I was watching NFL games last night with a friend and we were commenting on what freakishly good athletes NFL players were, even at positions that people might think don’t require it. Case in point, Los Angeles Rams punter Ethan Evans.
On Sunday in a critical divisional matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, Evans hit the best punt I’ve ever seen in the NFL, given the circumstances. The Rams led 21-19 with under two minutes to go and had to punt from near midfield. Seattle needed only to get into field goal range for their excellent kicker, Jason Myers, to kick the game winner.
The ball was snapped, Evans swung his leg, the ball sailed left towards the sideline and then, as if it was a dart and not a football, the kick dropped at the half-yard line and bounced out of bounds.
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“Ethan Evans, there’s no way he’s ever made a better punt!” Fox announcer Joe Davis enthused.
“You could not walk and place the ball in any better spot for that moment,” analyst Greg Olsen said.
It was a 50-yard punt of perfection and Evans was mobbed by his teammates. Seattle had to start at its own half-yard line and wound up driving to the Rams’ 43, where Myers missed a 61-yard field goal attempt and the Ram held on. Had Evans punted the ball shorter or out of the end zone, Seattle would have had a much shorter field and very possibly would have won. It turned out to be the key play of the game, something rare for a punt.
I was surprised when I did a search for Ethan Evans after the game and discovered what an amazingly strong athlete he is, as in someone able to squat 705 pounds. That is an insane amount of poundage for anyone to squat, let alone a punter, often the least powerfully built of NFL players. He can also deadlift 800 pounds, which is equally impressive.
Evans makes NFL stars like Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts look like weaklings, with their pathetic 600-pound squats.
When news about Evans’ 705-pound squat hit social media this spring, fans posted comments that would fit in just fine on Scruff:
“Great size. Look thick. Solid. Tight. Keep us all posted on your continued progress with any new progress pics or vid clips. Show us what you got man. Wanna see how freakin’ huge, solid, thick and tight you can get. Thanks for the motivation.”
For those wondering, I don’t know how big his behind is because I could not find much visual evidence, but it has to be impressive given his prodigious squats. But he does look like the total package from the front:
Ethan Evans punts for the Los Angeles Rams. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
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