Colorado University Athletics
Johnson Helped Montez Make Big Fourth-Quarter Strides
December 06, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Since the day his first collegiate pass went 69 yards for a touchdown, there has never been a question about Steven Montez's elite-level arm.
But as his career progressed, the Colorado quarterback also steadily developed the finer points of the position, improving his footwork, his ability to read defenses and his understanding of the nuances of the game.
That development took a big step in his final year in Boulder under the tutelage of Buffs offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson, who helped Montez fine-tune the skills he will need to play at the next level.
"What you saw with Steven was steady progress," Johnson said. "We worked on a lot of things and he devoted himself to the process and did a nice job. When it comes to getting to that next level, they always want to see how you progressed and how you've grown. That was a big step in Steven's development."
While Montez's overall numbers in 2019 didn't make a significant jump — due in part to a more-balanced Colorado offensive attack — his fourth-quarter performance improved dramatically.
In the fourth quarter of 2019 games, Montez was at his career best. He completed more than 70 percent of his passes in the final period (66-for-94) for 783 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. That produced a quarterback rating above 154.0.
It was a huge step forward from his 52 percent completion rate, 540 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the fourth quarter in 2018.
The difference also showed up on the scoreboard for Colorado. Montez engineered four game-winning or game-saving fourth-quarter drives in 2019, and he also led Colorado into the lead or a tie in the fourth quarter in two more games that were ultimately decided by one score.
Johnson's influence, particularly in critical situations, no doubt set the tone for his quarterback.
"It's a huge advantage for us to have an offensive coordinator who played the position who also coaches the quarterbacks," head coach Mel Tucker said. "That's not always the case at other places. Jay understands the intricate details of the position and makes our guys better every day. He has a tremendous amount of experience coaching quarterbacks and he knows how to develop their physical and mental games. He has what it takes to develop a complete quarterback."
Considered by many to be among the top 10 quarterbacks available in the 2020 NFL Draft, Montez made subtle improvements in his game over the course of his final season that impressed scouts. While NFL front office personnel seldom offer their analyses on the record, some were willing to talk about Montez if their names weren't used.
"You could see the growth in his game this year, especially down the stretch," one scout said. "He seemed to be more comfortable in the pocket, he kept his poise, he didn't force bad passes, and he made much better decisions."
Over the last five games of the season, Montez threw seven touchdowns and two interceptions, a stretch that included a 324-yard, three-touchdown effort against USC.
"One of the big points that he's focused on is his lower half — what his feet are doing and how that affects him not only in his throws, but within the pocket and putting himself in a position to throw," Johnson said. "He devoted himself to working on that. That development in the pocket, trying to get comfortable, might be the hardest piece for a young quarterback. It's never easy because you've got those cats on the other side who are coming after you. But he began to realize how much it could help him in so many ways, and it showed as the season progressed."
That footwork also helped Montez reduce the number of times he was sacked. After being sacked 35 times in 2017 and 30 times last season, Montez cut that number by 33 percent in 2019, as he was sacked just 20 times all year (with five of those coming in the final game against Utah).
That, said one scout, was a big step in Montez's development.
"He learned how to extend plays but not take that big loss," the scout said. "He cut down on his mistakes and improved his footwork. I think a big question for him has been consistency and composure, and he seemed to make some improvement there over the last half of the season."
As the year progressed, Johnson also gave his quarterback more and more latitude when it came to changing plays at the line of scrimmage.
"Jay understands how much responsibility he can put on a quarterback to audible and make calls at the line of scrimmage," Tucker said. "He's given Steven a tremendous amount of responsibility in that respect and Steven has handled it very well. That is a big step in the development of a quarterback and Steven made tremendous strides under Jay in that regard."
Johnson was Montez's third quarterback coach in as many years at Colorado. He said Johnson improved every aspect of his game, from the mental approach to the footwork to decision making.
"He's one of the best I've been around," Montez said. "The thing about Jay is that he's extremely prepared. He knows all the little things that make you better. He cares about his guys and he does everything possible to get you ready to play a game."
Johnson said Montez's willingness to learn and adjust to a new staff was critical in his development.
"Steven handled it well," Johnson said. "He did a great job of being focused and he embraced the opportunity to learn and grow. To see young quarterbacks learn and then show that growth on the field is very rewarding — it's one of my favorite things of the job."
