Happy Birthday Jon Jansen

Hog for life

Please join me and the entire staff of The Curly R in wishing a happy birthday to Redskins right tackle Jon Jansen, Jon turned 33 back on 28 January.

The Redskins drafted Jon out of the University of Michigan in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft, 20 spots ahead of teammate right guard Randy Thomas, selected by the Jets. Jon was a two time All-Big Ten player at tackle and a first team All-American his senior year in 1998.

He cracked the starting lineup with the Redskins immediately, starting all eighteen games his rookie year in 1999, sixteen regular season plus the playoff games against Detroit and Tampa Bay. That year Stephen Davis gained more than 1400 yards on the ground. Jon continued his streak in 2000, starting all sixteen games and helping to block Stephen Davis to 1318 yards. Jon's third year in 2001 was more of the same, Jon started all sixteen games, Stephen Davis rushed for what was then a team record 1432 yards.

Becoming something of a cliche, 2002 was another solid season, Jon started all sixteen games again and despite the turmoil of Steve Spurrier's first season which saw three different starting quarterbacks and a platoon of tailbacks that gained more than 1800 yards on the ground. Can you guess what Jon did in 2003? If you guessed start all sixteen games and play well on a mediocre team as the Steve Spurrier era came to an ignominious end then give yourself a gold star.

The Redskins played the Hall of Fame Game in Canton Ohio to kick off the 2004 preseason, in the first quarter of that game against the Broncos, on the first play of the Redskins' second possession Jon tore his left Achilles tendon and was lost for the year. Already then, five years ago, the Redskins longest tenured player (op. cit.), Jon was lost for the season, ending his 82 game starting streak, Jon had never missed a game in his pro career.

Jon rehabbed and came back strong in 2005, once again playing every game for the sixth time in seven seasons and helped fuel the Redskins for a two game playoff run. On the strength of Washington's offensive line tailback Clinton Portis gained a franchise record 1516 yards on the ground. Jon missed one game in 2006, game fourteen against the Saints, Jon had broken his thumb, again, the previous week and that is also the week we learned Jon had torn his calf muscle... five weeks earlier and was playing through pain. That season Ladell Betts gained over 1100 yards in relief of Clinton Portis. The team had nothing to play for on the way to a 5-11 season but Jon wanted to stay in the game.

Jon suffered his second serious injury in the first game of the 2007 season against the Dolphins, a dislocated right ankle in the second quarter. He would not play again that season.

Come the 2008 season and new head coach Jim Zorn, Jon was pitted against second year tackle Stephon Heyer, Jon lost his starting job before regaining it after three games. The offensive line, particularly the right side, struggled at times in 2008 though it was plenty good enough to send Clinton Portis through for a near franchise record 1487 yards on the ground and protected Jason Campbell well enough that he threw only six interceptions all season.

Jon had a tough season last year to be sure, now step back and look at his tenure with the Redskins and tell me he is not one of our all time greats.

Happy birthday Jon!



Jon Jansen: Washington Post photo from here.