By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Sports writer

Already it was shaping up as a pretty neat weekend for Jamie Silva. The East Providence native made the rounds at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and now here he was, standing on the 30-yard line inside Fawcett Stadium, chomping at the bit to make an impression.
As players from the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts – the team Silva hooked up with after getting bypassed in April’s NFL Draft – waited for kickoff, they took in the sights and sounds as the freshly-minted Hall of Fame of 2008 received one final applause. As one of the newest members of football’s highest order made his way to midfield, he took a moment to seek out Silva and make eye contact.
That acknowledgment transformed an awesome time in Canton, Ohio, into one Silva will one day be able to tell his grandchildren about.
Maybe it was simply the result of Andre Tippett remembering Silva, the New England lad who earned high marks as a high-flying safety out of Boston College. Whatever the case, the fact Tippett was looking in Silva’s direction created a tingling sensation throughout the ex-Townie’s body.

After all, it’s not every day a player, let alone a rookie, is singled out by a Hall of Famer, especially on his own Induction Weekend.
“(Tippett) looked at me like he knew me,” said Silva one day after his brush with the legendary Patriots linebacker. “He said something, but I couldn’t hear.
“I thought (visiting the Hall) was a great experience. Seeing all the busts … that was pretty cool.”
Colts head coach Tony Dungy gave his club Monday off, which in turn afforded Silva time to reflect on his own contributions from the night prior. He was not just limited to special teams, which seems to be the litmus test for all eager rookies. There were three solo tackles as Silva lined up in the secondary for much of the first quarter in a 31-10 romp by the Redskins.
“It was nice to make some plays, but there wasn’t too much action in my direction,” Silva said.
The word Silva kept harping on throughout the five-minute conversation was impress, and it shouldn’t take a football IQ the size of Peter King or Adam Schefter to realize why. Silva is currently in a fight for his football future. There’s nothing guaranteed, but all could change on one bone-jarring hit, Silva’s specialty.
The first cutdown day in the NFL is Aug. 26 (75 players). The final trimming of the roster comes four days later when all teams must meet the league requirement of 53 players.
“You have to stay healthy in order to impress the coaches. You only get so many chances, but knowing the playbook helps,” says Silva, who, among other things, is getting used to a new number (40) after wearing No. 44 throughout his BC career. “One mistake won’t necessarily kill your chances, but you’ve got to make plays.”
Silva has long been admirer of Indianapolis All-Pro safety Bob Sanders, who is three inches shorter (5-foot-8) than the 5-foot-11, 204-pounds Indianapolis lists Silva at.
“I’ve talked to him a lot. He’s given me a lot of advice on how to approach different situations,” said Silva about learning the ropes from Sanders, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. “It’s great to get advice from someone like that.”    
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For one final time, “D-Knight” gets to hold court over on College Hill.
It’s a last hurrah Derek Knight wouldn’t miss for anything, not after the Pawtucket native had his original senior season at Brown short-circuited. Knight sustained a torn ligament in his great toe last September against Harvard, an injury that came on the second play from scrimmage in Game No. 2.
Thankfully, Knight was awarded a do-over by the Ivy League in the springtime.  “It wasn’t a complete surprise; I was expecting [the ruling to be in my favor),” said Knight. “I was a little nervous because a couple of my teammates heard back about their redshirt status before me. Eventually word came, which was one less thing to think about.”
With a huge burden lifted, Knight began the long road back. He was able to begin running a month ahead of schedule, though Knight was held back during spring practice.
Knight did shoot over to the Brown campus whenever he could, mostly on weekends. What could be more important? The area that no college student wants to enter beckoned, for Knight decided to take a flyer on the “real world” and get a job.
He worked for Gilbane Inc., a construction firm based in Downtown Providence. “My whole thinking was that I wanted to get a full-time job, get some experience and build my resume,” said Knight, who is on track to graduate in December with a degree in economics.
The 9-to-5 life will be temporarily put on hold Aug. 21, the day Brown opens camp. Knight, who in his Bears’ career has 483 career rushing yards on 93 carries, isn’t worried how he’ll react once the first hit in nearly a year comes.
“I’ve run that scenario in my head, but I feel I’m not going to miss a beat,” Knight said. “I feel great.”
The Bears should be a force to be reckoned with on the offensive side thanks in large part to 10 returning starters.  Another Rhode Islander to keep close tabs on is Portsmouth’s Bobby Sewall, the all-purpose wideout who earned All-Ivy kudos as a sophomore.
“Our expectations come from the inside: it’s now or never,” said Knight, who was part of the 2005 Brown contingent that captured the Ivy. “I feel we have a lethal offense. Hopefully our running game will play a factor in the fourth quarter. I want the ball in my hands like (New York Yankees closer) Mariano Rivera.”