Hangin' with the Boys: Beard Talk With D-Jack

like his third go round with us. Yeah. Yeah, Darius Jackson or DJ or D Jacks. What do you go by? What do you like? Whatever it is? I mean, it's kind of like it's kind of like girls, and like my mom my mom kind of called me Darius. My grandmama called me Darius. My girlfriend might call me Darius. The guys call me DJ. And if you want to spice it up, I kind of like D Jack, D Jack All right, D Jack or D Jacks D Jack you know either either or I like D Jack because

it makes you sound like ripped. Yeah, yeah, okay, we're gonna go with D Jack. Yeah, how's it been going? Man? Man? It's been going great. Yeah, great, it feel it feels good out here. I mean it's it doesn't get better than this. You know, I'm in a great mood because of seventy degrees. We're out here in California training camp with the Cowboys. Can't complain at all. No, it's hard to complain. And if you if you complain, everybody looks

at you like you're crazy, Like what are you talking about? Like, oh, man, you got the best job in the world. You're in the best weather in the world. We get to play football every day. Yeah, for the best team in the NFL. There you go, man, no complaints. Yeah, so talking talking about that best team in the NFL. You've you've been around the block a few times in your short career. You were what here, and then you left and went Cleveland. I went to Cleveland. I went to Cleveland my rookie year,

and I was there. I was there a full year. I had had a knee injury. I tore macy, so I was on IR that year and then uh, once I got released in set eighteen eighteen, I came back. I came back and then then where the forty four days for a few months yeah, and then I parted ways, parted ways for again for another six five six weeks, went to Green Bay, and now I'm back, hopefully here to stay in that two six two six. Yeah, there any significance in any of the numbers, you know what,

I was six in college? Um, I was six in college. I was twenty six in the NFLPA Game All Star Game. So it just I kind of liked it. I kind of like rocking that two six. So when it was open, we haven't had a running back in that in a while, its DBS, so I was like, you know, let's do It's okay, Like, you know, I want that two six. I like it. I like it. Cleveland and Green Bay in Dallas are three very different cities, very different, very different,

not football wise, but just living and lifestyle. Tell me the difference in like, what is it typical because we go to Green Bay, we usually stay in Appleton, which Appleton's kind of cool, but green Bay there's not. There's probably like a Lubi's and that's about it, right, And cheese Kurds, like, what is there to do at night or on the weekends in Green Bay? Yeah? Um, during the day, Yeah, we're actually talking about this. He's like, hey,

it's your choice. It's either Applebe's or Longhorn Stakehouse. So you know, that's funny because when my grandparents came, we went to Longhorn, you know. I've mean I think I went the Longhorn three times in my in my three home games there. So so yeah, there's not much to do in Green Bay. When I went there, I obviously knew it was in Wisconsin, I didn't know how far north.

So when I got there, I kind of looked it up and I was like wow, like this is like this is Canada essentially, Like I was like, man, And so it was kind of off the grid, like all there is is football. I mean, you wake up, you go to the stadium. By the time you get out, I mean it's almost time to go to bed. You know, there's there's not a lot going on. So green Bay was very different. And then Cleveland was a food town. I lived downtown. I had to stay downtown in Cleveland,

just stuff to do, a lot of food. You know. I also had my girlfriend live with me, so she was like my personal chef there. So I'll just say Cleveland food town, Green Bay football football town, Dallas variety, whatever you want. Obviously, I stayed in Frisco. I love Frisco. Yeah, Dallas is a place to be. I'll get a house there. Yeah yeah, eventually that's where you think your house. Hang

it up Adallas, regardless of Dallas. Yeah. A lot of you know, a lot of guys that play in the league that that go through Dallas, that play there at some point in the career, A lot of them come back there to stay, even if they don't end up there at their last stops. It seems like half the league almost. Yeah. But what's just cut for me? Growing up in Garland, My dad, his whole side of families down there. It's just it's just easy. Um, I know the area. I like it. Where do you played high

school ball? I played high Schooball Sparta High School, Sparta, Illinois, real small town town, about four thousand, okay. Graduating class was eighty two. Oh wow. Yeah. So, um, you know, it was a journey just just making it to that D one level. Yeah, you know, from there, but uh, you know, we made it. We made it. Did you say you grew up in Garland? I grew up in Garland Hills thirteen, Garland, Texas. Yeah, so I went to

