Johnson followed with an incompletion, then attempted a short pass over the middle to Terance Mathis . But Koonce was standing right in front of the intended receiver. The linebacker picked off the pass and easily rambled to the end zone, giving Seattle a 14-0 lead just over four minutes into the game. But I hung onto it and was able to carry it in for the touchdown. The rookie's misery was epitomized by his final fumble, when he not only lost the ball but a shoe on a hit by Anthony Simmons .
Every quarterback has to go through that first game as a rookie.
Hopefully, it will get better. Kitna returned to the starting lineup after Brock Huard went down with a bruised kidney in a loss to Denver last week. Jackson also had a 71-yard reception on a short pass over the middle late in the first half. He broke through three tacklers before he was dragged down at the 1 by Ashley Ambrose . Ricky Watters dived over on the next play, giving Seattle a 24-3 lead at halftime.