Seahawks | Alexander says foot feeling fine

KIRKLAND — Shaun Alexander's left foot is fine, he made clear.

The Seahawks running back admitted he likes to "crack jokes," when asked about the cracked bone in his foot Wednesday. He said, "No comment," but was joking about that, too, as he proceeded to explain the foot isn't a problem.

"I think by the time we get to the season I will be in the best shape of my life," Alexander said. "I'll be faster and stronger than ever and hopefully I'll be able to do some good things for our team to win."

Alexander said he decided he needed to let his loved ones know he was OK when, while hanging out with some kids he mentors, the news of his comments that his foot might still be cracked flashed on the ESPN news ticker. Then Alexander's grandmother called, inquiring about the story. He made sure she knew he was fine.

Alexander cracked a bone in the foot early last season and missed six games. He created a stir during the Seahawks' May minicamp when he talked about possibly getting an X-ray of the foot. Alexander was smiling as he talked about it, indicating it was nothing serious.

He did say X-rays taken right after the Seahawks' playoff loss to the Chicago Bears this past January showed the crack was still there.

O Canada!

Nate Burleson has lived in the United States for all but the first months of his life. Yet the 25-year-old didn't become a U.S. citizen until recently.

Burleson, as American at heart as anyone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, technically lived most of his life as a Canadian.

"I'm a full-blooded Canadian," the Seahawks wide receiver said with a grin and a chuckle. "I gotta represent for my people."

Burleson was born in Calgary, where his father Al played in the Canadian Football League. It seems Burleson's parents didn't fill out all the legal documents needed to make Nate a U.S. citizen. When the family moved to Seattle, nothing was ever finalized.

It was never an issue until a trip Burleson took with his wife to the Turks and Caicos Islands of the Caribbean a couple of years ago. Customs agents held up the Burlesons for hours in Miami because Nate didn't have a U.S. birth certificate.

Officers peppered Burleson with questions. Meanwhile, a few football fans at the airport recognized Burleson, then with the Minnesota Vikings, as an NFL player.

Burleson learned he had to go through the U.S. government to obtain citizenship and get his passport, which he received a few weeks ago.

But don't get Burleson wrong: He's proud of where he was born and knows some Canadians even see him as one of their own.

"I even have a little pendant that's the Canadian leaf," Burleson said, adding that he'd love to take his family to Calgary one day.

Notes

• OL Floyd Womack, who has battled injury after injury in his Seahawks career, walked out of practice almost right after it started with an unspecified knee injury and did not return.

• OT Sean Locklear was back after missing Tuesday's session. FB Mack Strong returned after missing the previous two days because of a personal matter.

• DE Darryl Tapp has yet to report as he deals with a personal matter.

• LS Derek Rackley attended practice for the first time this week but didn't do any snapping, though it's not clear what his injury is.

• USC linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. observed practice. He coached Seattle MLB Lofa Tatupu in college.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com