Austin Austin Academy Middle School. I still have my buddies that you know, we hung out growing up playing sluck basketball, youth football. They're still my buddies to this day. So, uh, most of them live in Garland, but a couple of living Houston. So but we're all right there. That's kind of impressive that you you grew up in Garland and you and you still have a full set of teeth in your head. Yeah, and mesquite like, oh yeah, so you made it out with the full set of you

guys still got your hair. You know, they mold you. You know it molds you. And uh, we played real ball now, you know, we played real ball growing up. So I was happy to grow up there and play ball right there. And uh, some of those guys I played against as the kids are also in the league. Yeah, you know, it's it's it's fun. Yeah, I can mess with you about that because I'm from West Minroe, Louisiana. Okay,

you could ask you could ask Xavier about that. Like, there's not a lot of people that make it out of there with all their teeth too. I can mess with you. Yeah, you metching basketball my sources, which happens to be Dave Hellman that works for Dallas Cowboys dot com, the little short guy with the beard. He said, you're really into basketball. I just I'm a big Lebron James saying, Okay, how why I love his journey? I love his journey. I love the fact that, you know, like he always says,

he's just a kid from Akron. You know, yeah, he's obviously just god gifted, but there's a lot of kids that are God gifted. And the way he paid his way and his journey is just so inspiring to me. Getting drafted to his hometown, you know, close to his hometown obviously Cleveland, and then making the decision to go to Miami. Tough decision, but he grew so much there. He grew so much, especially after losing to the Mavericks

in eleven. Yeah, so I really felt like I felt like his pain of losing and his happiness of winning, but nothing was more satisfying than his championship in sixteen, coming back from three one. Yeah, I really felt that one. So after that, I mean, I understand all his moves going out to LA It's not just the business side. I mean, he still wants to win. Yeah, but everything's just set up for him. I just love his journey and I appreciate how much he's grown just off the court,

you know, with his businesses. It's amazing. Yeah. Are you a big fan of Taco Tuesday? I love Taco Tuesday? Do you keep up with his Instagram store? Of course? Of course, got to get the face up. You gotta get that little granny kids. It's hilarious. It's hilarious. But I love it, you know, I love his kids are in it. His whole household. He'll bring you know, Anthony Davis. Man, it's just great. It's just great for sports, it's great for It's just great an example of the Black father especially,

you know, setting just setting that standard. Yeah, I love it. Yeah, what's different for you this time around? Is anything different? Does it feel different? Mindset has always been the same attack, you know, I'm I'm in a dominant mindset at all times, no matter the task. But what's different is that everything feels different. I'm not gonna lie everything feels different. It

feels right. Um. Obviously, obviously all the running backs we're getting more reps, We're getting my opportunities you know, we're holding it down for Zekes or whenever it gets back. But everything just feels good. This whole, the entire team feels great. I just think we have a great chemistry and it's going to be a special year. I just

feel it. I just know it. Yeah, it's it's it's I've talked to a few people that have been around this team a long time, and there seems to be not only is this team talented, but I hear the locker room is the best, one of the best locker rooms. I've talked to people that have been with this team for twenty thirty years and they say this is the best locker room that they've been around as far as like good guys and just really good dudes on the team that enjoy hanging out. And you can see that,

like you can feel it. Man, It's it's really cool. Oh it is. We I mean we laugh, we joke, but at the same time, we come out here and get the business and then we go back in the locker room and whatever happened on the field, it happened on the field, you know, brothers. So it really does feel like that everyone everyone talks to each other, you know,

