Dane Jackson Introductory Press Conference
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00:00 >> Greetings Dana, thanks for joining us.
00:03 I'm Jeff Hawkins from the Charlotte Post.
00:06 How big of an influence has Dan Morgan been on your career?
00:09 I know he was on a team to help draft you and I signed you as a free agent.
00:14 And second part is what type of team is Morgan building in his first year as GM?
00:19 >> First of all, he's been a great influence in my career.
00:23 I would like to thank him for a lot, just for giving me a chance.
00:26 I mean, he was a big advocate coming out for me when he was in Buffalo.
00:29 And just getting me on the team and believing and trusting in me and
00:33 the same thing when I got here.
00:35 You know what I mean?
00:36 During the process just talking with my agent when him and
00:40 my agent were talking back and forth, it was just how much he believed in me.
00:44 You know what I mean?
00:45 So I gotta tip my hat off to him and give him a lot of thanks for that.
00:48 And I think he's just building the team, a strong team,
00:52 sturdy team, just a competitive team.
00:55 Just wanna win, you know what I mean?
00:57 Just trying to find ways to put pieces together just to help us win.
01:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
01:06 >> We'll go with David Newen.
01:07 >> Dan, welcome to Charlotte.
01:10 >> Appreciate it.
01:11 >> I wanna ask you, was there a conversation or something when you and
01:15 Dan met during the pre-draft process that you recall that may have really
01:21 struck a chord of why he was so passionate about wanting you in Buffalo and now here?
01:27 >> I don't recall any conversation.
01:29 I didn't really talk to Buffalo during the draft process, so
01:33 I honestly had no idea I was gonna go there.
01:35 But once I got there, that's when I learned how much he was advocating for me and
01:40 how much he believed in me.
01:41 And like I said, I just feel like that helped grow our relationship once I got
01:45 there for sure.
01:46 >> And you played for a pretty good defense in Buffalo.
01:50 What do you see here at Carolina?
01:51 Any pieces missing to get them to that level?
01:55 Or where do you see this group compared to what you've been used to?
01:59 >> I mean, we're kind of just bringing it all together, you know what I mean?
02:02 Just piecing it together, just taking it day by day here right now, you know what I
02:05 mean?
02:06 I haven't really got on the field with the guys, but I know everyone in our room and
02:10 everyone on defense, they're ballplayers, you know what I mean?
02:13 They're here for a reason.
02:14 We're all here for a reason, so you can see what type of team he's building for
02:17 sure.
02:18 >> Appreciate it, thanks.
02:19 >> No problem, appreciate you.
02:20 >> Let's go John Ellis, followed by Mike King.
02:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:31 John, you're on mute.
02:32 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:38 >> Leave it to the radio guy to be on mute.
02:40 Dane, good to meet you, man, I'm sorry about that.
02:42 >> Good to meet you too, all good.
02:43 >> Welcome to Charlotte, you know Dan Morgan well, obviously, and
02:46 you're getting to know your teammates well, I'm sure.
02:48 Have you gotten to know your counterpart JC Horn over the years and
02:51 your thoughts on his game?
02:53 >> Great player, one of the best corners in the game in my opinion.
02:57 Before I got here, I was watching a lot of tape, and
02:59 I'm actually sitting behind him in meetings right now, you know what I mean?
03:01 Just picking his brain.
03:03 I'm a year older than him, but that don't mean nothing.
03:05 I mean, he's a great one of the best corners, so
03:06 I can learn a lot from him, you know what I mean?
03:07 Just picking his brain, what he does, what's his comfort zone on the field and
03:11 all like that.
03:12 So, great corner on the field, and he's a great guy off the field as well.
03:16 >> Appreciate it.
03:18 >> No problem.
03:19 >> Hey, Dane, welcome to Charlotte.
03:22 Mike K from the Charlotte Observer.
03:24 >> Thank you, appreciate it.
03:25 >> Hope you're doing well.
03:25 As a former seventh round pick, obviously, you gotta kinda grind your way
03:31 up the depth chart, and you were able to start in Buffalo.
03:34 What was that process like in competing to make it up the depth chart, and
03:39 then ultimately finding a role over the last four years?
03:42 >> I mean, for me, that's just the story of my life, you know what I mean?
03:47 That's kinda, you know what I mean?
03:48 When I started playing, it's just been like that for pretty much my whole career.
03:53 So it's kinda like second nature at this point where I just understand that
03:57 everything is earned, you know what I mean?
03:58 So I'm never going into a new year or the last year, you know what I mean?
04:03 Or what I've done last year, nothing like that.
04:05 So just trying to earn my keep, you know what I mean, earn my stay and
04:08 be a good teammate.
04:09 >> You're probably gonna compete for a starting role this offseason.
04:14 What's the challenge for you playing in a new system,
04:18 playing in a new city, having the family here, and
04:21 your outlook towards the offseason?
04:23 >> I mean, I feel like it's just taking advantage of this time,
04:26 you know what I mean?
04:27 During this time, during this process, during OTAs,
04:29 it's kinda where you get introduced to a lot of new things.
04:33 And you know what I mean, just exploring the city.
04:36 Obviously, number one reason I'm here is to play ball.
04:39 So just learning the defense, learning the terminology,
04:43 learning everything that they do here, and applying it to my game.
04:47 >> I guess my last question for you is Dan Morgan's talked about that dog
04:51 mentality and he wants dogs in the building.
04:54 When you hear that, what does that mean to you?
04:56 What is that mentality to you?
04:58 And why do you think you fit into that mentality?
