Cowboys select DB Matt Johnson Eastern Washington

[kiheikiwi]

Hate to say it - but outside of Claiborne -Pretty underwhelmed AGAIN !

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

AOA had a lot of picks, too.

Pete Hunter also got a lot of picks, too.

He basically played the equivalent of Texas High School football - how can you rank him against guys who played big Conference ball who are proven against high levels of competition. He was taken at least a round early and probably two rounds early.

We're just trying to outsmart the league again which Jerry loves to do. Jason is supposed to be his stopper. He didn't stop Jerry here so Garrett fails. I barely even care how good of a player he is because I think the strategy is all wrong. These little school guys need to be taken later. You'd think they'd have learned from our last 2 fourth rounders who have floundered - AOA (out of the league) and Arkin (not a consideration to play last year when we had Nagy from the 7th round and Kowalski as a UDFA out there playing).

I couldn't agree more. Jerry has been drinking again.

I don't like it when Jerry drinks.

 

[jjktkk]

Another way to look at it is that we took a guy who can contribute immediately on ST while he learns the D.

I do think this is a player who would have been rated higher if he wasn't coming off surgery

If I have any problem with the pick it is that he plays in a crap conference. The competition is atrocious

Big Sky is not a crap conference at all. Montana schools, along with E. Wa., are very good FCS football programs.

 

[jamesdojr]

No one hates the kid. I think it's a wasted pick because he would have been there in the 5th, 6th or 7th. Alot of places listed him as an undrafted free agent. So Dallas could have had a much more proven and polished player AND Matt Johnson later. That's why it's a wasted pick in my opinion. He's not a waste. The 4th rnd pick was wasted.

_________________________________________

I will say, it's not my favorite pick but I'm shocked at how fast people will write off a kid this day in age. Being fans of a team who starting QB and WR were undrafted I would think everyone would do their best to find out as much about the kid before commenting, then get on board and wish him the best because your Cowboys fan. I have never spit hate over a draft pick.

 

[Eskimo]

Helloooo Justin Beriault

And just like Beriault he probably won't make it through PS in one piece. This guy was falling apart at EWU. Again we ignore injury history on a player and again we draft a nobody from nowhere U when big, proven talent is still available.

Jerry is just trying to prove he is smarter than the rest of the league again.

 

[fishspill]

Every draft pick deserves a chance. I learned my lesson last year when I lambasted the DeMarco selection. But anyone who has followed the way this team has conducted it's FO business in the last 10 years (at least) is entitled to a bit of skepticism.

 

[jjktkk]

I will say, it's not my favorite pick but I'm shocked at how fast people will write off a kid this day in age. Being fans of a team who starting QB and WR were undrafted I would think everyone would do their best to find out as much about the kid before commenting, then get on board and wish him the best because your Cowboys fan. I have never spit hate over a draft pick.

Agree. People start whining because they don't know the prospect. At least wait until the you see the kid play.

 

[FiveTime]

Do we forget that we are not privy to the information of the scouting department? I'm pretty sure that they are far more qualified than anyone on this board that believes they could do better. This is not an exact science...every team has its hits and misses. Whatever your career is I'm sure you have failed at some point. We can't judge this pick a success or failure until it plays out.

 

[Woods]

And just like Beriault he probably won't make it through PS in one piece. This guy was falling apart at EWU. Again we ignore injury history on a player and again we draft a nobody from nowhere U when big, proven talent is still available.

Jerry is just trying to prove he is smarter than the rest of the league again.

Yes, because Jerry went and scouted him and broke down the tape, etc.

If you want to blame someone, blame the scouts, or Garrett, or both. These are their picks. JJ is the mouth piece.

Do you really think JJ went through Ourlads draft guide and said, "I want this guy"?

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

And just like Beriault he probably won't make it through PS in one piece. This guy was falling apart at EWU. Again we ignore injury history on a player and again we draft a nobody from nowhere U when big, proven talent is still available.

Jerry is just trying to prove he is smarter than the rest of the league again.

Seriously. I smell Quincy Carter on this pick. Stinky.

 

[Lesterbut]

I don't think any of us hate the kid and we'll cheer for him.

We hate Jerry for drafting him in the 4th instead of the 7th round.

