Jansen Happy To Be Home

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Our old friend Dave Birkett is the Wolverine correspondent for AnnArbor.com now, as many Den regulars already know. Jon Jansen's link to the school gave Birkett an excuse to write about Jansen joining the Lions.

When Redskins owner Daniel Snyder told him of his release in May, Jansen immediately called his agent and asked to work out a deal with the Lions. Two hours later, with Jansen still on Snyder’s private plan back to Michigan, a contract was done.

“My whole life has been built around Detroit and in the state of Michigan,” said Jansen, a Clawson native who kept an off-season home in Petoskey when he was with the Redskins. “I’ve got a good base of people that support me, and to be able to play in front of them was special. “I would have loved to have come here (coming out of college). It would have been great for me, but it didn’t work out at that time. I’m just happy that I get to play part of my career here.” ~ Still, Jansen said he’s “hoping to play in Detroit another 10 years” and has a minimum “five or six” seasons left in his rebuilt body
I think it is pretty optimistic for Jansen to think he can play until he is nearly 40, particularly considering the string of injuries that has taken a toll, but there is no reason that he can't play another 2-3 years.

Stirring the tea leaves, it's fun to envision Jansen pushing Cherilus to the inside for a couple of years with 34k running over a right side of the line featuring those two along with Pettigrew. It's pure fantasy, of course, but it's fantasy that would have opposing coordinators pulling out their hair.

Discuss it Here, in The Den