05:02 >> Honestly, it's just being myself, you know what I mean?
05:05 Like I said, that's been a story of my life, climbing up the ladder,
05:10 getting it the hard way.
05:11 So I feel like just being myself, that's gonna take me a long way,
05:16 you know what I mean?
05:17 He said not for a reason, so as long as I can keep showcasing that,
05:21 then we'll be good.
05:22 Appreciate it.
05:26 >> Let's go Joe Person.
05:28 >> Hey, Dane, it's Joe with The Athletic, welcome.
05:33 >> How you doing? Appreciate it.
05:35 >> I appreciate you.
05:37 Wondering if who else you were talking to in free agency, and
05:42 if the opportunity to come here and compete for a starting position,
05:48 did that make the difference or what did lead you to Charlotte?
05:52 >> I felt like the biggest thing that led me to Charlotte honestly was Dan.
05:57 You know what I mean?
05:58 Like I said, throughout the process, there were a few other teams that were
06:02 interested, but this is passion, you know what I mean, for
06:06 the way I play the game and our previous ties in Buffalo, you know what I mean?
06:11 Just that comfortable aspect that I felt from him and
06:15 that my agent was feeding me from him as well, it was like a no brainer.
06:20 >> We in the media and even fans have kind of had some fun over the years since
06:27 Bean and McDermott went up to Buffalo, all the players that kind of come back and
06:32 forth from Carolina to Buffalo.
06:35 Do you guys, in the Buffalo locker room, in the Bills locker room,
06:38 did you guys talk about that sort of pipeline as well?
06:43 >> For sure, I remember my rookie year, he was calling us the Carolina Bills,
06:48 the everybody coming over, the guys like Verne, Star, Mario,
06:55 all those type of guys, you know what I mean?
06:56 Those are guys that kind of brought cultures back and forth, you know what I
07:00 mean, and it meshed well, it meshed very well.
07:04 >> Do you feel like because of that, did you hear stories about this place and
07:09 maybe a little more familiar with it than you would have been otherwise?
07:13 >> Not really, not really, I mean, obviously, those guys told stories about
07:18 where they came from and everything, but I was still young, so
07:21 I was still kind of figuring it out myself and everything like that.
07:24 So that wasn't that much of a factor, appreciate it.
07:30 >> All right, let's go David Newton.
07:32 >> I wanna ask you, you didn't have football at your first high school, correct?
07:38 >> Correct, yep.
07:39 >> And so- >> My freshman year,
07:40 my freshman year I did, and after that, the program ended.
07:44 >> So you went to transfer to another school to get into football, or
07:49 was basketball your first love?
07:52 >> Basketball was definitely my first love growing up for sure, but
07:56 after my freshman year where they canceled our program,
07:59 we ended up merging with another school.
08:01 So I stayed in the same school, but
08:02 I just played football for another school across the river.
08:05 And after school, they would just do the normal route in our area and
08:08 they'd take us over there, take the maybe like 10,
08:11 12 players over there that wanted to play.
08:13 >> Okay, and so you mentioned several times,
08:17 it's kind of your path has always been to have to fight and
08:20 to be the dog to earn your way.
08:23 Any other examples of that that you can tell us about that really impacted you,
08:29 showed your dog and you that you had to fight back?
08:31 >> I mean, I feel like it's just my upbringing, you know what I mean?
08:35 It's just kind of instilled in me, just figuring out life, you know what I mean?
08:40 Something like where I come from is not the greatest place, so, you know what I
08:43 mean, just navigating through there alone, that'll instill that mentality in you for
08:49 sure.
08:50 >> What do you mean by not the greatest place?
08:52 >> I mean, just like a lot of us deal with crime and just things like that.
08:59 Not kind of like poverty, but just figuring it out.
09:04 >> Right, so you've seen a lot.
09:06 >> I've seen a lot for sure.
09:07 >> Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.
09:09 >> No problem.
09:10 >> Let's go John Ellis.
09:13 [BLANK_AUDIO]
09:18 >> Here we go again, John Ellis, iHeart Radio, again, unmuted.
09:20 You were in college, obviously at Pitt, and if I'm not mistaken,
09:25 you were the only team to beat Clemson in 2016, right?
09:28 >> Yep, yeah.
09:30 >> Yeah, Clemson, Panthers played their first season down there in
09:34 Death Valley.
09:35 Did you ever give any of the Clemson guys any grief over that in Buffalo?
09:38 I know they had some pipeline guys from the Tiger, Shaq Lawson and
09:41 the guys like that.
09:42 Do you ever, I mean, there's a hell of a team that year, I covered that team 15-1.
09:45 But how was that game looking back, and
09:49 just do you ever talk to the Clemson guys about that win?
09:52 >> I haven't talked to Clemson guys about it, but I do remember,
09:57 I think they ended up winning the championship that year.
09:59 >> Yeah. >> Yeah, I remember us playing around in
10:02 this BS and talking about, it's like we won a championship really.
10:05 [LAUGH] It was nowhere near close, but
10:08 that was kind of the ongoing joke about it.
10:11 >> It's a great game, man.
10:13 We'll see you around, Dane, thanks.
10:14 >> Appreciate it, thank you.
10:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]
10:18 >> Any more questions for Dane?
10:19 [BLANK_AUDIO]
10:22 All right, thank you, Dane, you have a good day.
10:24 >> Appreciate y'all, thank you.
10:26 >> Thanks everyone for joining the Zoom, that's it for today.
10:29 Have a good day.
10:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]