This. Hope he's Jim Leonard; i fear he's AOA

 

[Bull209]

Do we forget that we are not privy to the information of the scouting department? I'm pretty sure that they are far more qualified than anyone on this board that believes they could do better. This is not an exact science...every team has its hits and misses. Whatever your career is I'm sure you have failed at some point. We can't judge this pick a success or failure until it plays out.

Sorry, but we've watched his roster crumble because of picks like this. They don't get the benefit of the doubt anymore. Will be SHOCKED if this dude is anymore than a practice squad player, much less even a bad bottom of the roster type.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

http://www.goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/2011-12/Bios/johnson_matt00.html


* Honors Candidate *

Career: Matt and his twin brother, Zach, have started every game they have played in their careers, with Matt up to a team-leading 38 and Zach now with 25. Matt now ranks fourth in school history in interceptions with 15, and he is just three interceptions away from the school record of 18 set by Mike Richter from 1971-75. The only other players ahead of him are former NFL 10-year veteran Kurt Schulz (EWU letter winner 1988-91) and long-time Canadian Football League standout Jackie Kellogg (1990-93), who both have 17 each.

He is second in interception return yards, just 19 behind the record of 219 set by Schulz. His five forced fumbles in his career is currently tied with teammate Renard Williams for third in school history, just one behind the school record shared by two players. Matt has 289 tackles in his career to move into seventh all-time at Eastern, and had five interceptions in 2010 to help Eastern lead the FCS with 26. During Eastern’s season-ending 11-game winning streak in the 2010 season, they combined for 189 tackles, five interceptions and 11 passes broken up. In the NCAA Division I Championship game, Zach had 15 tackles with a pair of sacks, and Matt added nine tackles and a pass broken up. Interestingly, they enjoyed an 11-game winning streak in high school as well, but that ended in the semifinals of the State 2A Playoffs in 2006 when Tumwater lost to Lynden 20-10.

2011: Listed as a starter at strong safety on preseason depth chart. Joins teammate Renard Williams on the Buck Buchanan Award “Watch List” as a candidate for the award given to the top defensive player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision by The Sports Network. Selected to the 28-member Athlon College Football Preview preseason All-America team, as well as earning first-team preseason All-America honors from Consensus Draft Services. He was also a second-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele’s FCS College Football Preview. The Sports Network selected him as one of the top 10 returning defensive backs in FCS in 2011, and he earned a similar honor from College Football Performance Awards as one of the top 36 returning defensive backs. Earned preseason All-Big Sky Conference honors as selected by the league’s media and sports information directors, and was also a first-team All-BSC selection by Phil Steele.

2010: Johnson was selected to the College Sporting News “Sweet 63” All-America Team, and was a second-team selection on the Phil Steele Publications All-America squad and a third-team pick on The Sports Network’s A-A team. He also earned first-team All-Big Sky Conference honors after starting all 15 Eastern games at safety. He helped the Eagle defense rank first nationally in interceptions (total of 26) and turnovers gained (47), and finish sixth nationally in red zone defense, as it allowed just 38 scores in 58 opponent trips inside the Eagle 20-yard line. Matt finished with 105 tackles to rank 19th in school history, and also had five interceptions, eight passes broken up, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Seven times during the season he had at least nine tackles, including his last three games of the season. He had nine stops and a pass broken up as EWU won the national title with a 20-19 come-from-behind victory over Delaware (1/7/11) in the NCAA Division I Championship Game in Frisco, Texas. He had nine tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in EWU’s semifinal victory in the FCS Playoffs over Villanova (12/17/10). He was assigned the task of “shadowing” multi-talented Villanova wide receiver Matt Szczur, who was held to 67 all-purpose yards a week after he had 204 yards with three touchdowns rushing, one passing and one receiving in Villanova's 42-24 victory over top-seeded Appalachian State. In the quarterfinals of the playoffs, Matt had 10 tackles in Eastern’s 38-31 overtime victory over North Dakota State (12/11/10). Matt was selected as the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in the 2010 season and third time in his career following EWU’s 28-24 win over Sacramento State (10/23/10). He finished with nine tackles, an interception and had three passes broken up for the Eagles. Matt returned his first-quarter interception 42 yards to set-up EWU’s first score en route to a 21-0 lead. Later in the quarter, he broke-up a pass on third down that led to Sac State turning the ball over on downs. His third pass broken up came on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the day, a play that he could have secured for his 15th career interception but instead, safely batted the ball to the ground to end the game. In Eastern’s 35-24 victory over Weber State (10/2/10), Matt had six tackles and the 13th interception of his career that led to a first-quarter scoring drive for the Eagles. Matt also was huge against Montana (9/18/10) in the debut of EWU’s red Sprinturf surface at Roos Field, finishing with eight tackles and a pair of interceptions to earn Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. His second interception versus Montana came with 7:31 left in the game after Montana had driven to Eastern’s 27-yard line while trailing by three. His performance against the Grizzlies earned him team defensive player of the week honors, an honor he also earned after the Villanova and Sacramento State wins. Named as a preseason second-team All-Big Sky selection by the Phil Steele College Football Preview Magazine. Did not participate in spring practices because of a shoulder injury.

