For a while, his nickname was Rock, a fitting moniker given his permanency in the starting lineup. But those days are over. Jon Jansen no longer is a starter.
The Redskins will start Stephon Heyer at right tackle for the season opener and beyond. It was not done solely because of an injury to Jansen; rather, it was based on Heyer’s performance at this position last season while filling in for Jansen.
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Jansen missed the final preseason game with a bruised left foot, with Heyer filling in once again. He is well enough to play in a game this week, however. But there is a concern that he could be the “anchor” the line needs on the right side. And that he could plant and hold his position the way he needs.
“Stephon showed in his pass protection that he can anchor,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said.
Heyer missed time in camp with a knee injury and struggled mightily in pass protection on the left side in the preseason opener vs. Indianapolis.
One Redskins source said players were “stunned” by the lineup change. A defensive lineman said he had not noticed a dropoff in Jansen’s play during practice. Former offensive coordinator Al Saunders, though, had expressed concern with Jansen’s play during his two years here.
Jansen has started 112 games since joining the Redskins as a second-round pick in 1999. But he missed all of 2004 with an Achilles injury, was bothered by thumb injuries the next two years and was sidelined all but the first game of 2007 with a broken ankle.
Jansen summed up his feelings in one word.
“Disappointment,” Jansen said. “I still believe myself to be the right tackle here and it’s not gonna be that way [Thursday] and that’s what I have to deal with.”
Said Heyer, “I’m excited to play, that I have the opportunity to play in such a big game. This is one of the things I’m preparing myself for.”
