1) DD: What was the first nickname Bill Parcells gave you as a player?
Jackson: Greg, that was it. When I heard him say, "Greg", that means I was doing something wrong.
2) DD: But you didn't do too much wrong with him, did you?
Jackson: Oh no, he was a great coach, man. One thing about Bill, he always knew when to push the buttons at the right time. He knew when guys were not into it during practice. He knew when to pick the tempo up. He knew when to stop practice and start it over. That's the type of coach he was, my hat's off to him. Even though I was with him for two years, it was a big, big part of my career.
3) DD: You had been an All-American and one of the best players in LSU history, and then you go to the Giants. What was that transition like?
Jackson: The transition wasn't too bad because, at the time in college, I had Mike Archer as my DB coach and defensive coordinator. Then I had John Fontes, who had a lot to do with the NFL. So my transition wasn't that hard because when I was at LSU, we were doing similar things that the Giants were doing. Playing Cover 2, Cover 3, playing man coverage. We were simple on defense, just like we are now. It was just all about flying to the football.
4) DD: You grew up in Miami. Compare the Miami heat vs. Baton Rouge heat vs. Houston heat.
Jackson: It's sort of different. Miami heat is hot, but it's breezy. You get a breeze. Louisiana and Houston, totally different. It's all humidity.
5) DD: You picked up a college degree in communication, in broadcasting, after your playing days finished. How did that all come about?
Jackson: Well, when I got to college, I didn't know what I wanted to major in. Once I got drafted and I decided to wait until my career was over. It was the best thing I could have done. I focused more on school after that. What made me get into communication was the fact that I was being interviewed as a player. I thought it was important when I presented myself.
6) DD: Did you ever consider taking it further and doing that route instead of coaching?
Jackson: No, this is my bug here. When I decided on coaching, I probably was in my fifth or sixth year in the league, because I didn't think I was going to play 12 years. But I happened to do that. So after that, I just got the coaching bug man and got into coaching after that.
7) DD: What did you do for fun off the field in Baton Rouge?
Jackson: Nothing. We ate crawfish behind Broussard Hall. That's all we did.
*8) DD: We got crawfish here. Have you had any in Houston? *Jackson: I don't. When I leave here, I go straight back home to my family because we still have our house in Frisco and we have a house in New Orleans. So I go back and visit them.
9) DD: What's the best part of this job here?
Jackson: With Coach Lovie Smith, I'm able to coach. I'm able to actually coach guys individually like the safeties. One of the reasons I got into this business is to teach and give back to these guys and let them understand and just try to get them to see the game as not so fast. Just to slow it down for them, because a lot of those guys, when they come into the league, they're looking for everything. You've got to break things down for them to slow the game down for them. Once you do that, their talent comes alive.
10) DD: Which coaches have made you a better coach?
Jackson: The coaches that I coached with?
11) DD: Or the ones who coached you when you were a player.
Jackson: Oh, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Emmitt Thomas. A ton of guys. The late Rod Rust, who was my defensive coordinator. Jim Mora, Junior, when I was with the Saints. The coaches I've been under, I've learned a ton.
12) DD: What's the most random, memorable moment from the Giants' Super Bowl win over the Bills?
Jackson: The field goal. That's it. We were all on one knee and we were looking at the field goal and somebody screamed out "It's no good!" . We all jumped up and started celebrating, man. You know, that was the best part being in the Super Bowl. Second biggest is just making it there. Winning in San Francisco, 15-13. I'll never forget that. We never scored a touchdown. We scored five field goals, which was great. The memorable moment, LT (Lawrence Taylor) punching that ball out at the end against Roger Craig. Those are memories you don't forget.
