By SCOTT M. JOHNSON
Herald Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For a player making his first start of the season, Chris Canty sure found a way to stay out of the spotlight Sunday.
Until the final drive, that is.
Canty was victimized for a 45-yard pass reception from Jacksonville’s Mark Brunell to Keenan McCardell on third-and-25 in the game’s final minute. Canty allowed McCardell to run by him because of miscommunication in zone coverage, and only Reggie Tongue’s tackle at the Seattle 11 saved the tying touchdown.
“It was just a mixup,” Canty said. “With all the hype and no timeouts and everything, we just lost track of the guy.”
The play overshadowed an otherwise solid performance in Canty’s second start of his Seahawks career. Due to an injury to Willie Williams, Canty stepped into the lineup and kept his opposing receivers quiet.
The opposite side of the field was where most of the damage was being done. Former Pro Bowler Shawn Springs got victimized often in one-on-one coverage against Jacksonville’s Jimmy Smith.
“I love it,” Springs said of being tested often. “That was fun for me. That’s the best thing. It could have been better if I’d had a pick or two, but other than that I loved it.”
Despite giving up 10 catches for 117 yards to Smith, Springs said his confidence did not take a hit.
“He’s an All-Pro, I feel I’m an All-Pro,” Springs said. “He was catching those dink passes, but you know he’s going to get his.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for each other,” he added. “We talked after the game. He was like, you’re a beast, and I’m a beast.’”
With Williams out of the lineup, untested rookie Ike Charlton saw his most extensive action of the season. In what is a sign of success at the position, Charlton had a quiet game.
Williams, who had suffered a neck stinger in each of the past two games, came on the field for three plays during Jacksonville’s final drive, but only after Springs was injured on a special teams play. Springs returned to the field and was alongside Canty when Brunell’s final pass of the game fell incomplete on their side of the field.
According to Seahawks linebacker Chad Brown, it also had to do with a bad no-call.
After Brunell floated a 67-yard touchdown pass to McCardell near the end of the first half, Brown screamed at a referee for missing a holding call on Jacksonville’s Tony Boselli. By Brown’s account, Brunell never would have had the opportunity to throw the ball had it not been for the hold.
Needless to say, Brown felt some payback when he beat Boselli for a key sack in the game’s final minute.
“Karma is a funny thing, and I definitely believe in it,” Brown said. “It came back to bite him.”
Michael Sinclair had a sack to up his season total to 2.5, while Brown had two sacks in a game for the first time since 1998.
Dawkins beat rookie Kiwaukee Thomas on a fly pattern down the left sideline after the Jaguars had been favoring the inside to take away the slant pattern. Dawkins had told quarterback Jon Kitna earlier in the game to look for a changeup in patterns.
“We just got on the same page,” Dawkins said.
Tongue was flagged for a pass interference call in the end zone one play earlier, giving the Jaguars the ball at the 1 for one final shot.
On Tongue’s penalty, he appeared to cleanly break up a pass to tight end Kyle Brady in the end zone. Even though time had expired, back judge Bob Waggoner threw the flag.
“I got there the same time the ball got there,” Tongue said. “The ref was behind me when he made the call. He said I went through (Brady), and I was like, ‘Where else am I going to go? I have to go through him to get the ball.’
“I just tried to time it up. I happened to get a piece of him. I expressed to him, ‘I have a right to get the ball, too.’ I didn’t think I did it. (Waggoner) was behind me, and he made the call.”
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