Jon Jansen: No One At Michigan Foresaw Brady's NFL Success – Or 'They Are Lying To Your Face'

No chance, no way. 

Not for a single second during Tom Brady's career at Michigan did anyone think he'd become the greatest quarterback in NFL history -- and this is coming from a guy who played in front of Brady for three years: All-American offensive lineman Jon Jansen. 

"I knew that Tom would be a good pro quarterback," Jansen told 97.1 The Ticket's podcast The Time That. "His game sets up really well for it. He’s a very intelligent guy, works extremely hard, can make all the throws. You look at it and you say, 'Yeah, I think he’ll be a successful pro quarterback.'

"But if anybody is telling you, 'Hey, I played with Tom back in 1999 and I would have told you at that time that he would win six Super Bowls, been the greatest quarterback of all time,' they are lying to your face. Because you couldn’t predict this out of anybody." 

Brady went to the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, replaced the injured Drew Bledsoe early in the 2001 season, and the rest is history. He enters his 20th NFL season on Sunday searching for his seventh Super Bowl. 

Not bad for a guy who was a backup in college until his junior season. 

Jansen, meanwhile, was a four-year starter at Michigan from 1995-98, serving as a captain his final two seasons. The Wolverines went 39-11 during his career and claimed the national championship in 1997. Of course, they had to share the title with Nebraska, who also finished 12-0. 

Asked if Michigan would have kicked Nebraska's you-know-what had they ever squared off, Jansen said, "No question. Absolutely. They were a good team, I’ll never take anything away from them. They won every game on their schedule. But when you look at the talent that was on that Michigan football team and you compare it to the talent that was on that Nebraska team, it’s not even close." 

So, is Jansen pissed the two teams never got the chance to play? 

"That chance is still out there," he joked. "I’ve called for it for 22 years now. If anybody from Nebraska is listening, if you would like to get together I’ll make a couple of phone calls and I guarantee you, other than Tom, who is still playing, I can put together a team." 

Anyways, Jansen said, Brady "would have to go back to the bench" in favor of Michigan's starting QB that year Brian Griese. 

Is the level of criticism directed at Jim Harbaugh fair: "When you are the head coach at Michigan or you’re a player at Michigan, the standard is and always will be championships. I get asked this question all the time: would I rather see this year’s team go 1-11 and that one is Ohio State, or 11-1, win the Big Ten championship, but lose to Ohio State? I’ll take that championship any day of the week. I don’t care how we get there. I’m very passionate obviously about beating our rivals, but I'm more passionate about being a championship team. And that’s where Jim will put more pressure on himself. His standard is a lot higher than any of us will ever talk about or be able to put on him. The fans, no matter who it is, Jim will always have a higher standard for himself and for his team.

"The criticism is always going to be there. I truly believe that even if we go 11-1 (this season), win a Big Ten title, get a spot in the College Football Playoff, but lose to Ohio State, there will still be people that say, 'That’s not good enough. He’s not getting it done, he shouldn’t be there anymore.' And it couldn’t be more ridiculous. You even (look at) his four years, he’s got three 10-win seasons. Anywhere else, they’re giving him an extension, they’re giving him a raise, they’re heaping praise on him. But when you are at Michigan, you’re at Ohio State, you’re at USC, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, it’s about championships. I don’t care what you’re record is or who you beat and who you lost to, it’s about wining the Big Ten championship and winning a national championship." 

What does he make of Michigan moving forward this season: "I think this is going to be a great matchup with Wisconsin (Sept. 21), and I am scared to death now that Jonathan Taylor is not just a guy that you hand the ball off to, but the had two receiving touchdowns (in Week 1) as well. You want to talk about speed in space, there’s a guy that when you get him in space can be extremely dangerous. And then Michigan State, their defense obviously looks unbelievable, as we knew it would. I think their offense is going to improve throughout the year, much like we saw them do in 2015. That Michigan-Michigan State game at the end of the year (Nov. 16), I really think the winner of that game will decide the Big Ten East title. I really believe that. 
What prevents the Lions from being a winning organization (Jansen played for the team in 2009 after nine seasons with the Redskins): "I wish I had a great answer for you, and this is an answer a lot of your listeners probably won’t like. But in regards to the Ford family, when I went from the Redskins, where it was a challenging time, because (they had been) purchased by Dan Snyder and there was constant turnover in coaches and players, and then came to Detroit, anything that a player needed, the Ford family was ready and willing and able to provide. Whether it was in nutrition or recovery for an injury or just in terms of the training staff, the coaches, anything that you could possibly think of, without even asking a question or batting an eye, it was there. I really felt like Mr. Ford and the Ford family were great owners. And a great stadium to play in at Ford Field, loved playing there as a visitor and when I played for the Lions. Allen Park is a tremendous facility. They do so much for their players, so I have a hard time when people say, 'It's the Ford family and they should sell the team. It's all their fault.'

"I thought this when I was there and I think it even more now. This is not a slight on any of their players or anybody that’s been there, but they have to value leadership. And I’m not talking leadership in the coaching staff or the GM. You have to find those players that are leaders in the clubhouse, on the field, off the field. That is paramount and more valuable than having the best player at a position, because they’ve had that in Calvin Johnson. He was a leader in his own right, but he was a quiet guy. Dominic Raiola was a very loud individual, but not necessarily a great leader because of some of his actions, whether it was flipping the fans off or saying some things. That’s just not great leadership. And as good a quarterback as Matt Stafford can be in regard to his numbers -- and this goes on defense as well -- you’ve got to have somebody who demands that everybody around them play at a high level, and demands that from the quarterback position to the center position to the wide receivers, running backs, offensive line, defensive line, I don’t care what position it is, that they are able to raise the level of play around them. That’s where I think they just haven’t done a great job of evaluating. And that is probably the hardest thing to try and evaluate -- who is this guy, not as a player but as a leader in the locker room and on the field? Some teams have lucked into those guys and some teams haven’t, and right now I don’t think the Lions have been very lucky in the leadership category."