Buffs QB Montez Focuses On Mental Aspect Of Game
July 24, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado quarterback Steven Montez has always been a player blessed with immense physical talent.
This summer, Montez has turned his focus to the mental aspect of the game — and it has resulted in more than a few late-night calls to Buffs quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper.
"I've been trying to spend two or three hours a day going in, breaking down film and trying to fine-tune my knowledge of the game," said Montez, who will join linebacker Rick Gamboa and head coach Mike MacIntyre at Wednesday's Pac-12 Media Day in Los Angeles. "Coach Roper has been a huge help. There have been times when I've had a question about a specific defense and I'll call him up, even if it's late at night. … He's always ready to answer them."
Indeed, Roper said, he has learned to stay close to his phone and computer in the evenings, when Montez and CU's other quarterbacks might call with specific questions.
"They'll call and FaceTime and we'll talk," Roper said. "Watching film is a big piece of that development process."
Montez said that mental development is something he knows he needs to improve. While he had a solid statistical season last year — his first as a full-time starter at Colorado — he is aware there is plenty of room for improvement, particularly when it comes to the finer points of reading defenses and reacting to different coverages.
"It's what I've really been concentrating on adding to my game, the mental aspect," Montez said. "When I was in high school, I didn't have to watch film because I was usually a better athlete than everyone else out there. Last year really helped me realize the importance of watching film and knowing what you're going to be facing on the other side of the football. Coach Roper has been a huge help in that area."
It's not as if Montez had a poor 2017. He just missed recording only the third 3,000-yard passing season in CU history, finishing with 2,975 yards in the air, while throwing 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions (those nine interceptions were the fewest by a CU team since 2006). He also set CU records for career 400-yard games of total offense, with two of them coming last season, as well as Buffs records for most consecutive games with 300 yards offense (three) and most consecutive pass attempts without an interception (172).
He is also well within reach of the CU record for most passing yards in consecutive seasons, the 5,618 by Sefo Liufau in the 2014-15 seasons. He needs to throw for 2,644 this year to break that mark.
But the numbers with which Montez is most concerned are those that matter the most — wins and losses. He is now 7-8 for his career as a starter (5-7 in 2017, 2-1 in 2016) and he believes his time this summer in the film room will pay big dividends on the field in the fall.
"It's always different watching film compared to being on the field and recognizing what you're seeing in the film room," he said. "Fall camp will be a big help, putting those two things together and being able to recognize things right away. Â I've been doing a good job in seeing defenses, recognizing them and knowing what they're doing and what their responsibilities are. Now I have to translate that to the field."
Montez's film study habits this summer haven't gone unnoticed by head coach Mike MacIntyre.
"I've seen a lot from Steven this summer," MacIntyre said this week. "One of the things I've seen Steven do more of is he's at our office a lot more this year than he ever has been. He's in there extra, breaking down film, watching film, learning, kind of learning the extra details of a quarterback. That will open up his vision, help him see things, understand things in the course of a game and a drive. His preparation is way ahead of where he has been in the past. He was prepared before, but he's gone from algebra to calculus."
On paper, at least, CU's offense is a question mark at this point. The Buffs not only lost running back Phillip Lindsay — the first player in CU history to put together back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons — they also lost their top three receivers from 2017, as well as three starting linemen.
But there are a host of running backs itching to get their chance at the carries that went to Lindsay, and an extremely talented group of receivers appears ready to step in and improve CU's passing numbers. The key will be how the offense develops when fall camp begins Aug. 1, both physically and mentally.
"This team definitely has the potential to have the mentality that we had in 2016 (when the Buffs won the Pac-12 South)," Montez said. "But we have to get tougher in camp, be ready to handle things that come our way. A game isn't like a practice, where everything is scripted and everything is going how it should go. In a game, when things happen — big, momentum-changing plays like touchdowns or turnovers— it's a roller-coaster ride. You have to be prepared mentally for that and be ready for those situations, and when we experience those things, not be fazed by them."
Montez and Gamboa will meet with the media Wednesday afternoon at the conference Media Day. Earlier in the day, the annual preseason media poll will be released, and the Buffs are expected to be picked to finish near the bottom of the Pac-12 South.
"It's not like it's anything new or surprising," Montez said with a shrug. "We just have to keep that in the back of our minds, use it as motivation, use it as fuel and go out there and work every day. It's up to us to prove people wrong."
BUFFS ON STAGE: MacIntyre will appear on the main stage at Wednesday's Media Day at 2 p.m. (MT). His press conference will be streamed live to the Pac-12's Facebook (facebook.com/Pac12Conference), Pac-12.com and the Pac-12 Now app. Gamboa and Montez will also be available to reporters at the same time.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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