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I watched Hard Knocks this season, and as Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott appeared on the screen, I couldn’t help but feel a little emotional, a single tear slid down my cheek as I thought about how that should be us. Those two great football minds, with the vision and leadership they bring, should be guiding our team and shaping our future. It’s tough to watch them succeed elsewhere, knowing what they could have meant for us. And yes, I realize Joe Brady is also with the Bills now, but I can’t help but wonder how much of his success is tied to having arguably the best quarterback in the league driving that train. It just leaves you thinking about what might have been, and that’s not an easy thought to shake.
Since the name of this column is “Ask the Old Guy,” I’ll go ahead and present my question: Am I the only one who thinks JJ Jansen deserves a spot in the Ring of Honor when he finally hangs up the cleats, especially considering he’ll likely have been with the team for around thirty years by the time he retires? — Jensen, Chattanooga, TN
Sean and Brandon are good at their jobs, but that’s the circle of life in the NFL. If you create a successful program, good people leave for bigger opportunities. That’s how it goes. And yes, they are good human beings, in addition to being quality football guys.
Also, if you hang around the NFL long enough, you realize how interconnected the business is, so everyone has ties to everyone else at some level. Joe Brady wasn’t here very long, but he was here long enough to “borrow” one of my pens and never give it back. I’ll never forgive him. (That’s a joke, Joe is also good people.)
As for your question, it’s built on the assumption that Jansen is ever going to retire.
He’s young and vibrant for a 39-year-old, which is a thing you can only say if you are on the other side of your own 30s. I think if he ever went in the Ring of Honor, you’d have to put him in alongside John Kasay, his old mentor. Between them, they’ve been a part of every Panthers season ever, and lead the team in points scored and games played.
They’re also true examples of the way you have to work — daily. John and JJ are big believers in routines and habits, which you build by doing the right thing the same way every day. That’s why they’re so consistently successful.