Jansen ruptures left Achilles' tendon
By Jody Foldesy
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
From the Sports section
CANTON, Ohio -- Right tackle Jon Jansen, one of the Washington Redskins' best and sturdiest players, ruptured his left Achilles' tendon last night in a 20-17 preseason win over the Denver Broncos in the Hall of Fame Game.
As coach Joe Gibbs made his preseason debut in his second stint with the club, Jansen suffered a shocking and demoralizing injury. Jansen was told by doctors that such injuries take four months to heal in the best-case scenario, but given his size he likely is looking at a five- to six-month rehab. However, the club is upbeat he can recover fully.
An MRI is scheduled for today to determine the full extent of the setback. Jansen felt the tendon pop and immediately knew what happened on the play in the first quarter. He said he wasn't touched by a Broncos defender and that the injury occurred when he "turned to run downfield."
Jansen, 28, is known as the "Rock" because he didn't miss a game at the University of Michigan and has sat out just one play in his first five NFL seasons. Last night he was just starting to adjust to the idea of missing an entire season.
"For me personally, it's a something that's a challenge I've never dealt with before," Jansen said in the locker room while standing on crutches. "I've never had to be helped off the field. I've never missed a practice. I'm disappointed and frustrated, especially with the new coaching staff. I was really excited about this season."
The 1999 second-round pick also is a key veteran leader, the only player acquired by the Redskins before 2000. He was the offensive captain for last night's game.
The injury occurred on a third-and-9 screen pass to running back Chad Morton. After the whistle, Jansen, on the opposite side of the field, momentarily tried to stand from a kneeling position but couldn't. He hobbled off the field without putting any pressure on the ankle, his weight supported by Redskins trainers.
Seated on a metal bench on the sideline, Jansen buried his face in his hand several times. Quarterback Patrick Ramsey and long snapper Ethan Albright came over to say a word of encouragement. After a few moments, a trainer draped a towel over Jansen's head and he was left alone.
It was unclear who will be Jansen's long-term replacement. Journeyman Daryl Terrell subbed in at right tackle on the following series, but the most likely in-house replacement is Kenyatta Jones, who started in place of injured right guard Randy Thomas last night.
Jones, best known for throwing boiling water on his personal assistant while he was a member of the New England Patriots, started at right tackle for New England in 2002. Jones' off-field incident was settled April 29, when he received one year's probation after pleading no contest to a felony assault charge.
Jansen's injury came nearly a year after nose tackle Brandon Noble tore his ACL and MCL and dislocated his kneecap in a preseason game against the Patriots. Noble recovered remarkably well and participated in the first week of this camp but didn't make last night's trip because of a broken hand.
Rosenhaus, Taylor reunited
Safety Sean Taylor made a sparkling debut after officially re-hiring agent Drew Rosenhaus. Taylor intercepted a pair of passes, including one early in the second half that he ran in for a 3-yard touchdown.
Meanwhile, Rosenhaus attended the game and said the Redskins are interested in discussing a new contract for his client after Aug. 1, 2005, as NFL rules permit.
"I have talked to the team, and they're gracious enough to entertain discussions at the appropriate time," Rosenhaus said in a pregame interview. "And [Dan] Snyder is the type of owner who wants to be fair with his players. So I feel confident that when all the smoke clears and all [this year´s first-round] deals are done, we'll be able to see to it that Sean's contract fits in where it should. We have some real issues with the way the deal was handled."
Redskins vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato declined comment, noting that a new contract can't be done for a year. Rosenhaus acknowledged that dead period but said, "Obviously we can talk and outline a plan. But that's really the extent of it right now."
Taylor signed a seven-year, $18 million contract July 27, four days before full-squad training camp opened. The deal could be worth up to $40 million with incentives but has been criticized within the agent community for not including enough guaranteed money.
Rosenhaus noted that Jeff Moorad, the lead agent on Taylor's contract, is set to leave the business and become CEO of baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks.
"In light of what's happened with the primary negotiator of [Taylor´s] contract leaving the business, it does raise some issues that we're looking into," Rosenhaus said.
Extra points
Bailey and Redskins running back Clinton Portis, who were swapped in the offseason's blockbuster trade, exchanged a hug at midfield during pregame warmups. Portis also ran through Denver's stretch lines to greet a number of old teammates. Bailey stuck around midfield after embracing Portis and shook hands with several Redskins, including Morton. ...
Noble and Thomas were among those who didn't travel to Canton. Also absent: running back Ladell Betts (hamstring), defensive end Phillip Daniels (abdomen), linebacker Chris Clemons (ankle), cornerback Rashad Bauman (hamstring), wide receiver Cliff Russell (hamstring), offensive lineman Brandon Winey (ankle), linebacker Mike Barrow (knee) and wide receiver Taylor Jacobs (abdomen). ...
The new WJFK-FM (106.7) broadcast team made its debut. Longtime color men Sam Huff and Sonny Jurgensen were joined by play-by-play man Larry Michael, who replaced Frank Herzog.
