Still Going Strong

As the Franchise Celebrates 75 Seasons, Hanson Remains a Key Piece to the Puzzle
By Chrissie Wywrot
Detroitlions.com
June 20, 2008

Hanson was part of the press conference announcing the franchise celebration of 75 seasons. (Photo: G. Smith)

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Though he is entering his 17th NFL season, Jason Hanson doesn’t feel his strength is diminishing.

He still has all of the physical ability to get his job done and is therefore looking forward to just another year of Lions’ football.

But while this may feel like just another year for Hanson, this is a special year for the Detroit Lions franchise as it looks to celebrate it’s 75th season.

“Detroit has a lot of history,” said Hanson. “I think, lately with us not doing well, it gets lost that there’s a lot of history with the team and some of the best players that have ever played the game have played for the Detroit Lions.

“I think it’s neat for these new guys and for the community – for everybody – with the 75th season to remember that there’s been a lot of great things about the Lions and a lot of great players.”

One of the ways the franchise will honor those great players is through the naming of a 75th Season All-Time Team. A committee has been named and fans will vote both online and via paper ballot to piece together who will be on that team.

As one of the greatest kickers in Lions’ history, Hanson is naturally on the ballot.

“It’s always been one of the great blessings of my career to be in Detroit for my whole career,” said Hanson. “(To be on the ballot is) special, (but) there’s been great kickers with the Lions. You just do your job.

“But to kind of be the ‘old man’ now, as guys joke, is kind of cool in the sense that I’ve been with the Lions for my whole career.”

Hanson is the leading scorer in franchise history with 1,659 points and holds all of the team’s kicking records.


Even after 16 years of NFL football, Hanson still gets nervous before big kicks. He alleviates that pressure by staying in the game by constantly kicking on the sideline. (Photo: G. Smith)

So, as he heads into his 17th NFL season, the question is: how does he remain so consistent?

“I have a routine and I stay on the sideline and try to always stay in the game,” he said. “I don’t do very well sitting on the bench, putting a hat on and then standing up a few minutes before I kick and getting loose. I get more nervous that way – I kind of have to stay into it.”

Hanson gets nervous?

It’s hard to believe such a seasoned vet who has shown such cool, calm consistency over the years could actually get nervous, but it is a reality of the position.

“My base personality isn’t like, ‘oh, this is no big deal,’ or ‘this is going to go in.’ It’s like, ‘oh, man, this is big,’ or ‘I’ve made them all week but what if I miss this one?’” said Hanson. “You have to have the discipline of learning how to, in the big moments, at least do what you’ve always done. Then the best part is actually gaining control of it and having your best focus.”

Through all his years of kicking, Hanson still considers himself learning how to do it well.

“There are times I’ve done it real well and there’s times (I haven’t),” he said. “And (doing) that doesn’t guarantee you perfection. It’s not as if trying real hard would guarantee I never miss.

“But obviously if you make most of them and people are surprised when you miss, it’s because you’re able to – in the big moments – at least do that. Focus in and do what you’ve always done.”

Throughout the past 16 years, Hanson has one of the steadiest legs in the NFL, but he doesn’t evaluate his season based on kicking percentage.

He actually looks at what he was able to do in the big moments to determine whether or not he had a good season. Last year – as Detroit fought for a playoff berth – Hanson would consider his season okay, but not one of his best.

“Statistically (it was) fine,” he said. “But overall, it was real disappointing in the sense that there were a couple kicks that I missed that were crucial kicks and that’s what I work for and those are the moments (the team wants) me to come through.


Being around as long as he has, Hanson sees the loyalty of Lions' fans and is hoping to be part of delivering them a winner in 2008. (Photo: G. Smith)

“One time I got another chance against Minnesota and made it. But then against Dallas missed one with six minutes left. It was a huge kick and didn’t come through. Those things are major disappointments and there’s no real physical way to train for them, it’s just the matter of coming back mentally and being ready to get it done.”

Hanson has never been one to shy away from the realities of the team. He knows things haven’t been the way fans would like them to be in recent years, but he sees the possibility of change on the horizon.

“It’s got to be different,” he said. “We say it every year, but I think we’re just building and building and building. We hit bottom and we’re on our way out. (Heading into this year), we kept a lot of the guys that I think help us win and that are great locker room guys. We’ve added some talent.

“It should just get better. There are no excuses for it not to.”

Throughout his lengthy career, one thing Hanson has seen consistently is the loyalty of the fans.

He has seen ups and downs from a team standpoint but, through it all, the Lions’ faithful have remained.

“They’ve been great fans and you wish you had a product that matched their support,” said Hanson. “I think it’s coming, but they really are – they’ve got to be – some of the best, if not the best fans.”

As the most-tenured veteran in the locker room, Hanson will often remind his teammates what it will be like when they realize success the way they are hoping to this season.

“I keep telling the guys in the locker room that if we ever could start winning and getting it done like we’re supposed to, this town would be unbelievable,” said Hanson. “I remember some games at the Silverdome when we were playing well and you had 80,000 people going crazy. At Ford Field we’ve just had a taste of it a couple times, but it could just be amazing. I’d love to see it start to happen.”