Saints’ Bush plans to play on Sunday

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush said Monday that 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.

“I’ll be ready for Tampa,� Bush said about New Orleans’ game at Tampa Bay on Sunday.

The sprain is “something that’s kind of been lingering since that first game and hasn’t been 100% since,� Bush said. “I’ve just been kind of playing through it....It just kept getting better and better every week, and I got to the point where I was feeling pretty good, and now I’m right back to the point where I started.

“But even then I was able to play through it, so it’s really just a matter of me taking care of it.�

Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner from USC and second overall pick in last spring’s draft, left the Saints’ 35-22 loss to Baltimore on Sunday in the fourth quarter after being tackled by Bart Scott, who rolled over Bush’s lower legs as the two spun down.

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Shaun Alexander, the most valuable player in the NFL last season, won’t be rushing to the rescue of the struggling Seattle Seahawks just yet.

Tests showed that there’s still a crack in Alexander’s left foot. That means Seattle probably will not have the 2005 NFL rushing leader for Monday night’s game against Oakland.

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Veteran linebacker Chris Claiborne was signed by the New York Giants.

The team did not announce a roster move to make room for Claiborne, who was signed a day after starting weakside linebacker Brandon Short injured a quadriceps in the Giants’ 17-3 victory over Tampa Bay.

New York lost strong-side linebacker LaVar Arrington to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury against Dallas on Oct. 23.

Claiborne has spent eight seasons in the NFL with Detroit, Minnesota and St. Louis. He started seven of 14 games with the Rams last season and had 49 tackles before going on injured reserve because of a knee tendon injury.

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Detroit waived receiver Az-Zahir Hakim for the second time in 18 months. Hakim, a nine-year veteran, had 17 catches in six games with the Lions after signing Sept. 12. He had played for the Lions from 2002 to 2004, catching 117 passes for 1,523 yards and 10 touchdowns.... Defensive tackle Montae Reagor, who had surgery Wednesday to repair his left eye socket after it was injured in an automobile accident, was released from a hospital and could rejoin the Indianapolis Colts this week, but Coach Tony Dungy said he wasn’t sure when Reagor would begin practicing.

Backup quarterback Anthony Wright of the Cincinnati Bengals will be available to play at Baltimore on Sunday, making his return after an emergency appendectomy Oct. 13....Tennessee Titans linebacker Robert Reynolds pleaded guilty in Columbus, Ohio, to smashing a cellphone and punching a hole in a wall but avoided more serious charges after a fight with his estranged wife. Reynolds was fined $300.... Jack McGinley, the brother-in-law of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. and a part owner of the team, died of cancer Saturday. He was 85.