Pittsburgh native, Buffalo Bills CB Dane Jackson talks to Channel 11

Dane Jackson is a Pittsburgh kid through and through.  He played football for Quaker Valley High School, then moved on to star at cornerback for the Pittsburgh Panthers.  But now in the NFL, he’s rooting against Pittsburgh as his Buffalo Bills take on the Steelers.

Channel 11′s Jenna Harner spoke to Jackson and asked the NFL rookie if it’s still surreal he’s in the league.

“Sometimes, you’re here, and you forget where you’re at.  We’re walking down to the stadium in the tunnel, coming out and seeing the field and stadium.  It’s like — we’re in the NFL.  It’s crazy,” Jackson said.

The Bills were drafted earlier this year in the seventh round.  He has spent time on the practice squad and got called up several times.

Harner asked him what he missed most about Pittsburgh.

“The thing I miss most is my mom’s cooking. She’s been my back my whole life, my support system.  She doesn’t miss a beat.  She’s texting me every day. Are you up this week?  Are you off this week?  She wants to be updated with everything that’s happening.  I’m, like, mom, I just found out!  She’ll text me and say, ‘You need to tell me this.’ And I’m, like, I just found out.  I don’t know what you want me to do,” Jackson said, smiling.

Jackson has made a splash when the Bills called his number.  In his first-ever NFL appearance in Week 7 against the New York Jets, he intercepted quarterback Sam Darnold.

“It honestly felt unreal.  It felt crazy — just an unreal feeling,” Jackson said. “As you can see, I didn’t get very far (once I got the ball) because I was too excited.”

Jackson also recovered a fumble against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10.  He has both of those game balls.

The former Pitt Panther smiled when he said he sees similarities between Panther fans and Bills Mafia.

“When I was at Pitt, the fans showed a lot of love.  They showed love throughout my entire career.  When I got to Buffalo, when I got a chance to get out there, the fans showed just as much love,” Jackson added.

Jackson also has another reason to smile these days.  A few months ago, he welcomed his son, Dane Jr., into the world.

“He’s growing.  He’s getting big for 20 months.  He’s 20 pounds already,” Jackson said. “I might have a big one on my hands.”

Harner asked him if that means another NFL player in the family.

Jackson’s response, “Hopefully.”

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