Determined Saint blocks out naysayers Paul Sokoloski Opinion

His eyes widening with indignant surprise, Jahri Evans seemed taken aback by the question.

He was reminded how rough the road to the NFL is for guys at the Division II college level, and asked if suiting up at a school like Bloomsburg University sprinkled some uncertainty into his dream of someday playing in the pros.

This was back in the summer of 2005, just before the start of his senior season at Bloomsburg, and Evans discarded his doubts as easily as he pushes pass rushers from his path.

He knew at the time Bloomsburg boasted only two other NFL players: tight end Bob Tucker with the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, 1970-80; and offensive lineman Eric Jonassen with the San Diego Chargers in 1993 and 1994. It didn’t matter to Evans, who suggested there could always be a third.

There are other good stories playing between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints that will grab the attention of Northeastern Pennsylvania football fans tonight. Starting with Colts coach Jim Caldwell, who spent seven years coaching receivers, then quarterbacks at Penn State – including Kerry Collins – from 1986 through 1992.

Saints coach Sean Payton is another guy who worked with Collins, when they went to Super Bowl XXXV together with the New York Giants. Payton began his pro career as a quarterbacks coach for the Eagles in 1997 and ’98 before serving as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Giants for four years.

So it’s no surprise that former Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey and former Eagles fullback Kyle Eckel, a midseason pickup, wound up in New Orleans. And the Colts roster includes ex-Eagles Hank Baskett at wide receiver and Raheem Brock, a defensive end.

None of them showed more determination than Evans, a Pro Bowl selection wearing No. 73 at right guard on the offensive line of the Saints.

A cracked knee sidelined him for his senior season in Philadelphia. That’s how he lost the recruiting interest of Division I schools, including Maryland, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

He wound up going to Bloomsburg on a scholarship that was part academic, part athletic, and all Evans did for the Huskies was produce one of the finest seasons a college offensive lineman ever had, at any level.

His blocking in 2005 allowed 46 of Bloomsburg’s 66 touchdowns that year, according to the school’s stats. He was named to just about every first-team All-American team in the country at that level for the second straight year.

A scout for the Saints who had Bloomsburg ties noticed the 6-foot-4, 318-pound Evans, who was selected by New Orleans in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He wound up starting the first game of his rookie season after an injury to Jermane Mayberry – another former Eagle – and has been there ever since.

He said during press conferences held during Super Bowl week that the biggest college game he played was his last one, an NCAA playoff loss to East Stroudsburg following an unbeaten regular season.

He is worth rooting for today, just as much as quarterbacks Peyton Manning of the Colts or Drew Brees of the Saints because Evans never wavered in his belief that willpower can whip even the greatest odds.