 |
| Jahri Evans |
"Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly didn't get all those yards blocking for themselves," voters were told then ... which is another way of saying: "Surely, their linemen had something to do with it."
Voters agreed.
They elected the most decorated Browns' lineman of that era (he went to six Pro Bowls) to the Class of 2007, making Hickerson one of two senior inductees (Charlie Sanders was the other) after he'd disappeared from the Hall's radar in the early 1980s.
A three-time modern-era finalist, Hickerson no doubt was a beneficiary of the "someone had to block for him" remark. So was former Buffalo and Cleveland guard Joe DeLamielleure, a key figure in "The Electric Company" that opened holes for Bills' running back O.J. Simpson. Like Hickerson, he was named to six Pro Bowls. And, like Hickerson, he was a leader of an offensive line that blocked for record-setting backs.
So how is that relevant here?
Well, the same argument that helped push Hickerson and DeLamielluere into the Hall can be made for former New Orleans Saints' guard and Hall-of-Fame hopeful Jahri Evans. Like Hickerson and DeLamielleure, he was a consistent All-Pro and Pro Bowler with a litany of accolades. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, all-decade choice (DeLamielleure was; Hickerson wasn't) and part of an NFL champion (Hickerson was; DeLamielleure wasn't).
But it's the success of the Saints' prolific offense that plays an enormous role in Evans' case, just as the accomplishments of Brown, Kelly and Simpson brought clarity to the Hall-of-Fame arguments for Hickerson and DeLamielleure.
Simply put, Jahri Evans was the best offensive lineman on the best offense of his era. The Saints' offense set records and was always at or near the top of leaderboards in scoring, yards and victories. Consider that from 2006-16, the years Evans was a starting guard for the Saints, they accomplished the following:
--- Threw the ball more than anyone They passed 7,057 times, or 277 more than the next-highest total. They also allowed the fewest sacks with 274.
--- The Saints' sack percentage was 3.74. The next closest was 4.35 percent. So it wasn't close.
So the Saints threw the most and protected the quarterback the best. Something up front must have been working, and it did. Granted, Drew Brees got the ball out quickly, and that's part of the story. But ask him if he thinks his pass protection, especially in the middle, was important.
Because it was.
Coach Sean Payton and Brees didn't run a "chuck-and-duck" offense where they tried to spread the field, sent out as many receivers as they could and got the QB hammered. No, theirs was a highly sophisticated offense that was the NFL's most productive of its era .... or any era, for that matter. During Brees' time in New Orleans, the Saints threw the most touchdown passes, ranked first in total yards, second in points and second in team passer rating.
Blocking mattered, and the Saints had several elite offensive lineman. But none was better than Jahri Evans, .
With his success, you'd think he was a sure thing coming out of college, but he was more in the "unlikely story" category. The 108th overall pick, Evans was chosen in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft and became an immediate starter at right guard.
As a rookie, he was the third highest-ranked guard by Pro Football Focus, allowing just one sack in nearly 1,100 snaps. By his fourth season, however, PFF had him ranked first at his position. Evans went on to miss only nine games in his 11-year career with New Orleans, starting all 193 contests he played in (203 including the playoffs).
Surprising? Definitely. Evans played collegiate football at tiny Bloomsburg (PA) College, a story not unlike that of another guard, Hall-of-Famer Larry Allen, who played at Sacramento State. Both were downgraded because they didn't play elite opponents, yet both excelled once they reached the pros.
"I know there were going to be questions," Evans said, "but it came from not knowing as much ... or seeing the film and the stuff you see from D-1 guys."
Translation? "Give me a chance and I will show you what I can do with just a little experience."
The Saints did give him a chance, and he became a big-bodied right guard with long arms and strong legs who, like Larry Allen, could anchor against top NFL bull rushers.
"He will uncoil, show great power in his hips and plenty of lower body strength," said Pro Football Weekly, which ranked Evans as an elite guard. "Evans does everything the right way."
He could lead on screens, make blocks on the move, stone pass rushers who tried to run through him and move his feet to thwart those who tried to race around him. In short, he was a complete player.
"His transition into the league happened immediately," said former Saints' coach Sean Payton, now with Denver. "He is strong, smart, and very durable. He's powerful and good in pass protection."
The Saints knew what they had. So, after winning Super Bowl XLIV, they rewarded Evans with the most lucrative contract in NFL history for a guard, calling him an "impact player" after signing him to a seven-year, $56.7 million deal.
The contract was big but it wasn't incentive-laden. Instead, it was backloaded with money Evans would never see. At least, that's how it seemed. But he remained with the Saints for the entirety of the deal, collecting all the money over sevens seasons. Afterward, he signed on for a 12th year with Green Bay before retiring.
It's a great story, but it's not over. Not yet, it's not.
The next step for Evans is the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he was a finalist in for its Class of 2024 in his second year of eligibility. That makes him a leading contender to return to the Hall's list of 15 for the Class of 2025 and, eventually, put on a Gold Jacket.
“Jahri Evans," said Hall-of-Fame voter Jeff Duncan, "was the best player to play on arguably the best offense in NFL history."
But don't take it from Duncan. Listen to former Saints' quarterback Drew Brees, whom Evans protected for 11 seasons.
"The best offensive lineman I ever played with," he said. "There was no one tougher, smarter, as skilled or more reliable. When you needed a play, you were running behind Jahri Evans. He was a tone-setter, a great leader and fierce competitor. A Hall-of-Fame player and teammate."
Maybe that happens in 2025, maybe not. But it should happen soon, Because Jahri Evans was an elite player on an elite offense for a long time.
No comments:
Post a Comment