Grambling's Hatcher a big hit for the Cowboys
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Jason Hatcher has gotten used to managing change.
He went from one side of the ball to the other at Grambling. From coach to coach. From a childhood in north Louisiana to the urban sprawl of north Texas.
A married man with kids, Hatcher found a place in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton after being drafted out of GSU by the Cowboys. It reminded him, he said, of home.
"The area I live in is so perfect," said Hatcher, the 92nd overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft. "I'm glad I picked this spot. It's big, of course. Everything in Dallas is. But it seems small, because everything is so compact. So it was a pretty smooth adjustment."
One of many for the soft-spoken, big-hitting Hatcher.
Abandoned by his father at 11, Hatcher saw his mother tragically pass at age 16 — leaving sister Tina Jones to raise him.
Hatcher married junior-high sweetheart Natasha early, and began his own family in 1999 with the birth of son DiCarlos. They welcomed a daughter, Tamia, in 2003.
All of that happened before Hatcher had reached his junior season at Grambling.
It's no surprise, then, that when Hatcher talks about his latest transition — there's a new coaching staff at Dallas —loved ones frame his comments.
Hatcher quickly connected with Wade Phillips, he said, when Phillips invited the players and their families to a get-acquainted event.
"He definitely impressed me when he did that; it showed he cared about us — and about our families," Hatcher said. "Those are the people we play for, your family."
He'd been a JV tailback, then a standout tight end at Jena, where Hatcher earned All-State honors during a 10-3 senior season that saw him collect more than 1,000 receiving yards.
Two seasons and a ruptured right ACL later, Hatcher was switched across the line to defensive end at Grambling — and still managed a pair of all-conference selections.
Hatcher finished at Grambling with 111 tackles, 31.5 tackles for a loss and 18.5 sacks, though he only played defense for two full seasons. GSU would go undefeated in league play during Hatcher's senior campaign, catapulting him into the draft's first day.
He quickly matured into a larger role in Dallas' 3-4 scheme, making 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks in spot duty as a rookie in 2006.
But even then, there were dramatic twists along the way.
Cowboys coach Bill Parcells abruptly retired this offseason, meaning Hatcher would be introduced to his fourth head coach in just five seasons.
In 2003, Hatcher weathered a transition from Doug Williams — the father figure who recruited him to Grambling — to Melvin Spears, and still helped GSU to a 2005 conference championship.
"It's a different situation than in college," Hatcher said, "because of the business aspect of it. A new coach brings in his guys and you can be out of job. That's in the back of your head. Not that I feel that way; I think I showed some things in my first year. But you have to convince the new staff that you can do it all over again."
Hatcher, a reserved person when he's not on the field terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, didn't criticize Parcells, though what he said about his new coach stands as its own contrast.
"He's a players' coach," Hatcher said of Phillips. "I feel like I have a lot more to play for, versus last year. He's a great guy to play for. He makes you want to play harder."
So, despite a whipsawing offseason, Hatcher remains quietly optimistic.
Adversity never embittered him, so much as it convinced Hatcher to savor the good things. He's a guy playing for the team he pulled for as a youngster, and he acts like it.
"I've got the first year behind me, and I'm starting to do the things that veterans do," Hatcher said, including sponsoring a first-ever hometown camp for kids back in Jena this weekend.
Hatcher pauses, then says the next part with a pleasant mixture of pride and wonder: "I'm feeling like a Dallas Cowboy."
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Jason Hatcher has gotten used to managing change.
He went from one side of the ball to the other at Grambling. From coach to coach. From a childhood in north Louisiana to the urban sprawl of north Texas.
A married man with kids, Hatcher found a place in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton after being drafted out of GSU by the Cowboys. It reminded him, he said, of home.
"The area I live in is so perfect," said Hatcher, the 92nd overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft. "I'm glad I picked this spot. It's big, of course. Everything in Dallas is. But it seems small, because everything is so compact. So it was a pretty smooth adjustment."
One of many for the soft-spoken, big-hitting Hatcher.
Abandoned by his father at 11, Hatcher saw his mother tragically pass at age 16 — leaving sister Tina Jones to raise him.
Hatcher married junior-high sweetheart Natasha early, and began his own family in 1999 with the birth of son DiCarlos. They welcomed a daughter, Tamia, in 2003.
All of that happened before Hatcher had reached his junior season at Grambling.
It's no surprise, then, that when Hatcher talks about his latest transition — there's a new coaching staff at Dallas —loved ones frame his comments.
Hatcher quickly connected with Wade Phillips, he said, when Phillips invited the players and their families to a get-acquainted event.
"He definitely impressed me when he did that; it showed he cared about us — and about our families," Hatcher said. "Those are the people we play for, your family."
He'd been a JV tailback, then a standout tight end at Jena, where Hatcher earned All-State honors during a 10-3 senior season that saw him collect more than 1,000 receiving yards.
Two seasons and a ruptured right ACL later, Hatcher was switched across the line to defensive end at Grambling — and still managed a pair of all-conference selections.
Hatcher finished at Grambling with 111 tackles, 31.5 tackles for a loss and 18.5 sacks, though he only played defense for two full seasons. GSU would go undefeated in league play during Hatcher's senior campaign, catapulting him into the draft's first day.
He quickly matured into a larger role in Dallas' 3-4 scheme, making 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks in spot duty as a rookie in 2006.
But even then, there were dramatic twists along the way.
Cowboys coach Bill Parcells abruptly retired this offseason, meaning Hatcher would be introduced to his fourth head coach in just five seasons.
In 2003, Hatcher weathered a transition from Doug Williams — the father figure who recruited him to Grambling — to Melvin Spears, and still helped GSU to a 2005 conference championship.
"It's a different situation than in college," Hatcher said, "because of the business aspect of it. A new coach brings in his guys and you can be out of job. That's in the back of your head. Not that I feel that way; I think I showed some things in my first year. But you have to convince the new staff that you can do it all over again."
Hatcher, a reserved person when he's not on the field terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, didn't criticize Parcells, though what he said about his new coach stands as its own contrast.
"He's a players' coach," Hatcher said of Phillips. "I feel like I have a lot more to play for, versus last year. He's a great guy to play for. He makes you want to play harder."
So, despite a whipsawing offseason, Hatcher remains quietly optimistic.
Adversity never embittered him, so much as it convinced Hatcher to savor the good things. He's a guy playing for the team he pulled for as a youngster, and he acts like it.
"I've got the first year behind me, and I'm starting to do the things that veterans do," Hatcher said, including sponsoring a first-ever hometown camp for kids back in Jena this weekend.
Hatcher pauses, then says the next part with a pleasant mixture of pride and wonder: "I'm feeling like a Dallas Cowboy."
posted by The Gryphon at 10:20 PM
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