Linemen engage in mini battle
Offensive tackle Sean Locklear and defensive end Julius Peppers will be helmet to helmet.
KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- Sean Locklear spent the first two nights of the week locked in jail. Now the starting right tackle for the Seahawks has to devise ways to contain Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers.
Locklear said he knows Peppers will be ready on Sunday, despite missing two days of practice this week with an injured shoulder.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "This is for the NFC championship -- unless he can't walk or something."
The trouble
Locklear is relieved that he will be there. Seattle police took him into custody early Sunday morning on a domestic violence charge after a confrontation with his girlfriend outside a city nightspot.
Then he had to stay locked up an extra day because he couldn't see a judge until after Monday's holiday.
"I think it is huge," Locklear said of Seattle coach Mike Holmgren allowing him to play.
"We've been playing together the whole season, so we don't want any distractions.
"But this did come up. So we want to put it behind us and get ready."
His thoughts during those two nights in jail?
"To get out," he said.
After that happened without bail Tuesday -- pending a Feb. 13 hearing -- Locklear met his second formidable obstacle of the week: trying to devise ways to slow the dynamic Peppers.
And he thought the week in 2002 when his former North Carolina State coaches moved him from defense to offense against his wishes was tough.
Subplots
There is intrigue over how well Seahawks league MVP Shaun Alexander will be recovered from a concussion Sunday.
And over how much Panthers receiver extraordinaire Steve Smith will be running through the iffy Seattle secondary.
But the key to which team controls the line of scrimmage -- and thus, much of the game -- could be the matchup between Locklear, a first-year starter, and Peppers, a Pro Bowler for the second consecutive season.
"There are a lot of things he brings to the table," Locklear said late this week, finally away from the unwanted attention his jail stint brought.
One thing is that Peppers, who played 56 games during his first two years at the University of North Carolina, is 6-foot-7 -- 4 inches taller than Locklear.
He's also faster. More accomplished. More experienced.
More of what Locklear doesn't need right now.
Recovery over
Even one potential piece of good news -- that Peppers had missed the Panthers' first two practice days with a shoulder injury sustained early in last Sunday's win at Chicago -- was short-lived. Peppers practiced Friday. No one can fathom him not playing in the conference title game.
"There's not going to be too many things that hold the big man down," said Mike Rucker, the Panthers' right end opposite Peppers.
He will have his own challenges facing Seahawks Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.