Deon "Cricket" Anderson, who morphs into his Pit Bull persona during games, and Daryl "Moose" Johnston talked about much more than nicknames when they met this spring.

Moose gave the 2007 sixth-round pick a five-minute crash course on being an NFL fullback. They discussed blocking technique and off-season workout regimens, but Cricket said the most valuable tip was about where to sit in the classroom.

Moose mentioned that it made a huge difference when he started sitting next to Emmitt Smith during meetings. Cricket sat in front of Marion "The Barbarian" Barber last season, but he's been right next to Barber since the conversation with Moose.

Cricket said he's already seen the difference, because he has a better idea of how Barber makes his reads on each running play and adjusted his thinking to match the tailback's. The changes are subtle -- for example, not chipping a DT en route to a LB on one specific play -- but Cricket believes moving next to Barber in meetings is a big step in his career.