"I told them I feel like a free agent, coming to a veteran team," Michael said before the game. "The adjustments need to be made by me, not them. By the same token, I've spent the past two days with them continuously -- every meal, every minute. We couldn't be more prepared."
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Win and a loss
By Mark Zuckerman
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
From the Sports section
CANTON, Ohio -- The feel-good story that was Joe Gibbs' return to the NFL quickly soured last night when the Hall of Fame coach's first game back on the sideline in 11 years produced a lackluster performance from his starters and a devastating injury to one of his team leaders.
Though the Washington Redskins pulled out a last-minute, 20-17 exhibition victory over the Denver Broncos in the Hall of Fame Game, Gibbs' mood was tempered by news that right tackle Jon Jansen was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon.
Jansen's injury was the low point in a game that featured few highlights from Washington's perspective. Quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey both had ineffective nights, and running back Clinton Portis was practically an afterthought among the crowd of 22,177 at Fawcett Stadium.
"We got a big downer there with Jon," Gibbs said. "It took a lot out of us for a while."
Two of the lone bright spots came from two of the Redskins' biggest offseason acquisitions on defense, cornerback Shawn Springs and rookie safety Sean Taylor. Springs intercepted a Jake Plummer pass in the first quarter, then was one-upped when Taylor picked off two Matt Mauck throws, returning the second 3 yards for a touchdown.
And no one was appreciated more than Redskins journeyman backup kicker Ola Kimrin, who drilled a 39-yard field goal as time expired to win the game and save everyone from a meaningless overtime.
"It was a little different being back out there in the heat of battle," Gibbs said. "It was a hard first half, and it was my fault. But it was good being back out."
Taylor and Kimrin's performances notwithstanding, Washington did little to make Gibbs' ballyhooed return to the NFL a memorable occasion. In fact, the only image most are likely to remember from this game is that of Jansen sitting in pain on the bench, head in his hands as trainers worked on his injured ankle.
Jansen, selected before the game to represent the Redskins' offense as captain, went down late in the first quarter and immediately motioned for assistance from the training staff. A hush came over Washington's sideline as teammates took turns comforting the sixth-year veteran, who has never missed a game in his professional career.
That streak is now certain to end, and it's going to be some time before Jansen is physically able to return to the field. He's likely headed for the injured reserve list, which would end his season before it ever began.
"We're going to try to make the best decision we can for Jon," Gibbs said. "He's going to play here forever. I told him let's get this fixed. Now we're going to have to have someone step up."
Jansen was expected to be a particularly key figure this year as the blind-side protector for Mark Brunell, though the left-handed quarterback didn't do much last night to ensure victory over Patrick Ramsey in the duo's preseason competition.
Making his first game appearance in a Redskins uniform, Brunell never found a rhythm during his three possessions under center. The 33-year-old veteran wound up completing four of eight passes for 18 yards while leading the first-team offense to one first down.
Ramsey didn't fare any better in more extensive action. Coming off the bench to play most of the second and third quarters, the 25-year-old finished 3-for-8 for 12 yards -- hardly making his case to win the starting job from Brunell.
"We just couldn't get stuff going," Gibbs said. "There's going to be a lot to look at on the films."
If Gibbs was to pick his No. 1 quarterback based solely on last night's game, third-stringer Tim Hasselbeck would be the victor. Playing against the Broncos' third- and fourth-string defenses, Hasselbeck engineered a couple of nice drives, connecting with receiver Gari Scott on a 33-yard touchdown pass and setting up Kimrin's game-winner. The journeyman signal-caller has no chance of supplanting Brunell and Ramsey on the depth chart, but he did go a long way toward ensuring his place on the 53-man roster.
Though their reserve units looked good, the Redskins' starting offense and defense struggled. The first-string offense, led by Brunell, totaled 29 yards in three possessions. Portis, making his Washington debut against the team that traded him away for cornerback Champ Bailey and a second-round draft pick, ran four times for 11 yards.
Neither team managed to find the end zone in a ragged first half, with Denver's Jason Elam hitting three field goals to John Hall's one.
The Redskins clamped down on defense in the second half, thanks in large part to Taylor. The fifth pick overall in April's draft, whose pro career to this point has been marked by agent firings and league fines, finally made some news on the field.
Playing free safety on the second-string defense, Taylor did a nice job defending Mauck's deep pass to Darius Watts, stepping in front of the receiver to pick off the ball in the end zone and prevent a second-quarter touchdown.
Shortly thereafter, Taylor burst in front of tight end Jeb Putzier to intercept another Mauck pass and easily waltzed 3 yards into the end zone to score Washington's first touchdown.
"Sean had a real good week in practice, too," Gibbs said. "I'd say he was pretty impressive."
The Redskins' defense finally broke down in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, when quarterback Mike Quinn hit Putzier for a 2-yard touchdown, followed by a game-tying 2-point conversion pass to Charlie Adams.
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