at Chicago, which is also 3-0. Maurice Morris will make his fifth career start for Alexander.

Seattle has its bye the following week before playing at division rival St. Louis on Oct. 15.

"I don't think it will be real lengthy," Holmgren said. "Now, he just has to stay off of it and let it heal."

Holmgren said he could not yet specify how long Alexander would be out.

Fantasy Impact

Last season's league MVP has not performed up to fantasy owners' expectations through the first three weeks of the season. Monday's revelation that Shaun Alexander is out indefinitely with a fractured bone in his left foot won't alleviate any of those fantasy concerns. To help you make sense of how Alexander's injury will impact your fantasy team, we bring you the expert analyses of Eric Karabell and Will Carroll .

"We're looking at a few weeks, let's put it that way," Holmgren said. "The good thing is, it's just a small, little crack -- if you want to talk about a good thing."

Beginning in March, Holmgren has had a ready answer for the many who have asked about this: Since 2001, the Giants, Rams, Raiders, Panthers and Eagles have combined to go 31-49 in the seasons immediately following their Super Bowl losses.

"All that means is, everyone has had key guys get hurt," Holmgren said, a message he gave him players more than once before this season began.

Donovan McNabb, Stephen Davis, Rich Gannon, Orlando Pace, among others, all had major injuries that led to those pratfalls.

"There's no hocus-pocus to it," Holmgren said repeatedly.

On Sunday, the Seahawks welcomed former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch by featuring four-wide receiver formations, and Matt Hasselbeck threw a franchise record-tying five touchdown passes. Seattle's running game was already weakened by current injuries to starting guards Floyd Womack and Chris Gray and the top two tight ends, Jerramy Stevens and Itula Mili.

Now, it's Morris instead of Alexander. The second-round draft choice in 2002 from Oregon rushed 15 times for 18 yards against the Giants on Sunday.

"I do have a lot of confidence in Mo Morris," Holmgren said, adding the team also has "some roster things to do" by the end of the week.

"You have only one way to go. Just plug someone in and go."

When asked how he was initially injured, Alexander said last week, "People falling on you. It is just football. Football is physical. It is just one of those things."

Holmgren said the original bone bruise led to the small crack.

Alexander has started 69 of the last 70 games for the Seahawks. His only absence in that span was a 2002 start that he missed to help with the birth of his first daughter. He entered that game in the second quarter.

Last season, Alexander rushed for 1,880 yards and scored a league-record 28 touchdowns. He has just 187 yards, an average of 2.9 yards per carry, and two touchdowns through three games. His career average is 4.5 yards per rush. He has gained fewer than 100 yards in each of Seattle's three games this season, his first such streak in two years.

That all is far below the standards he set for himself. During training camp, he said with a straight face that his goal was to score 40 touchdowns this season.

"Every game I put unbelievable amount of pressure on me to do things that are just not normal," Alexander said last week.

"I look at the big picture before the season starts and then when the season is over and that is about it. After that, it is just week to week."

Monday, that became weeks to weeks.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

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