Watching Football

Discovering The Game Within The Game, First Edition

Daryl Johnston - With Jim Gigliotti

Daryl Johnston’s name and voice are known to millions of television viewers who hear his insightful commentary on NFL telecasts each week during the football season. But football fans first learned to love him years ago, when “Moose” was a crowd favorite on the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl championship teams of the 1990s.

A bruising fullback with an unyielding work ethic, Johnston enjoyed the respect of teammates and fans in Dallas almost from the moment he joined the club as a second-round draft pick out of Syracuse in 1989. He earned national recognition in 1993, when he became the first blocking fullback selected to represent the NFC in the annual Pro Bowl game.

Moose’s blocking helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls in four years from 1992 to 1995, and helped pave the way for Dallas running back Emmitt Smith to ascend to the top of the NFL’s all-time rushing charts.

Johnston was a thinking man’s football player—an athlete determined to get the most out of his abilities by outsmarting his opponent as well as outhitting him. And when he retired from football following the 1999 season, he brought that same competitive edge to his role as a television analyst, first for CBS in 2000, then for Fox Sports since 2001. In 2004, he was teamed with veteran Dick Stockton and former NFL defensive star Tony Siragusa on one of Fox’s most popular announcing crews.

Daryl knows that spectators who just follow the football are missing much of the game. We can all see the quarterback hand the ball to the running back, and the linebacker make the tackle. But there are 22 guys in motion on every play. In Watching Football, Moose draws upon his playing experience and years of expert analysis on television to bring the entire field into focus. So the next time you tune in an NFL or college game on television, you’ll know what’s coming—almost before the players do!

Globe Pequot

Pages: 264 • Trim: 5½ x 8½

978-0-7627-3906-6 • Paperback • September 2005 • $14.95 • (£11.95)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / General, Sports & Recreation / Football, Sports & Recreation / Reference

Watching Football

Discovering The Game Within The Game, First Edition

Paperback

Summary

Daryl Johnston’s name and voice are known to millions of television viewers who hear his insightful commentary on NFL telecasts each week during the football season. But football fans first learned to love him years ago, when “Moose” was a crowd favorite on the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl championship teams of the 1990s.

A bruising fullback with an unyielding work ethic, Johnston enjoyed the respect of teammates and fans in Dallas almost from the moment he joined the club as a second-round draft pick out of Syracuse in 1989. He earned national recognition in 1993, when he became the first blocking fullback selected to represent the NFC in the annual Pro Bowl game.

Moose’s blocking helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls in four years from 1992 to 1995, and helped pave the way for Dallas running back Emmitt Smith to ascend to the top of the NFL’s all-time rushing charts.

Johnston was a thinking man’s football player—an athlete determined to get the most out of his abilities by outsmarting his opponent as well as outhitting him. And when he retired from football following the 1999 season, he brought that same competitive edge to his role as a television analyst, first for CBS in 2000, then for Fox Sports since 2001. In 2004, he was teamed with veteran Dick Stockton and former NFL defensive star Tony Siragusa on one of Fox’s most popular announcing crews.

Daryl knows that spectators who just follow the football are missing much of the game. We can all see the quarterback hand the ball to the running back, and the linebacker make the tackle. But there are 22 guys in motion on every play. In Watching Football, Moose draws upon his playing experience and years of expert analysis on television to bring the entire field into focus. So the next time you tune in an NFL or college game on television, you’ll know what’s coming—almost before the players do!

Details

Globe Pequot

Pages: 264 • Trim: 5½ x 8½

978-0-7627-3906-6 • Paperback • September 2005 • $14.95 • (£11.95)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / General, Sports & Recreation / Football, Sports & Recreation / Reference

Author

After earning the respect and admiration of his teammates for his contributions to the Dallas offense, Daryl “Moose” Johnston received national recognition for his play in 1993, when he became the first blocking fullback selected to the NFC Pro Bowl team. As the lead blocker for the Cowboys, he helped pave the way for Emmitt Smith to win four NFL rushing titles, and he helped Dallas win three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

Johnston played 11 seasons in Dallas before a neck injury originally suffered in 1997 led to his retirement shortly before training camp in 2000. He immediately became a star analyst in the broadcast booth, first at CBS and, since 2001, for Fox.

Daryl earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Syracuse and is a leading advocate for literacy initiatives.

Jim Gigliotti lives with his wife and two children in southern California. He spent 11 years with the NFL’s publishing division before becoming a freelance writer and editor in 2000. His recent writing credits include Baseball: A Celebration (with James Buckley, Jr.) and children’s and young adult books on numerous subjects, including NASCAR, the NBA, Major League Baseball, and Sports in America.

Table of Contents

Introduction The Game Within the Game

Football 101
Inside Football
The Basics
The Field
Equpment

The Savvy Viewer
A Player in the Booth
A New Game
Talking the Talk
Officials and Penalties

Offense
The Play Call
The Quarterback
Running Backs
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
The Offensive Line

Defense
The Importance of Defense
Base Defenses
Run Defense
Pass Defense

Special Teams
A Unique Phase
The Kickoff
Punts
Field Goals and Extra Points
Returns

A Player's Life
MOOOOOSE
A Player's Calendar

Coaches
Every Coach Is Different
The Game Plan

The Mental Game
It's All in Your Head
Life after Football

Appendix Daryl Johnston's Career Statistics
Index

Reviews

“Obviously Daryl did more than just block for Troy and Emmitt during his eleven-year NFL career—he became a student of the game. A great read to get ready for an NFL Sunday at home or at the stadium.”
Ed Goren, president, Fox Sports

"In this terrific book Moose talks about the many skills necessary to be a complete player. But the game of football is more than technique-you need heart. My definition of heart is the desire, passion, and will to be the very best. My friend Daryl has heart."
--Emmitt Smith, former NFL running back

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Watching Football

Discovering The Game Within The Game, First Edition

Daryl Johnston - With Jim Gigliotti

Watching Football

Discovering The Game Within The Game, First Edition

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