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tw i n c i t y do dge presents: boilermakers in the nfl Avril Big In Return BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com Seattle, a string In his first game inhad him aftermost of of injuries that out the summer and preseason, Cliff Avril But healthy Sunday, he proved what he can do. Seattle's front sacked Niner quarterback Colin Kaepernick three times and held San Francisco to 100 yards rushing. Avril's impact shouldn't be much of a surprise. In his five seasons in Detroit, he totaled 39.5 sacks, becoming one of the better, and more consistent, pass rushers in the league. Avril gave most of the credit Sunday to the secondary, telling the Times, "They allowed us to rush, made (Kaepernick) hold the ball a little longer than usual, and we got after him a little bit.'' made his impact felt immediately with his new team. The defensive end forced a fumble during a sack in Seattle's Week 2 domination of San Francisco, after he had missed the Seahawks' opener with a hamstring injury. "It's great that Cliff finally gets a chance to play and he was really a factor early and really had a chance to get three sacks in the game," Seattle coach Pete Carroll told The Seattle Times. "Cool to see that happen right off the bat." Avril was brought into Seattle to help solve the Seahawks' pass-rushing woes, signing a two-year, $13-million contract after five seasons in Detroit. But the offseason didn't start well for Avril, who was first sidelined by a foot injury before the Seattle hamstring plagued him in Cliff Avril missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury, but his sack-fumble in Week 2 training camp. led to a Seattle field goal in the Seahawks NFL West win over San Francisco. Spencer back Anthony Spencer didn't have quite the return he wanted — he wasn't statistically productive — but that he was on the field at all was pleasing to the Cowboys. Spencer had missed the preseason after undergoing left knee surgery in late July. But he missed only the first week of the season, playing in Week 2, getting in on 34 of Dallas' 67 defensive plays, according to the Dallas Morning News. A day after the Cowboys' 17-16 loss at Kansas City, Spencer said he was feeling some soreness. "As expected," Spencer told the Dallas Morning News. "I can walk and move around. I did a little elliptical work, a little conditioning." Spencer is not only working his way back from injury, but he's working into a new position, as well. An outside linebacker in Dallas' previous 3-4 defensive scheme, he's playing defensive end in the 4-3 in 2013. Fellow former outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware is doing the same. "It's different for us just because we're not used to not setting the edge, because we did it so much in the past (in a 3-4 scheme)," Spencer told ESPN.com. "It's something you've got to get used to." News And Notes R Dennis Kelly is likely to miss his third game to start the season, as Philadelphia hosts Kansas City Thursday night. Kelly, a reserve offensive tackle, is recovering from a back injury. R Titans' safety Bernard Pollard was fined $42,000 for a hit on Houston receiver Andre Johnson on Sunday that left the Texan with a concussion. Pollard was fined for hitting a defenseless receiver in the head with his shoulder. A penalty wasn't called on the play, after Pollard turned his head away to avoid a TWIN CITY DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM 650 Sagamore Parkway South Lafayette, IN 47905 See the 2014 Jeep Wrangler! 800-562-4581 TwinCitySuperstore.com GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 4 • 26