Alexander's return pushed back another week

League MVP Shaun Alexander won't be rushing to the rescue of the struggling Seattle Seahawks just yet.

Tests yesterday unexpectedly showed that Alexander's foot remained cracked. That means Seattle likely will not have the 2005 NFL rushing leader for next Monday night's game against Oakland.

"He had pictures taken today. And the doctors, medical people, are reluctant to give me the green light on Shaun based on what they saw in the pictures," coach Mike Holmgren said after the team returned from its third loss in four games, at Kansas City.

Seattle is 1-3 without Alexander. The Seahawks, with replacement Maurice Morris, rushed for a season-low 47 yards Sunday against a Chiefs defense that had been allowing an average of 124 yards rushing.

Reggie Bush said his left ankle injury against Baltimore was more of an aggravation of a sprain that occurred in Week 1 at Cleveland, something he expects to keep playing with . . . The Cardinals are sticking with Dennis Green as coach. Green was back at work one day after a road loss at Green Bay dropped Arizona to a league-worst 1-7. After rampant speculation Green was on the brink of being fired after the team's seventh loss in a row, Cardinals vice president and general counsel Michael Bidwill -- son of team owner Bill Bidwill -- released a statement late yesterday afternoon supporting the coach. Sunday's 28-14 loss at Green Bay capped the team's worst first half-season since 1997. The Cardinals have a bye week before playing Dallas at home Nov. 12 . . . Benched for the first time in his life, David Carr hasn't lost his starting job. Carr, who said he'd never been pulled out of a game for poor play at any level of his football career until Sunday, will be back on the field next weekend against the Giants. Texans coach Gary Kubiak sat down Carr after his third turnover in Houston's 28-22 loss to Tennessee. Sage Rosenfels did well in Carr's place, throwing for 186 yards and three touchdowns . . . Veteran linebacker Chris Claiborne was signed by the New York Giants, a day after starting weakside linebacker Brandon Short injured a quadriceps in a win over Tampa Bay. Claiborne has spent eight seasons in the NFL with Detroit, Minnesota, and St. Louis . . . The Lions waived wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim . . . Cowboys assistant strength and conditioning coach Tony Ollison, who became ill on the team's flight home Sunday, forcing the chartered jet to make an unscheduled landing in Nashville, was in stable condition, the team said . . . The games that will be televised in the Boston area Sunday are Cincinnati-Baltimore on Channel 4 and Dallas-Washington on Channel 25 at 1 p.m., and Denver-Pittsburgh on Channel 4 at 4:15.