Northern Arizona safety leads defense and special teams

Matt Estrada sits back, surveying the full field. From his position, he can see every one of the other 21 players on the turf, all lined up in front of him like pieces on a chess board. They're coiled like springs, ready for the snap of the ball. And so is he.

It's a common occurrence for Estrada during football games with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks this year, his senior season. Adding to his normal position of safety, the last line of defense that keeps an eye on the whole play, Estrada now also handles the kick return duties. Being the return man comes with the same feeling of isolation on an island, watching the play develop in front of you, he said. But the similarities end there.

"There's not really a correlation between them at all," Estrada said, chuckling as if he's never quite made the connection before. "I mean it's a whole different position than safety."

Estrada's first love on the football field has always been defense, even dating back to the first time he picked up a ball at age seven. The physicality of it had him hooked from the beginning. Dishing out hits seemed so much more appealing than receiving them. Still, he did what he could on offense when called upon throughout high school, including occasional punt and kick returns.

After playing a year at Fullerton Junior College, he transferred to Northern Arizona. As a sophomore and junior, he was strictly defensive. Though, back in his comfort zone, the safety said he actually started to miss getting the ball.

"We had a great returner, and I didn't get the opportunity to [do returns] the last couple of years," Estrada explained. "But it's awesome being back there and getting to do it again."

Through five games in 2010, Estrada's taken his dual roles in stride. After first struggling on the return game, the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder returned his first collegiate punt for a score to lead a comeback effort against Southern Utah earlier this month. The 66-yard scamper pulled him in a Big Sky Conference special teams player of the week award.

The honor was his second of the season, matching a defensive award coming the week before.

Estrada's strength and versatility come from his passion for the game, said Jerome Souers, Northern Arizona's 12th year coach.

"There's no aspect of the game he doesn't like," Souers said. "He'll play quarterback if you let him; he's that talented and instinctive of a football player."

Playing both positions, and more importantly, playing them well, requires two distinct sets of instincts. A defender must always focus on trying to get his offense the ball back, the safety said. That could mean shutting down the opposition's offensive drive or taking it upon one's self to physically take the ball away.

"Getting the offense back the ball is a huge part of my plan every game," Estrada said, who has forced three fumbles so far this season. "You're just being physical, trying to create momentum."

Lining up as return specialist is less about brute force. Finesse is the name of the game, Estrada said. A returner must find holes and exploit weaknesses in the coverage, but more importantly, he has to catch the ball first. That can be more difficult than it sounds, he added. "I played baseball a lot when I was younger," Estrada said, "and it helped me judge the ball when it comes off the punter's foot."

Estrada's spark as a captain of the Big Sky's No. 1 ranked defense has helped elevate the Lumberjacks (2–1 in conference, 4–2) to the upper echelon of the conference midway through the season. The team is better at stopping the run and the pass now that Estrada has evolved into an all-around defender, his coach said.

When Estrada first arrived in Flagstaff, Ariz., play-action passes could throw him off and gut the defense for big plays, Souers said, but not anymore.

"He's gotten much better at reading run and pass," Souers said. He's a better balanced player and he can perform well against both consistently."

anthony.mazzolini@umontana.edu