"On Sunday night, veteran running back Larry Johnson will experience the Washington-Dallas rivalry for the first time as a player.

But to hear Johnson tell it, he already knows what Redskins-Cowboys is all about.

"That's what it always was -- the Cowboys and Redskins in my household," said Johnson, who was born in Pomfret, Md. "My mom was a big Emmitt Smith fan, so the only time we watched the TV was when the Cowboys played the Redskins.

"I've known that rivalry since I was young. And to be able to go through a rivalry with Kansas City against Oakland, I kind of know the sense of the blood feud that you have with one another. ... I know how that rivalry is, especially all the great players that produced in that rivalry."

Johnson will be the primary backup for top back Clinton Portis in the Redskins-Cowboys big-stage opener at FedEx Field. If the Redskins have a lead late in the game, they could lean on the big back down the stretch to help seal a victory."