New Buffs Assistant Roper Stresses Mental Toughness For His QBs

BOULDER — Kurt Roper believes there is one attribute quarterbacks can't live without — and it has nothing to do with arm strength, foot speed or the ability to read defenses.

Rather, it is the intangible that often separates the good from the great, a quality that all quarterbacks must possess if they plan on surviving in the spotlight that accompanies the most important position on a football field.

"What I tell quarterbacks to begin with is that the most important attribute they have is mental toughness," Colorado's new quarterbacks coach said. "It's the most important thing, because it's a position that can beat you down. There's a lot of critique that goes along with it. If you're not mentally tough, it's going to be hard for you to make it."

Roper, named to the CU staff by head coach Mike MacIntyre earlier this week, knows a thing or two about coaching the position. Among the quarterbacks he has tutored over the years are All-American Eli Manning at Ole Miss (the 2003 SEC Player of the Year, No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft and two-time Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants) and Duke's Thaddeus Lewis, who rewrote the Blue Devils' record book before a six-year NFL career.

Those quarterback, Roper said, had the mental toughness — along with all the other requisite skills — the position requires.

"You have to help quarterbacks be mentally tough and the way you help them be mentally tough is you teach them how to make decisions and then you back them up when they make those decisions," Roper said. "You have to help them grow as a quarterback and a leader. What I tell quarterbacks all the time is that when you choose to play this position, you haven't chosen a position — you've chosen a lifestyle. You have to live the right way."

It is why Roper believes that establishing a rapport with his quarterbacks goes far beyond time on the field and in the film room. Coaching the position, he said, requires establishing a relationship in which all parties involved have complete trust in each other.

"Quarterbacking is a lot more than just making plays," Roper said. "Yes, he has to be a playmaker. You can't have a game manager. I don't believe in that. You have to have quarterback that makes plays, but there's a lot more that goes into it than just the play end of it. The relationship runs deep. You spend so much time together, that player has to know that you have his best interest in mind and that you are going to protect him in situations. At the same time, that quarterback has to protect that coach."

Roper served as South Carolina's offensive coordinator the last two seasons. He has also coached at Tennessee, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Duke and Florida. Two of those stops (Ole Miss and Duke) saw him work for head coach David Cutcliffe, where he also worked with MacIntyre.

Now, that relationship with MacIntyre has resulted in him making a move west.

"Anytime you can work with somebody that you know and have a close relationship with, that's a beneficial situation," Roper said. "I really believe Mike is one of the best football coaches I've ever been around. He's intense, he's intelligent, he works at it, and because of that it gives you a chance to win football games. Any football coach wants to win. That's the number one goal. I'm coming into a situation that I have some familiarity with, with Mike, and obviously a chance to win championships — and that's what you want."

Roper has not had a chance yet to make a deep dive into the film room and study Colorado's quarterbacks closely. But he does know the Buffs have a stable of talented players, beginning with junior incumbent starter Steven Montez, along with sophomore Sam Noyer and redshirt freshman Tyler Lytle.

"I haven't seen a whole lot of film yet, certainly not enough to develop a definitive opinion," Roper said. "But the biggest thing we have to do right away is get to know each other. Spend some time talking about other things than just football. Get to know each other, then start talking football."

Roper's love for the quarterback position began as a youngster. His father, Bobby Roper, was a defensive coach whose stops included Virginia, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Oregon State and Texas A&M.

"My dad was a defensive coordinator, and one thing I never understood was practicing any sport where you didn't have the ball," Roper said with a laugh. "I knew early on that if I wanted the ball every play I needed to play quarterback. So I like coaching the quarterbacks for the same reason."

Roper played quarterback and defensive back in high school, and lettered three years at Rice playing those positions.

Now, after serving as an offensive coordinator at his last two stops (Florida and South Carolina), he will once again concentrate specifically on quarterbacks.

"I'm looking forward to working with (co-coordinators) Klayton (Adams) and Darrin (Chiaverini," Roper said. "They're going to set the philosophy and I'm going to coach the quarterbacks to my best ability to that philosophy. I'm looking forward to sitting down with them and talking football and learning the system and then passing it on to the players."

As for his previous coaching stops, Roper believes his time at Duke will be especially beneficial in Boulder.

"I think working at Duke has helped me for any job going forward," Roper said. "What it taught me is there's enough good football players out there that are good students that you don't have to sacrifice or compromise any of your values in recruiting. I think that's what Duke taught me. I think you go out here and find good players that work hard that are good students and you go try to win games."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu