This week Domo caught up with Daryl "Moose" Johnston, the former Cowboy fullback who will be doing color commentary for this weekend's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The main topic of conversation was the Eagles almost comical merry go round of fullbacks this year.
"[Playing fullback] is a skill you develop," Johnston said. "It's very hard to ask a guy like Dan to do things and anticipate things a guy who's been playing that position for years can do.
"The other thing is, it takes time to get into a rhythm with how your running back runs. It took me a season-and-a-half to really get in sync with Emmitt. I would sit with him in the film room and find out why he did what he did on a play. What he saw. Why he ran that way instead of this way. Dan doesn't have that with Westbrook. He can't. Not in this short a time span. Not with as little experience as he has at that position."
Whatever the reason, there's no doubt that the running game is significantly less effective this year than it was last year. Certainly the loss of Andrews hasn't helped, Westbrook's many injuries haven't helped, but clearly neither has the lack of a real fullback.
Like the punt/kick return situation last year are we going to have to wait a full year to do something as simple as get a legitimate fullback?