2009: Earned honorable-mention All-Big Sky Conference honors. He finished with 102 tackles to rank as the 20th-most in school history, and his average of 8.2 per game was 74th in FCS. He also led the Big Sky and ranked 13th in FCS in interceptions (0.50 per game, six total). He intercepted four passes against Portland State (10/31/09), tying the Big Sky Conference record shared by two other players. As a result, he was selected as the Sports Network National Defensive Player of the Week, a College Sporting News National All-Star and was the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after leading Eastern to a commanding 33-4 halftime lead. The four picks were the most interceptions in a game by a Big Sky player in 20 years and the most by an Eagle in 23. But Johnson’s performance wasn’t a school record as he came one pick short of EWU’s school record of five set in 1986 by Mark Cordes against Boise State – a year before Eastern became a league member. Johnson helped Eastern’s defense hold PSU without a touchdown as Eastern had a 545-278 advantage in total offense. A year earlier in a 47-36 Portland State win, the Vikings passed for 623 yards and five touchdowns. Johnson also had a productive day one game earlier against Montana State (10/24/09), although EWU surrendered 592 yards of total offense in the 35-24 victory. He had 14 tackles (10 unassisted), including a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery he returned 14 yards. He had 15 tackles in Eastern’s playoff-clinching win over Northern Arizona (11/21/09). He was selected as the team’s defensive player of the week against both Portland State and Sacramento State (9/26/09) when he had four tackles and an interception he returned 33 yards for a touchdown. He wore EWU’s No. 10 jersey in 2009 in honor of his twin brother Zach Johnson, who was lost for the season because of a blood clot that developed before the start of preseason practices in August. Eastern also adopted Zach’s ritual of hitting the side of his helmet after big plays, a tradition the team has continued since then.

 

[a_minimalist]

half of the scouting websites i use don't even have him listed. this is frustrating.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Helloooo Justin Beriault

Except Berry-o actually had a lot of talent. He was pretty fly for a white guy.

 

[RamziD]

Every draft pick deserves a chance. I learned my lesson last year when I lambasted the DeMarco selection. But anyone who has followed the way this team has conducted it's FO business in the last 10 years (at least) is entitled to a bit of skepticism.

This is nothing like the Demarco Murray pick. Demarco Murray was very productive at a FBS powerhouse and was not projected by every scouting service as a UDFA.

 

[Chuck 54]

And where did the two best players on our entire team play?

Eastern Illinois and Troy, you say?

I also question the pick, but remember, the experts rate players against one set of basic standards. When you run a different secondary like the Tampa 2 or a bizarre defense like the Ryan's, sometimes you throw those ratings out the window because they don't fit what you want.

If you get the player you want and value, what difference does the round make? Why is NE okay taking Tavon freaking Wilson so early with all the higher rated safeties on the board, but Seattle is lampooned for taking Bruce Irvin in round 1 and we suck for taking this kid when he's the guy we wanted in this round?

 

[RamziD]

Sorry, but we've watched his roster crumble because of picks like this. They don't get the benefit of the doubt anymore. Will be SHOCKED if this dude is anymore than a practice squad player, much less even a bad bottom of the roster type.

I agree. Inability to draft well in the late rounds has hurt us a lot.

 

[FiveTime]

Commanders are looking for some fans feel free to join them

Exactly

 

[Chocolate Lab]

If you get the player you want and value, what difference does the round make? Why is NE okay taking Tavon freaking Wilson so early with all the higher rated safeties on the board, but Seattle is lampooned for taking Bruce Irvin in round 1 and we suck for taking this kid when he's the guy we wanted in this round?

Because the Pats are the most successful franchise of the last decade? Maybe?

But that said, they did get criticism for that pick.