Brian Johnson Keeps NFL Dream Alive

Update (4/28/09): Johnson was invited by the Green Bay Packers to participate in their rookie mini-camp. Best of luck to you, Brian.

NEW YORK -- The NFL draft isn't a whirlwind of celebration for everyone. Some players just feel blessed to be a part of the experience, and everything else is just gravy.

Enter Brian Johnson, the quarterback who led Utah to a perfect 13-0 regular-season record and threw for 27 touchdowns, but might not even hear his name called in the seventh round.

Johnson isn't expected to be anything more than a last-round flier, if that, but he carries himself with such modesty that you want him to succeed.

On the same night where I saw Michael Crabtree show off his diamond-encrusted watch and lock-shaped medallion, there was Johnson, sharply dressed in a suit and willing to answer our questions with enthusiasm in his eyes.

For every star that stepped out of the green room and flashed a million-dollar smile, there's plenty of fringe players like Johnson. All he wants is an NFL team to give him one shot at proving his worth.

"This business is about winning," Johnson told us Thursday night at the NCAA Football 10 premiere party. "Winning games is what the bottom line is based on."

No head coach will dispute that.

But there's no way for a team to measure projected wins like they scrutinize over statistics, 40 times and oddly-named tests -- the very things a player like Johnson won't dazzle you with. Instead, he can only hope a team watched him on tape and came away impressed enough to give him that chance.

And if it looks like the NFL isn't for him? Well, as Johnson tells us, there's always backup point guard for the Utah Jazz. Our full interview with the prospect is below.

How are you enjoying your first visit to New York?
It's a lot of fun. I can't get everything that I'd like to get done as far as touring the city. I went to see a Broadway show, walked around and did some shopping, but I want to come back and get a chance to see everything.

What's your opinion of New York food? Have you had a decent meal here?
We went to a sushi bar and had some very good sushi, but I gotta try everything else. We went out for pizza later at night and I got my chance to get some real New York-style pizza, so that was very exciting.

How does it feel to be an NCAA Football 10 cover star? It seemed like a bit of a surprise that you were chosen to be on the PS3 edition.
Yeah, it was a big surprise for me. Now I have to buy the system in order to play the game with my cover on it. It's a huge honor and the kind of stuff you dream about as a kid. Never in a million years do you think it would be you at the end of the day. Not only for myself, but for our community, for our program, for our state, it's an absolutely amazing experience and something that means a lot.

Which team are you gonna tear up when you pick up the game?
I love playin' them all. I'd play the Texas and the Florida teams. I go for the top dogs, you know, I try to go for their throne. So if they're the highest-rated teams in the game, I'd bring 'em up to Salt Lake City and see if they can handle the elevation, and usually I'll pull out the win.

Do you have any hopes for draft weekend overall?
Obviously I'm not the highest-rated guy, so it's a little bit of a different experience for me. But I've made a career out of having an underdog mentality. Coming out of high school I wasn't the most highly-recruited guy, and it's kind of repeating itself as I try to take the next step in my career. The thing that I try to focus on is what I do well, and that's putting in the time and the effort that it takes to be successful. It's just like any other athlete that has to find different ways to overcome their physical shortcomings. So for me, I pretty much just want an opportunity. I think all it takes for me is to get to the right situation to show what I'm capable of doing.

Pointing to your record, that's got to catch their eye, right?
Definitely. You know, at the end of the day, this business is about winning. In the NFL, winning games is what the bottom line is based on. So for me, a huge selling point is it's hard to win 13 games. You saw no one in the country beat us. So for us to win 13 games is something I definitely hang my hat on.

Do you hear from pro teams? Are they in contact with you?
Yeah, I've heard from a couple of teams. My agent has talked to teams about me. Mostly it's teams that are on the West Coast offensive system, I think that's more suited to my abilities as a quarterback. Whatever team drafts me or takes me as a free agent, I'm gonna work my tail off and make sure they're not disappointed.

Two "What If" questions we've been asking others ... If you weren't a quarterback, what position would you love to play? And if you couldn't be an NFL player, what would you like your career to be?
If I didn't play quarterback, I think I'd probably play safety, to be in the box and make some tackles. I played a little bit of safety and defensive back in high school.

And if I didn't play football, hands down, I'd try my luck in professional basketball. I'm a huge basketball fan, I watch every game I can. I've got the playoffs TiVo'd so I can go back and watch all the games.

You think you could score on Deron Williams?
Yeah, you know I think I'd be a good backup point guard for the Jazz. If the draft doesn't work out, I'm gonna talk to coach [Jerry] Sloan and see if I can come in and run some pick-and-rolls. At the end of the day, that position is very similar to what I do on the football field. You have to be sure you can get the ball into the right guy's hands. I grew up loving the game of basketball, so if this NFL thing don't work out, I'm gonna take a look at that.