Sahawks Win The Game But Lose The Warrior

SAN DIEGO – The last thing coach Pete Carroll wanted in the Seahawks’ preseason opener was one of the first things he got: An injury to a pivotal player.

The Seahawks rallied impressively in the second half to pull out a 24-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers in a nationally televised game at Qualcomm Stadium on Thursday night, but they also lost left tackle Russell Okung to a sprained left ankle on the first series.

“It was non-contact. He just felt a pop in there,” Carroll said after the game, adding that X-rays showed no structural damage. “He’s real disappointed, obviously.”

But Carroll was just as obviously pleased with the effort of his younger player in the second half. In the team meeting on Wednesday night, Carroll dedicated the game to the them and they responded by scoring 24 second-half points after the Chargers had taken a 10-0 lead at the half.

“It was really great to see them finish the game,” Carroll said after they had done just that. “They won on defense and knocked the winning touchdown in with the third group in there and all those young pups in there.