Inside mind of longest-tenured Panther: JJ Jansen’s weird habit, ex-teammates and future

It’s rare to see a long snapper holding court in an NFL locker room. But JJ Jansen, the Carolina Panthers’ talkative specialist, doesn’t have the typical personality for the job.

Jansen can frequently be seen chatting up his teammates and reporters. And his scope of conversation typically extends well beyond the game. In just one conversation with Jansen, the focus can shift from well-reasoned baseball analogies to a philosophical debate about, well, anything.

Jansen says he talks to think, which is why his gift of gab has become a staple of his leadership within the Panthers’ ecosystem. The 15-year veteran — who was acquired in a trade with the Green Bay Packers in 2009 — has become a leader because of his ability to chat with basically everyone.

“I love studying something and then doing one of two things with that information. I either want to teach it, or it’s some sort of strategy that I want to execute.,” Jansen told The Charlotte Observer on Monday. “I think a lot of the talking is processing what I’ve learned, and then a lot of that is teaching. The execution thing, that’s more strategy. Like on a baseball field, teaching the guys what to do or having a plan. But I think it’s a lot about how I learn, and I really enjoy teaching others — so you end up talking a lot when you do that.”

Jansen has been part of so many highs and lows with the organization that he has become a franchise historian of sorts. He has played for John Fox, Ron Rivera, Matt Rhule, and now, interim head coach Steve Wilks, and his understanding of the franchise is second to none on the roster.

On Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, Jansen will play in his franchise record-setting 222nd game as a Panther, passing his one-time mentor — kicker John Kasay — on the team’s all-time list. Ahead of the milestone game, The Observer sat down with Jansen to get insight on his career, his future, his former teammates and his unique personality.

Mike Kaye: So, first off, you’re not a traditional JJ. What are the origins of that nickname?

JJ Jansen: “My mom’s dad — my grandfather — gave nicknames to every grandson that was born. My given name is Jeffrey Richard. My dad’s name is Richard. But my grandfather didn’t like the name J.R. … In the mid-to-late-80s, J.R. Ewing was the bad guy on ‘Dallas,’ and my grandfather was very nervous that it would have a very negative connotation long term, so he went with JJ.

“That stuck for a while. I went to college (at Notre Dame), and I thought to myself, ‘Now’s the time to go by Jeff or Jeffrey.’ And I showed up on my college football team and there were five Jeffs on the team and two JJs, so I went with the lesser of two evils with JJ again, and it stuck. I tried to give it up one time, it didn’t work, and (I’m) JJ forever.”

Which of your previous three head coaches would you prefer to spend a five-hour car ride with?

“John Fox, because I have no doubt that there would be endless stories. He could very easily carry the conversation — which would be a thrill for me — and I would have really enjoyed getting to know him as an older player. I envied a lot of the older players who played for John Fox. They had a fun relationship. I was a young guy. It’d be cool to kind of go back around and reconnect on many of those things.”

If you had to share a tandem bicycle with one teammate — past or present — around Uptown, who would it be?

“Cam Newton would be just an unbelievable opportunity. To go around Charlotte — Uptown — with Cam Newton on a tandem bike — that would be unbelievable people-watching.”

If you could change one NFL rule, what would it be?

“Offensive fumble into the end zone (out of bounds), should not be a touchback (turnover). It feels very punitive. You fumble the ball out of bounds, nobody recovers it, you get the ball back. You fumble it in the end zone (out of bounds) — it’s immediately their ball and a touchback. It feels like it should be a reverse touchback. Like, you get the ball back at the 20-yard line or something.

“It doesn’t feel like the other team, not recovering it, but in their end zone, should be a touchback (and possession) for the other team. It doesn’t feel right.”

If you were coaching a football team as the head coach, and you could only pick former teammates as your offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators, who would they be?

“It’s funny because (former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen) is always putting together coaching staffs, and I’m always either the long snapper or his special teams coach. So obviously, if I’m the head coach, I think I would make Greg the offensive coordinator — which will make him immediately mad that he works for me.

“Luke Kuechly would be my defensive coordinator. Obviously, I played with (former Panthers linebacker and special teams coordinator) Chase Blackburn, and then he was my coordinator. That’s kind of an easy one. I would say probably Colin Jones, would be my special teams coordinator.

“I might come back to that (writer’s note: He does). I have to think about my coaching staff.”

Would you let your two sons play football?

“Yes. I didn’t play football until I was a high school sophomore. So, we’re kind of on that plan a little bit. The cool part about football is — outside of a couple of positions like kicker and quarterback — you can pick the game up a little bit later, because it’s so much about raw athleticism. It’s unlike baseball and golf, where it feels like those sports you’ve got to start early because it’s so skill-driven.

“So, yeah, probably something closer to high school, though.”

According to Pro Football Reference, you have 21 career special teams tackles with 10 coming as solo tackles. Are there any that stand out to you?

“Yeah, so in one game, I got (then-Seattle Seahawks wide receiver) Golden Tate twice. Golden Tate and I played in college (at Notre Dame) together. It was actually Week 1 of the 2013 season. I got him twice in Week 1. That same year — twice but in different games — I got (then-New Orleans Saints returner) Darren Sproles. That was probably my best tackling season.

