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IRVING – There have been plenty of surprises at Cowboys Stadium since the $1.2 billion colossal opened in 2009.
The Dallas Cowboys falling to the New York Giants in the inaugural game at Jerry World is one. DeMarco Murray shattering Emmitt Smith’s franchise single-game rushing record is another. Dez Bryant missing out on a spectacular game-winning touchdown catch by a finger tip last fall also qualifies.
But if free agent receiver Jared Green is on the 53-man roster this fall, those shockers will take a backseat to the unlikely sight of a Washington Commanders icon wearing a Cowboys jersey while rooting passionately for Jerry Jones’ team.
Green is the son of Commanders Hall of Famer Darrell Green, a Houston native and Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) alumnus who for 20 seasons took great pleasure in tormenting the hated Cowboys.
But when his only son signed with Dallas in January, Darrell Green unapologetically shifted allegiances.
“I am just as happy as I can be, elated really,” the elder Green, 53 said in a phone interview. “I will be there bright and shiny with his jersey number on my back, celebrating each game. I am going to support him a million percent.”
So does that mean he’ll actually pull for the Cowboys when they face the Commanders?
His reply was void of equivocation.
“I am for Jared Green, that’s who I am for,” Darrell Green said. “If Jared Green is with the Cowboys, I am 100 percent for the Cowboys. Done. End of story. Nothing else to be said.”
Jared Green isn’t surprised by his dad’s firm stance.
“I told somebody the other day, if you worked for AT&T for 20 years and then your son got a deal with Verizon and your gig was up, you’d probably get a Verizon phone,” said the younger Green, 24. “It would only make sense that a proud dad would wear his son’s jersey. Any fan or spectator should appreciate that.”
Growing up, Jared Green was his dad’s No. 1 fan, but that didn’t stop him from being intrigued by the Cowboys.
“Every kid in the ’90s – I don’t care what anybody says – saw that star and wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy,” Jared Green said. “I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, you wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys.
“…When I was young, they had that movie ‘Little Giants.’ And the kids got that star on their helmet. I wanted that. I’m proud to be a Dallas Cowboy.”
As a youngster, Jared Green’s favorite NFL player other than his dad was Michael Irvin, the Cowboys’ emotional leader on three Super Bowl champions and a future Hall of Fame receiver. He was so crazy about “The Playmaker” he had a poster of No. 88 in his bedroom on a wall opposite the one decorated with a poster of his father.
When the Commanders and Cowboys played, Jared focused on the epic battles between his cornerback dad and Irvin.
“They are close friends off the field, but, man, on the field, they got after it,” Jared Green said. “My dad broke (Irvin’s) nose one time. (Irvin) clubbed my dad a couple of times. They both have some awesome battle scars and battle stories to tell.”
After graduating from the University of Virgina in 2011, Jared Green played his final season at Southern in Louisiana, catching 17 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. In 46 career college games, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Virginia native snagged 52 passes for 670 yards and four TDs.
Signed as an undrafted free agent by Carolina, he was on the Panthers practice squad last season. He left Carolina after it was clear the club wasn’t interested in promoting him to the active roster.
“He definitely should have been on the field,” Darrell Green said. “He can stretch the field, catch the deep ball, run all the routes. They can say he was young, developing, but that kid was ready to play.”
Seeking a new team, Jared Green turned to his father for guidance.
“My dad is my brother, my counselor, my advisor, my disciplinarian,” Jared Green said. “We came to a decision together, father and son. We spent some time, prayed on it, talked about it, ate on it, and we said, ‘Dallas is the best place.’ ”
But that was before Dallas drafted Baylor’s Terrance Williams to back up Dez Bryant and Miles Austin. Also in the mix are Dwayne Harris, Cole Beasley and Danny Coale.
“He’s got his work cut out for him,” Darrell Green said of his son. “He just has to keep busting his butt like his daddy did at A&I.”
So far, the Cowboys like what they’ve seen from Jared Green.
“He’s got a good feel for the position,” coach Jason Garrett said, “and he also has some quickness and speed that allows him to separate from corners. He’s been working very hard in our offseason program.”
That’s no surprise to Darrell Green.
“I guarantee you this: You are not going to find a greater kid,” he said. “He will bring more value to the team than just Xs and Os. He has been taught to be responsible, dependable. He’s a solid man.”
Darrell Green said he is confident his son will get a fair shake in Dallas, which has a long history of success with undrafted players from small schools.
“They haven’t changed,” Darrell Green said of the Cowboys. “That’s one thing I appreciate about them.
“With a lot of teams, tradition changes, history changes, owners change, but the Cowboys maintain their tradition. You don’t see that with the Commanders. The Commanders are (like) a new team…In Dallas, they keep the tradition going with guys like (team player development consultant) Calvin Hill.
“The Commanders have abandoned the tradition.”
Said Jared Green, “We appreciate everything…(the Commanders) allowed dad to do. But after that, it’s just a job dad worked for 20 years. Now I’m a grown man, and my dad supports everything I do. So we are all in for the Dallas Cowboys.”
