NFC POSTSEASON Carolina loses ball carrier Foster

He suffered a broken right leg in Carolina's playoff win over Chicago.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- DeShaun Foster pushed the passenger side door open and gently eased himself out of the car, carefully balancing his weight to keep pressure off his broken right leg.
A guard offered to get him a golf cart, but Foster refused and stoically proceeded on crutches toward the player's entrance at Bank of America Stadium.
"I'm doing OK," he said, his voice barley above a whisper. "I'll be OK."
Foster will indeed eventually be OK.
But Monday, Carolina's featured running back was still dealing with the emotions of yet another season-ending injury.
Foster broke his fibula when he was tackled in the third quarter of Sunday's NFC divisional playoff win over Chicago. He'll need surgery to repair it, but will hold off on the procedure so he can accompany the team to Seattle and play cheerleader during the NFC championship game.
"He's obviously down," coach John Fox said. "He worked very hard to get himself and ourselves to this position, and I think like most guys he's disappointed. He's a strong kid and he seems to be in a little better spirits today."
The injury comes at the most inopportune time for Foster and the Panthers.
Finally became starter
Foster had finally gotten the starring role he has long coveted, inheriting the job Dec. 17 when the Panthers placed three-time Pro Bowler Stephen Davis on injured reserve with a lingering knee problem.
Although he didn't rush right out of the gate, Foster hit his stride with a combined 316 yards rushing in the regular season finale and a wild card win over the New York Giants.
He was chipping away at the Bears' defense Sunday, running for 54 yards on 16 carries before his right leg was twisted when linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer dragged him down from the side and landed on him.
"The leg got caught up underneath me," Foster said. "I heard it pop, so I knew right away [it was broken]."
It's the third season-ending injury in Foster's four-year career: He blew out his knee in a preseason game his rookie year, was healthy as Davis' understudy during Carolina's Super Bowl run two seasons ago, then missed 12 games in 2004 with a broken collarbone.
But this latest injury could be the costliest for Foster, who is in the final year of his contract with Carolina.
Injury upon injury
He chose not to negotiate with the Panthers until the season ended, and his recent play helped position him for a fat payday either in Carolina or elsewhere. But injury upon injury has created questions about his durability, and this latest setback won't help.
Nor will it help the Panthers, who need a strong runner if they've got any chance to make it back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons.
The job will go to Nick Goings, who admirably filled in last year when Carolina lost five running backs to injuries. Elevated from sixth on the depth chart to starter, Goings settled in with five 100-yard rushing games and finished the year with 821 yards and six touchdowns.
"He's no stranger to us and he's no stranger to our opponents," Fox said. "He's a guy who played a lot for us a year ago. He's a guy who has respect and confidence from his team, his teammates and me. He's a guy we feel comfortable with."
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