everyone hangs out. It's really cool to have, really cool to have talk about GB Gary Brown like, he's one of my favorite characters on the team, one of the favorite guys on the coaching staff. He just seems like he's always having fun. But he challenges you guys, and it just seems like he's a good influence to be around. He is he is. He does challenge us. He keeps it light, you know, because that's what you need. It's a grind the meetings and practice and more meetings, so

he keeps it light. He jokes around, but at the same time, we get great work done. He's one of the best coaches to me in the NFL, the way he breaks stuff down and teaches it to us and lets us be free and play free. And that's what makes them special. Yeah, one more question, what do you want to talk about? Because I don't want to keep you too long because you got well, I know, I know yesterday, you know I wanted to school you up

on this this beard game. Oh yes, I wanted to school you up from yes because we're I know you're beard, like I said, was a lot bigger and you kind of cut it down. But you're about to grow it back out. Yeah, so no, I just wanted to say, you know, there is a process to this beer game. You know, Like last time I was on the show, I mean my beard was looking pretty choppy. I mean it was pretty low. I wasn't gonna mention it was trying to grow in. I mean I'm a young pup.

So now I got it. You know, it's it's it's all the way up. It's feeling in it's camp. So it might be looking a little rough. No, it looks good solid. Oh yeah, you know once I put the razor on it. But uh straight, no, no, the shame moisture beard washed, gotta have it smells great. Your girl would love it, Okay. You know right after you put on this this rugged brose moisturizer, I mean you put it all in your comment, your brush it and then uh,

like you said, you kind of leave that right. Yeah. Yeah, but it's more of a moisturizer. It's not too wet, not too heavy. But like you know, when when it's a special occasion, taking girl on a date, you know, going somewhere nice, you gotta put that that extra oil on it. As you were talking about that extra seine, you know, you just gotta make you wipe it off or you got to bed or talk on the phone, talking all up on the phone. You got wiping on the jeans after so but that Seane's worth it though

for the time before that special ocasipecial. You can't do it too often. Yeah, No, I was thinking about putting it on for this. You know, next time, next time, you know what, next time, I'm gonna get Act Black to send us. They have some beard products, and we're gonna have beard beard grooming and manicuring techniques on the show. We might even bring like somebody in from Cowboy up to straighten us up. That's work. What do you think

about that? I'm into it. We'll do our own spinoff show maybe thirty minutes, and the whole time we're getting worked on, we're talking about just whatever. Yeah, I'm down down. We got to teach people how to take care of it. Okay, speaking of the beard, are you gonna let it keep going? Are you gonna get you I'm more of a clean look type of guy. I don't like it too low, but not too thick, Okay, I like a solid black line it up, you know. No, No, frizzy frizzies out there.

Keep it clean, keep it crisp. So this is about the length you're gonna keep it. It's about the length, you know, if you might see it just a hair longer than Okay, it's about what about the hair, letting that go or now the hair. I can always grow the hair out, curled up more, but uh, try to keep it even with the beard. To be honest with you, you you know what I think we ought to do. You might not agree with this just because you're such

a good looking, clean cut guy. Appreciate that is when the season starts, wet to wet, to trim it up, getting nice and tight, and then neither one of us touches it until either football is done for the Cowboys or that championship is one. And then if that happens, we don't even shave into the next training just let it go until next training camp and then we'll just have a beer competition. Let's talk about that. We might we might do that. We'll talk about that affair that

could that could be a real like a real thing. Okay, honestly, all right, Well, maybe we can get a couple other guys on the team to do it with us. I don't know if they got that type of you know, they will look as good enough maybe not talking all right, man, Well, thank you for the time. I know a lot of our fans are rooting for you, man, like you know social media. You got your own little fan club. So

they're loyal, man, man, they are. Yeah, So we're we're rooting for you, and I hope this is a great season. We'll get you back on the show when we get back to Frisco because I really enjoy talking to you and hanging out. We need to do it more often. I'm down, all right, down, all right. We'll come back at some point this week, next week, who knows, who knows. We'll be sitting to my left, but we'll get somebody. That's it for Shannon D. Jack Hanging with the Boys.

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