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The Dallas Cowboys falling to the New York Giants in the inaugural game at Jerry World is one. DeMarco Murray shattering Emmitt Smith’s franchise single-game rushing record is another. Dez Bryant missing out on a spectacular game-winning touchdown catch by a finger tip last fall also qualifies.
But if free agent receiver Jared Green is on the 53-man roster this fall, those shockers will take a backseat to the unlikely sight of a Washington Commanders icon wearing a Cowboys jersey while rooting passionately for Jerry Jones’ team.
Green is the son of Commanders Hall of Famer Darrell Green, a Houston native and Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) alumnus who for 20 seasons took great pleasure in tormenting the hated Cowboys.
But when his only son signed with Dallas in January, Darrell Green unapologetically shifted allegiances.
“I am just as happy as I can be, elated really,” the elder Green, 53 said in a phone interview. “I will be there bright and shiny with his jersey number on my back, celebrating each game. I am going to support him a million percent.”
So does that mean he’ll actually pull for the Cowboys when they face the Commanders?
His reply was void of equivocation.
“I am for Jared Green, that’s who I am for,” Darrell Green said. “If Jared Green is with the Cowboys, I am 100 percent for the Cowboys. Done. End of story. Nothing else to be said.”
Jared Green isn’t surprised by his dad’s firm stance.
“I told somebody the other day, if you worked for AT&T for 20 years and then your son got a deal with Verizon and your gig was up, you’d probably get a Verizon phone,” said the younger Green, 24. “It would only make sense that a proud dad would wear his son’s jersey. Any fan or spectator should appreciate that.”
Growing up, Jared Green was his dad’s No. 1 fan, but that didn’t stop him from being intrigued by the Cowboys.
“Every kid in the ’90s – I don’t care what anybody says – saw that star and wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy,” Jared Green said. “I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, you wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys.
“…When I was young, they had that movie ‘Little Giants.’ And the kids got that star on their helmet. I wanted that. I’m proud to be a Dallas Cowboy.”
As a youngster, Jared Green’s favorite NFL player other than his dad was Michael Irvin, the Cowboys’ emotional leader on three Super Bowl champions and a future Hall of Fame receiver. He was so crazy about “The Playmaker” he had a poster of No. 88 in his bedroom on a wall opposite the one decorated with a poster of his father.
When the Commanders and Cowboys played, Jared focused on the epic battles between his cornerback dad and Irvin.
“They are close friends off the field, but, man, on the field, they got after it,” Jared Green said. “My dad broke (Irvin’s) nose one time. (Irvin) clubbed my dad a couple of times. They both have some awesome battle scars and battle stories to tell.”
After graduating from the University of Virgina in 2011, Jared Green played his final season at Southern in Louisiana, catching 17 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. In 46 career college games, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Virginia native snagged 52 passes for 670 yards and four TDs.
Signed as an undrafted free agent by Carolina, he was on the Panthers practice squad last season. He left Carolina after it was clear the club wasn’t interested in promoting him to the active roster.
“He definitely should have been on the field,” Darrell Green said. “He can stretch the field, catch the deep ball, run all the routes. They can say he was young, developing, but that kid was ready to play.”
Seeking a new team, Jared Green turned to his father for guidance.
“My dad is my brother, my counselor, my advisor, my disciplinarian,” Jared Green said. “We came to a decision together, father and son. We spent some time, prayed on it, talked about it, ate on it, and we said, ‘Dallas is the best place.’ ”
But that was before Dallas drafted Baylor’s Terrance Williams to back up Dez Bryant and Miles Austin. Also in the mix are Dwayne Harris, Cole Beasley and Danny Coale.
“He’s got his work cut out for him,” Darrell Green said of his son. “He just has to keep busting his butt like his daddy did at A&I.”
So far, the Cowboys like what they’ve seen from Jared Green.
“He’s got a good feel for the position,” coach Jason Garrett said, “and he also has some quickness and speed that allows him to separate from corners. He’s been working very hard in our offseason program.”
That’s no surprise to Darrell Green.
“I guarantee you this: You are not going to find a greater kid,” he said. “He will bring more value to the team than just Xs and Os. He has been taught to be responsible, dependable. He’s a solid man.”
Darrell Green said he is confident his son will get a fair shake in Dallas, which has a long history of success with undrafted players from small schools.
“They haven’t changed,” Darrell Green said of the Cowboys. “That’s one thing I appreciate about them.
“With a lot of teams, tradition changes, history changes, owners change, but the Cowboys maintain their tradition. You don’t see that with the Commanders. The Commanders are (like) a new team…In Dallas, they keep the tradition going with guys like (team player development consultant) Calvin Hill.
“The Commanders have abandoned the tradition.”
Said Jared Green, “We appreciate everything…(the Commanders) allowed dad to do. But after that, it’s just a job dad worked for 20 years. Now I’m a grown man, and my dad supports everything I do. So we are all in for the Dallas Cowboys.”
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