Little detail was needed to bring back an almost 29-year-old memory. Just the date, Nov. 10, 1985, was sufficient for former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jim Jeffcoat to laugh the hearty laugh of a satisfied 280-pound man.
“I had five sacks against [Joe] Theismann,” Jeffcoat said.
Jeffcoat demolished the Redskins that Sunday at RFK Stadium. Dallas won, 13-7, he had five of the Cowboys’ six sacks and Theismann asked him at one point, “You’re here again?”
Next Monday night, his son, Jackson, will be enveloped by the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry for the first time. Washington will head to Dallas entrenched in the bottom of the NFC East. For the first time in years, if anyone asks, “How ’bout them Cowboys?” the answer will not be delivered with disgust.
The Cowboys’ six-game winning streak has vaulted them to the league’s best record. Owner Jerry Jones is back-slapping and clapping. Quarterback Tony Romo is a sage instead of a goat. Running back DeMarco Murray is rumbling with the force of a titan. He set an NFL record last Sunday by opening the season with his seventh consecutive 100-yard rushing game. His 913 rushing yards lead the league by almost 300 yards.
Things, suddenly, are good again in Dallas.
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Most of Jeffcoat’s years there were good, too. The Cowboys had seven winning seasons during Jeffcoat’s 12 years in Texas. They won two Super Bowls — 1992 and 1993 — and made the playoffs six times.
During the same stretch, the Redskins mirrored the Cowboys. They won two Super Bowls and qualified for the playoffs six times.
“You’ve got to understand that, that was what I did for my job, was play football,” Jeffcoat said. “It wasn’t animosity toward certain teams. Obviously, being in the NFC East and both teams being successful, there’s rivalries, but there’s nothing like, ’Hey, I’m going to kill you’ or anything. It’s really just business.
“We had intense rivalries with Washington, no question about that. Now that my son is playing for the Redskins, obviously I can cheer for them and I can cheer for him.”
Jackson Jeffcoat played basketball until seventh grade. He pressed his dad to let him into football. The urging of his older brother, Jaren, finally convinced his father to acquiesce.
Jackson’s talent and last name brought enormous exposure. He was listed as the No. 1 recruit in football-mad Texas. He committed to the University of Texas, which only increased scrutiny. As a senior, he won the Ted Hendricks Award, which is given to the country’s top defensive end. He was also a consensus All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
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Then, the draft concluded without his name being announced, leaving him and his father shocked. The Seattle Seahawks signed and waived him from their practice squad. After a tryout with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was signed to the Redskins’ practice squad Sept. 2, landing in Ashburn with two pairs of underwear, two shirts and two pairs of shorts. Some socks and cleats rounded out the wardrobe.
Two weeks ago, Jackson was signed to Washington’s 53-man roster. His first NFL snaps came last week against the Tennessee Titans. He was on the field for one defensive snap and 16 special teams plays.
His father is the defensive line coach for the University of Colorado, so work did not allow him to attend the game. Though, he watched video of each play online.
“We talk all the time,” Jim Jeffcoat said. “Almost every day.”
In the NFL, the move from the fringe to the field can be rapid. Because of Brian Orakpo’s season-ending pectoral injury, Jackson Jeffcoat suddenly has a chance for a small amount of snaps against the Cowboys. Trent Murphy will replace Orakpo as the starting outside linebacker. Jeffcoat is behind him now.
Three months after not being on a roster, Jeffcoat will be on the field in AT&T Stadium for the first time. He’s adapting to being an outside linebacker in the Redskins’ 3-4 defense.
“I stood up more my junior year, but I was more like a defensive end,” Jackson said. “I wasn’t doing a whole bunch of dropping. I was standing up a lot because people were doing the zone read. I was way more comfortable with having my hand on the ground. Until now, I’ve really been getting better at standing up. Rushing standing up. Ever since I played as a little kid, I had my hand on the ground.”
His father’s chance came because of sudden change. Renowned Cowboys pass-rusher Harvey Martin abruptly retired in 1983. That made Jeffcoat the starter in his second year with the Cowboys.
Two years later, he zoomed past Redskins tackle Dan McQuaid on his way to multiple visits with Theismann by gaining the edge.
“Kind of like a baseball pitcher and my fastball kept working,” Jim Jeffcoat said. “So, I kept using it.”
Jim Jeffcoat won’t be there Monday night, the way his parents were that five-sack night in Washington. He has defensive meetings with Colorado to attend. A swath of friends and other family will be on hand to watch Jackson, who now lives in Colorado, return to Texas.
Despite his Cowboys past, Jim Jeffcoat will have no internal haggle about his rooting interests.
“I’m always going to root for my son,” Jim Jeffcoat said. “That’s my son. That’s my blood. I’m always going to root for my son to be successful.”
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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