Seahawks' Alexander may face the Panthers

The league rushing champ and MVP suffered a concussion in Sunday's win.
KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- A smiling Shaun Alexander said Monday he expects to play in Sunday's NFC championship game against the Carolina Panthers after he suffered a concussion in Seattle's playoff win over Washington.
"We've got to wait and see," Alexander said after seeing doctors and passing more tests Monday. "But it looks pretty good.
"It is what it is. We play a violent sport."
The league rushing champion and MVP said he has not had any lingering symptoms from the blow to the side of his helmet he took while two Redskins tackled him 10 1/2 minutes into Saturday's game.
He joked and ran his hand against the side of his shaved head when asked if he felt as good as he looked.
"Um, no," he said. "I wish."
Will monitor Alexander
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said doctors and the team will continue to monitor Alexander. But the coach expects Alexander to practice Wednesday, the Seahawks' next work day.
"It feels great," Holmgren said of Alexander's apparent return. "He's the MVP of football ... but more than [that], anytime you see a guy go down like that, you get nervous about him more than as a football player."
The Seahawks, like all teams, don't hit in practices this late in a season. So there is little concern Alexander will be endangered before Sunday.
"He didn't get tired on Saturday," Holmgren said, smiling while referring to Alexander's six carries. "So he should be pretty fresh."
Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, whose running and passing led Seattle to the win after Alexander left, also expects to have his record-breaking runner back.
"He's playing, as far as I'm concerned," Hasselbeck said. "Why wouldn't you? It's a big game."
How it happened
Holmgren said game film appeared to show Washington linebacker LaVar Arrington hit Alexander in the side of his helmet with a knee. Alexander said he believed he was hit in the back of head, near his neck.
Alexander spent half hour or so seated on Seattle's bench wearing a team coat with the hood pulled up and rarely interacting with anyone. By the second half, the new league record holder with 28 touchdowns this season was leading the cheers for his top-seeded team.
He said he remembers getting hit -- and then nothing until he was sitting by himself on the bench.
"I looked up and saw Matt on the scoreboard (video screen)," he said. "And I looked down the bench and saw all the linemen gone. I said, 'Did I get knocked out?'
"I was out for about 20 minutes," the former Alabama star said. "For about 20 minutes there, I didn't know if it was me. I didn't know if we were, you know, playing the Auburn Tigers.
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