When the Dallas Cowboys prepare to battle the Arizona Cardinals, for some reason I always think of Daryl "Moose" Johnston. It is a strange thought process but it goes something like this. I remember back in the '90s, when I watched Dallas play NFC East rival Arizona on the road, I would hear loud "Moose" chants from the crowd whenever Johnston touched the ball. The announcers would say Dallas fans bought more tickets for the Cardinals game than Arizona fans and that was no more evident than the Moose chants.
I like to think that Johnston just earned respect from fans all over the NFL. There was no way anyone could be a Dallas Cowboys fan in the '90s and not be a huge fan of Daryl Johnston.
A lot of credit goes to the Dallas Cowboys offensive line of the era for helping Emmitt Smith get his NFL rushing record but even more attention has to go to Johnston, one of the best all-purpose fullbacks to ever play in the NFL. He could block, as evident by the holes he would bust open for Smith on almost any play. He could catch, finishing his career with 294 receptions for 2227 yards and 14 touchdowns. He could even run for short yardage when needed, although that was rare.
There are other fullbacks of his era, like Mike Alstott, who gets more recognition thanks to touchdowns, but when it comes to playing the position as a well rounded player, few were better than Johnston.
This was a different era for the NFL fullback and one that only lived for a short time. Back in the golden age, fullbacks were players like Jim Brown and Larry Csonka, men who would be running backs in today's NFL. In the present day NFL, fullbacks are almost extinct thanks to three-receiver sets and dual tight ends, although there really should be more men like Johnston playing.
In 2011, when DeMarco Murray has his fullback, Tony Fiammetta, in the game, Murray averages 8.1 yards per carry. When Fiammetta is out of the lineup, Murray averages 3.4. Fiammetta has missed two weeks with an illness and Murray can't wait to get him back.
I don't know if Emmitt Smith could have won the rushing title without Daryl Johnston. I don't even know if Dallas could have won all three Super Bowls in the decade without Johnston in the lineup. He was a huge part of the Dallas Cowboys history and I consider him one of the best players to ever play the position of fullback.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the '90s and the hard times of the '80s, Shawn never turned his back on America's Team
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