“One that you won’t have on there — I got (former USC running back) Reggie Bush in college. That’s probably the highlight.”

What’s your favorite play you’ve ever made?

“I’ve been part of some really good moments. Graham Gano’s 63-yard (game-winning) field goal (against the New York Giants in 2018) was probably the coolest moment I was ever a part of. A close second would be, Graham hit like a 52-yarder in the rain — it was a really ugly night — versus the Colts to win in overtime (in 2015). That was a cool moment.

“And then, on an individual note, downing a punt at the (1-yard line) in LA (against the Rams) in 2020 was kind of the coolest individual moment. But nothing tops the excitement of that 63-yarder. There was nothing cooler for me, even though I didn’t kick it. But just being a part of it — that was special.”

During your Panthers tenure, who has been the best post-game speech giver?

“Thomas Davis. With Thomas, a speech could break out at any moment. Before a game, after a game, during practice, at the lunch room. Thomas was just so passionate about football and about his teammates. By far the best speech-giver I’ve ever seen.”

Who has been the biggest influence on your career?

“John Kasay has been a tremendous influence. One of the guys that I don’t talk about enough is — in terms of influence on my career — was Graham Gano.

“Graham got here in 2012, I was still a young guy — super serious — and he just brought a level of fun and enjoyment to the job that I hadn’t really gotten the chance to experience. So, Graham had a tremendously positive influence on my career as well. Just from the joys of football, he really brought a lot out and we had fun for eight years together.”

Do you have any quirky pregame rituals or any pregame rituals in general?

“I’m incredibly routine-based, so I do everything the exact same way. There’s nothing weird — everyone doesn’t think their own quirks are weird — but there’s nothing silly or stupid that I do.

“Everyone makes fun of me — on the field, I always hold a towel and I always throw the towel as I’m running on the field. It’s a little bit of a mental cue. Sometimes the (equipment) guys retrieve it, sometimes they don’t. They’ve all given me a tremendous amount of (teasing) over the years, cause I’m just throwing a towel. I’ve hit the kicker, I’ve hit people. Not my intention, it’s just a mental cue. I don’t even really realize I’m doing it — I mean, I know I’m doing it, but it’s all part of my routine. So that’s probably the weirdest thing — I throw a towel on the sideline as I’m heading onto the field.”

Let’s move on to some word association.

Luke Kuechly: “Brilliant”

John Kasay: “Consistent”

Punters: “Fun”

Kickers: “Weird”

Cam Newton: “One of a kind”

Jordan Gross: “Leader”

John Fox: “Hilarious”

Ron Rivera: “Steady”

Chris Tabor: (Laughs) “Comedian”

Matt Rhule: “Cornhusker”

Let’s circle back to your coaching staff.

“I’ve always thought that an unbelievable offensive coordinator would be Luke Kuechly. And the reason is, he knows every defense basically that’s out there. And I think one of the best parts about offensive coordinators is being able to attack what the defense can’t defend. So, I’ve always thought to myself, I would make Luke the offensive coordinator. It’s sort of a reversal. He knows defense.”

Which seems to be the logic of what they are doing in New England with Matt Patricia and it’s not working …

“Right, but Luke has never coached. Part of the reason I would think about Luke is he can build an offense that’s designed to beat the defenses he’s getting. I don’t know, I just thought about it. The easiest one for me would be Greg (OC), Luke (DC) and Colin (STC).

“So what I would do, if I could do it differently, is I would make Luke my offensive coordinator, I’d probably make like Roman Harper or Charles Woodson (a Hall-of-Fame teammate with the Packers) my defensive coordinator — Charles is one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with. And then I’d probably leave Colin as my special teams coordinator.”

Finally, how much longer do you want to play?

“I’d like to play four or five more years. I love playing a kids game. The relationships, the opportunity to compete with your friends in sports is so rare. It’s why everyone is playing pickleball and tennis and golf, and they’re betting — it’s all competition, right? So, it’s such a cool opportunity to continue to compete.

“There’s nothing like winning a game on a Sunday afternoon. I think players always leave and say that’s what they miss — the chasing of the victory and the celebration and fighting with your buddies towards winning a game. You can’t get that anywhere else.

“On a team level, I’ve been to a Super Bowl. We lost, it stunk. And I’d want to go back and win it — like everybody does. I think everybody wants to play and feel that experience. I know that winning a Super Bowl is sort of that once in a lifetime (experience). I just think everybody starts out every year trying to win, and I think it would be a blast to go through the whole experience, win it and be able to look back on all the highs and lows that went into meeting the goal. Thirty one teams finish the season on a down note, and the whole process is worth it, but you’re trying to win one. You’re trying to win a championship.

“And I just think that would be a really cool thing. Just to play long enough to win a Super Bowl. But it always comes back to, in my opinion, sports are about the relationships — playing with your teammates, trying to work together to figure out a way to win a game each week, and then you look up at the end or middle of February and say, ‘Oh my gosh, we survived this ridiculous gauntlet with highs and lows.’ The memory of winning a Super Bowl is a special memory, but I think the entirety of the season would be one of those cool things you pull on for a lifetime.”

An earlier version of this story misidentified the team against which Gano kicked a 63-yard field goal. He made the kick playing against the New York Giants.