For it’s long way from playing football for Riverside Junior High to being an All-American at Boston College, never mind the bright lights and big stadiums of the NFL.

But this is where it all started for Silva. Here in this city where he grew up, this city that acts as if it’s still a town. This city where his football dream was born, the dream that still lives on, even if it always seems as if he’s battling the odds as well as opponents.