49ers game showed why Avril, Seahawks made sense

By Brady Henderson

The Seahawks’ offseason addition of Cliff Avril made perfect sense for both parties.

Cliff Avril

The Seahawks, having struggled to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks last season, added what some considered the top free-agent pass rusher at a very reasonable price.

Avril, having hit free agency only to find that the market for his services was softer than he anticipated, signed a two-year deal that allowed him to play half his games in the NFL’s loudest stadium, an environment that gives Seattle’s pass rushers an advantage over opposing offensive tackles. So, in theory, he could rack up sacks for two seasons then hit the market at age 28 in better position to cash in.

And while Avril missed Seattle’s season opener because of a hamstring injury, his debut on Sunday showed why he and the Seahawks were a perfect match. While Seahawks fans set a Guinness world record for crowd noise, Avril turned in one of the biggest plays of Seattle’s 29-3 win over San Francisco – a strip-sack of quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“I haven’t been in an environment like that in the NFL – maybe in college – but I haven’t been in anything like that in the NFL,” Avril told “Bob and Groz” on 710 ESPN Seattle Monday. “To have that kind of noise and that crowd behind you on defense, it was a great feeling. I think it definitely gave us an advantage.”

In the video below, Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby share more thoughts on Avril’s Seahawks debut.

You can listen to Monday’s show here.