John Wayne is known for portraying characters that are tough, dependable, and always do the right thing. Jon Jansen has always admired the Duke \u201cfor who he was on the big screen and what his character stood for in most of his movies\u201d. He has tried to pattern himself after those characteristics. <\/p>\n
When Jansen started his first game as a sophomore at the University of Michigan, he unwittingly started an amazing streak of 132 consecutive regular season starts. A streak such as this purveys all of the attributes that Jansen admires in the characters that John Wayne played on screen. The streak began against the University of Virginia in 1995 and it came to a shocking conclusion in Canton, Ohio. Jansen suffered a freak Achilles\u2019 tendon injury in the Hall of Fame game, the first pre-season game of the year. The injury not only meant an end to an impressive streak, it meant the end of Jansen\u2019s 2004 season before it even began.<\/p>\n
With the modern marvels of science and medicine, players are able to recover from Achilles\u2019 injuries and continue their careers. Cory Raymer suffered the same injury in 2002 when he was with San Diego, but rebounded to play in 15 of 16 games for the Chargers the following season. He has shown no sign of regression this year as the Redskins’ starting center. The first three months of rehabilitation is spent simply letting the tendon heal completely, followed by some minor stretching. The path of rehabilitation is a lengthy one, but one that Jansen will tackle with the same tenacity that earned him the nickname \u201cRock\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy rehab process is going slow\u201d, Jansen said. \u201cThe doctors say my best chance for a full recovery, which I fully intend to make, is to take it slow and be patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two months into the rehabilitation process, Jansen is slowly making the adjustment from player to observer. It is a difficult adjustment to make, but Jansen is not letting it affect his overall view of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy outlook for the game is still the same. I\u2019ve always played every game like it could be my last\u201d Jansen told theHogs.net. \u201cI will still have that view.\u201d<\/p>\n
The time Jansen is spending in rehabilitation, instead of on the field, may actually be of benefit to the burly tackle. The offensive line is a tough place to make a living, and as a result, an offensive lineman rarely makes it through a season without at least suffering minor injuries.<\/p>\n
Jansen said, \u201cI also intend to use this year to heal other bumps and bruises, which I hope will actually add years to my playing career.\u201d<\/p>\n
In light of not only Jansen\u2019s injury, but other high-profile injuries the last two seasons, many people around the league have insinuated that changes should be made to the pre-season to prevent so many injuries from occurring in meaningless games. Jansen disagrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving less preseason games wouldn’t have made a difference in my injury or many others, really\u201d Jansen said. \u201cGuys are still going to have injuries, no matter if it is in the regular season or before. The only difference is during the regular season the team got more out of your injury than if it happened in the preseason.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jansen\u2019s aspiration to become a coach someday came to the forefront during the media coverage following the injury. Jansen is one of the great technicians to play tackle in today\u2019s game, and is one of the most vocal leaders in the Redskins locker room. These attributes should combine to make him a great coach someday, however Jansen isn\u2019t ready to think about life after football just yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome day I would like to get into the coaching profession, but not until I have exhausted all of my playing opportunities\u201d. Jansen added, \u201cKnowing I should still be out there playing has made it difficult to get into the coaching mode\u201d.<\/p>\n
Jansen, like John Wayne, will always be successful at whatever he chooses to do. As Ethan Edwards, a Wayne character in the movie Searchers once said, \u201cI don\u2019t believe in surrenders.\u201d Jansen does not surrender. He is a warrior who plays with heart and pride and gives his all on every snap. He is a warrior who will beat this injury and be stronger for it.<\/p>\n
Jon Jansen will be back in the saddle next season, and you can expect him to ride off into the Hawaiian sunset, because that\u2019s what men like John Wayne and Jon Jansen do.<\/p>\n
— JansenFan<\/i><\/p>\n
Editor’s Note:<\/b> Jon Jansen has agreed to grant theHogs.net four interviews to keep us
\napprised of his rehabilitation, help us analyze the Redskins’ season and
\ngive us a little insight on just what makes a pro bowl caliber player tick. <\/p>\n
We would like to thank Mr. Jansen for taking the time to interact with his
\nfans. We would also like to thank Tabitha Brinkerhoff from Priority Sports
\nand Entertainment for helping us set up these interviews.<\/p>\n
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Scott Hurrey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"