Grading The Dallas Cowboys Safety, Matt Johnson

When asked about his ankle injury he said:

"” That’s life you’ve got to play the hand your dealt I knew I had to prove in the UFL I was the same player I was before the injury”."

Sendejo graduated from Smithson Valley just outside of San Antonio in 2006. He said:

"“I have a lot of pride in Smithson Valley,” “That’s where I established my football mentality. Coach Hill and the old-school, hard-nosed work ethic he preaches had a lot to do with that” “I’m thankful I was in a program like that. I don’t think I’d be where I am today if I hadn’t gone through it. The coaches were like my other dads.”"

Sendejo earned 2005 Express-News All-Area Class 5A honors after notching a team-high four interceptions as a senior corner back. He also excelled as a kick off specialist and a return man.

"“No matter what we asked him to do, he made plays,” Smithsons coach Hill said. “His athletic ability wasn’t off the charts, but he excelled at whatever he was doing.”“Whatever ‘it’ is, he has it in volumes.”"

Hill is confident he will make it in the NFL. He went on to say:

"“He never seems to be first on anybody’s list, but when it’s time for him to step up, people find out quickly this guy is unbelievably productive, He is a playmaker and a quality kid.” “Put that together, and you’ve got an NFL player.”"

Rice coach David Bailiff said,

"“Andrew really is the hardest-working young man I’ve been around,” “He has a lot of fun until it’s time to work, and then he’s the first in and the last to leave. He’s no-nonsense and driven from the start of practice until it’s finished, and that’s how he plays.” He was also impressive with what Bailiff called “bone jarring hits."

Sendejo spent the 2010 season playing for Coach Dennis Green and the UFL’s Sacramento Mountain Lions where he had a season high of 48 tackles, 7 pass deflections and 2 interceptions in an 8 game season. He started the season as a free safety but was moved to strong safety because of injuries and roster changes in the secondary. He succeeded former Texas and Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Bill Bradley who is now the secondary coach for the UFL’S Florida Huskers. When asked about Sendejo he said:

"“You can’t measure football instincts,” “He’s got those, and they’ll serve him well. He’ll be in the NFL a long time.”"

"“Sendejo is a tremendous player,” Former NFL DB coach and now Mountain Lions head coach Dennis Green said. “He really gets around; he’s very active. “He’s a ball hawk, which means that when the ball’s out there, he always seems to be one of those guys who comes up with it – either an interception or a fumble recovery or some timely tackles. When the Mountain Lions’ defense makes a play – whether it’s a hard hit, a forced fumble or an interception – Andrew Sendejo probably is in the middle of it."

Sendejo signed to the cowboys practice squad on November 24, 2010. He was added to the active roster on November 29th. He played the 2010 season with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the UFL after finishing his college career at Rice. He racked up 318 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, two sacks, seven forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, 14 pass breakups and nine interceptions from 2006-09 with the Owls..

"“Our scouting department knew about him coming out,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. “We got some good recommendations. We just liked him. It’s a good opportunity to see what he has.” “He’s done great,” linebacker Sean Lee said. “He’s a smart, tough, athletic guy. That’s what you want to be in the NFL. He’s a guy who if I want to talk assignments with, that’s the guy who I will go to … He knows the playbook, and he works hard. And he’s also very athletic and tough. He’ll put his nose on anybody.”"

Coach Jason Garrett said he noticed Sendejo has already improved.

"“He’s playing with more confidence and more decisiveness,” Garrett said … Sendejo is obsessed with improving, “He’s one of those same kind of guys,” Garrett said. “He’s a smart player. It’s really important to him. He’s trying to get better in all that he’s given the opportunity to do defensively and in the kicking game. And he’s getting better.”"

Unfortunately, The Cowboys only had roster room for 8 DB’s. With Andrew being the new guy, and a victim of the lockout,(bad luck once again prevails) Garrett tried to move him to the practice squad. At that time, the Jets immediately put a claim  on him. This is what JG had to say at the time:

"“I think he’s a really good player. And he’s a guy who did a lot of really good things for us. And it didn’t surprise us at all that somebody would claim him. He’s a smart football player. And he’s very good in practice, took advantage of his opportunities in games. And I think he’s just a guy that they liked. Cause we liked him too. I think a lot of teams around the league liked him.”"

Rex Ryan ran in to a similar problem by having 10 players on IR. He needed a roster spot for depth at another position. When he tried to move him to the practice squad  the Minnesota Vikings immediately put a claim on him. I guess JG was right about other teams liking him as well.

In spite of being bounced between 3 teams in his rookie year, being exposed to 3 different defenses without a full off season, he made the 53 in Minnesota. The impressive part is, he never spent a day in camp there. This shows me a lot. Barry Church has been on the depth chart for a few years in Dallas and Sendejo, who never got a fair shot, looked adversity in the eye and got noticed as an undrafted rookie in a lock out year. To put it in Jason Garrets terminology, he is “The Right Kind Of Guy”. When you consider all of the intangibles for both players and consider the fact that Sendejo was undrafted and JJ used a 4th round pick on Johnson, the Johnson pick gets a grade of D for value.

When I look at this player, I can only think of Cliff Harris. He was also an undrafted rookie who didn’t have that natural talent, but had the instincts, intelligence, work ethic, and a chip on his shoulder to be the best he can be. When every coach he ever played for all raved about him and an elite teammate like Sean Lee does the same thing, it says a lot about a player. So to answer your question Steve:

"” I will take an Andrew Sendejo over a Matt Johnson any day”."