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Aching to be out there; For Jansen, sitting hasn''t been easy.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Patrick Hruby, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Off go the fireworks. Out come the Washington Redskins. Jon Jansen takes it all in - the bouncing, the hollering, the pompoms and white smoke. He ought to be out there, sprinting from the tunnel, ready to smack someone in the face mask.

Instead, Washington's starting right tackle leans back, reaching for another nacho.

"Normally, I'm fired up [during introductions]," Jansen says. "I run out as fast as I can."

Not today. The sun dips behind the upper bowl at FedEx Field, where the Redskins are playing the Cincinnati Bengals. Out for the season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon, Jansen watches from an auxiliary press box along with wife Martha and parents Larry and Ellen.

Washington kicks off. Jansen taps his fingers against a desk, chin in hand. Restless.

"Some people may think it's an easy year," Ellen says. "But it's hard for him to watch."

"Hard for me, too," Martha adds. "I'm not used to this."

Neither is Jansen. Before this season, the 28-year-old had never missed time with an injury - not in college, not in high school, not in Pop Warner. Sitting is new. As the Redskins come to the line, Jansen checks the play clock, notes the formation. What is the defense doing? The tapping speeds up.

"I'm mentally playing the game," he says. "Which stinks."

Cincinnati's Rudi Johnson breaks an outside run. They're blitzing the A gap. The Redskins flounder on fourth down. Jansen slaps the desk, excusing himself.

"It's like a big hole for him," Larry says. "I've hardly watched pro football this year. You're never done being a parent. When your kid is hurting, you're hurting."

***

Jansen knew before he hit the turf. He was pass blocking in an August exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, tangled up with Marco Coleman. Jansen planted his...