Marcus Allen believes in Darren McFadden

Hall-of-Fame running back Marcus Allen is a Raider legend. Still keeping up with the Black and Silver, Allen has seen enough of new Cowboys running back Darren McFadden to know if the 27-year-old is a bad back or suffered from bad fortune.

"I like Darren," Allen said last weekend at the Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities gala. "Obviously his Achilles heel has been his health. Staying on the field I think has been his biggest challenge."

McFadden has only played a full NFL season just once in his seven seasons, and that was his final year in Oakland. The former Razorback gained 534 yards and scored two touchdowns on 155 carries. As the season progressed, second-year back Latavius Murray took more carries away from the seven-year veteran.

"Everyone knows he has the skill. And when he's had the opportunity to play and stay healthy, I think he's performed," said Allen.

In 2010, McFadden played and started in 13 games for Oakland. Not only did McFadden rush for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns on 223 attempts, but he also caught 47 passes for 507 yards and three scores. With pedestrian signal callers such as a washed-up Jason Campbell and journeyman Bruce Gradkowski under center, McFadden did his part to help the Raiders finish 8-8 in the AFC West.

Along with being a Raiders running back, Allen shares something else with McFadden: being a former Raiders running back. After playing 11 seasons in Los Angeles, Allen went to arch-rival Kansas City. Allen's tenure wasn't a last-gasp effort at a contract. Allen missed only three games in his five seasons with the Chiefs, went to the Pro Bowl, set a career-high with 12 rushing touchdowns in a season, led Kansas City to the playoffs four out of five of those years, and challenged the Buffalo Bills in an AFC Championship game.

Allen knows the curative powers of going to a new team, and predicts that will be just as helpful for McFadden as the Cowboys' young, road-grading offensive line.

"Leaving one place and going to another does rejuvenate you, not just the offensive line, but going to a new place," Allen said. "It's a whole new start. It's a great feeling that you get."

Last season, the Cowboys offensive line paved the way for DeMarco Murray to set a Cowboys record for rushing yards in a season with 1,845, which also won Murray the league's rushing title. Additionally, the line kept a 34-year-old quarterback coming off a second back surgery upright for most of the year. Tony Romo only missed one game in 2014 as opposed to half a season as many analysts predicted in preseason.

Allen believes the new "Great Wall of Dallas" is good, but he won't swig all the blue Kool-Aid.

"They pale in comparison to Emmitt [Smith]'s group. Let's not put them in the Hall of Fame yet."

As long as they can put Dallas in the playoffs yet again, but with a rejuvenated McFadden toting the rock, no Cowboys fan will particularly mind the comparisons.