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Spring Practices … First Look: Quarterbacks
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Program Note … Spring practices will begin in mid-February, so over the six weeks, previews will be posted for each unit of the 2018 Colorado roster.
… Up first: Quarterbacks …
—
Now that Colorado has its quarterbacks coach in the fold, the Buffs can turn their attention to getting better production out of that position. Steven Montez had a year in which he set over a dozen school records … but was not all that Buff fans hoped (expected) he would be as CU stumbled to a 5-7 record.
The roster:
QUARTERBACKS (4 scholarship):
Seniors: None
Juniors: Steven Montez
Sophomores: Sam Noyer
Redshirt freshmen: Tyler Lytle
True freshmen: Blake Stenstrom
The stats (2017):
— Steven Montez … 228-of-337 passing (60.5%), 2,975 yards … 18 touchdowns; nine interceptions … 132 carries for 338 yards, three touchdowns (includes 35 sacks for 225 yards lost)
— Sam Noyer … 13-of-27 passing (48.1%), 119 yards … no touchdowns or interceptions … seven carries for minus-11 yards (including four sacks for 25 yards lost)
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As is true with head coaches, quarterbacks tend to receive a larger share of the credit for a teams success, and also a larger share of the blame when things do not go as planned. Such is the case with Steven Montez, who had his moments in 2017, but was also benched in November for poor play.
For his part, head coach Mike MacIntyre is still a Steven Montez fan.
“You’re always going to have peaks and valleys, but I think overall his practice habits — they were not bad — but I thought he started watching them and improving,” MacIntyre told the Daily Camera. “All of that to me is maturity. His study habits improved with being more prepared for the games. It was good before, but it has to go to an unbelievable level. He’s starting to understand that. I’m excited to see what he’ll do from there.”
One of the biggest off-season challenges for Montez is an intangible … leadership. Sefo Luifau was the unquestioned leader of the 2016 Buffs, even when he was injured and Montez was starring as Liufau’s replacement. This past season, with Liufau gone, Phillip Lindsay picked up some of the leadership slack, but it was not enough.
Now, both Liufau and Lindsay are gone … can Montez fill that void?
“I thought Steven’s leadership improved as the year went along,” MacIntyre said. “It wasn’t bad, but it has to be exemplary in a way. You start learning that as a quarterback.
“Everybody’s watching him, from the freshman to the senior offensive linemen. They’re all watching you as a quarterback. The outside linebacker on defense is watching you. That doesn’t happen at every other position. I definitely think he started understanding that even more as the year went on.”
And now, Montez, who had nothing but praise for former co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren, has a new coach for his next two seasons. Kurt Roper steps in as the new quarterbacks coach, and will have to develop a relationship with his three quarterbacks this spring (Class of ’18 recruit Blake Stenstrom is expected to enroll until this summer).
“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.”
Quarterbacking, to Roper, is more than just making plays.
“Yes, he has to be a playmaker,” said Roper. “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.”
(If you had to re-read that last sentence, you are not alone … so did I. Not sure if I agree with that last statement).
For the Buff quarterbacks, it will be a clean slate with their new position coach, so it is not entirely a given that Steven Montez will be the starting quarterback against Colorado State in September. Sam Noyer got some playing time last fall, and many Buff fans believe that Tyler Lytle, who sat out his true freshman year last fall, is the quarterback of the future.
“I haven’t seen a whole lot of film yet, certainly not enough to develop a definitive opinion,” Roper said of his new charges. “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.”
School is not back in session at Colorado until after Martin Luther King Day (January 15th), so Roper and his quarterbacks will only have a month or so to “get to know each other” before the pads are taken out of storage next month.
Right now, the starting job belongs to Steven Montez. This spring will go a long ways toward deciding if that will remain his role the next two seasons.
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
Spring Practices … First Look: Quarterbacks
—
Program Note … Spring practices will begin in mid-February, so over the six weeks, previews will be posted for each unit of the 2018 Colorado roster.
… Up first: Quarterbacks …
—
Now that Colorado has its quarterbacks coach in the fold, the Buffs can turn their attention to getting better production out of that position. Steven Montez had a year in which he set over a dozen school records … but was not all that Buff fans hoped (expected) he would be as CU stumbled to a 5-7 record.
The roster:
QUARTERBACKS (4 scholarship):
Seniors: None
Juniors: Steven Montez
Sophomores: Sam Noyer
Redshirt freshmen: Tyler Lytle
True freshmen: Blake Stenstrom
The stats (2017):
— Steven Montez … 228-of-337 passing (60.5%), 2,975 yards … 18 touchdowns; nine interceptions … 132 carries for 338 yards, three touchdowns (includes 35 sacks for 225 yards lost)
— Sam Noyer … 13-of-27 passing (48.1%), 119 yards … no touchdowns or interceptions … seven carries for minus-11 yards (including four sacks for 25 yards lost)
—
As is true with head coaches, quarterbacks tend to receive a larger share of the credit for a teams success, and also a larger share of the blame when things do not go as planned. Such is the case with Steven Montez, who had his moments in 2017, but was also benched in November for poor play.
For his part, head coach Mike MacIntyre is still a Steven Montez fan.
“You’re always going to have peaks and valleys, but I think overall his practice habits — they were not bad — but I thought he started watching them and improving,” MacIntyre told the Daily Camera. “All of that to me is maturity. His study habits improved with being more prepared for the games. It was good before, but it has to go to an unbelievable level. He’s starting to understand that. I’m excited to see what he’ll do from there.”
One of the biggest off-season challenges for Montez is an intangible … leadership. Sefo Luifau was the unquestioned leader of the 2016 Buffs, even when he was injured and Montez was starring as Liufau’s replacement. This past season, with Liufau gone, Phillip Lindsay picked up some of the leadership slack, but it was not enough.
Now, both Liufau and Lindsay are gone … can Montez fill that void?
“I thought Steven’s leadership improved as the year went along,” MacIntyre said. “It wasn’t bad, but it has to be exemplary in a way. You start learning that as a quarterback.
“Everybody’s watching him, from the freshman to the senior offensive linemen. They’re all watching you as a quarterback. The outside linebacker on defense is watching you. That doesn’t happen at every other position. I definitely think he started understanding that even more as the year went on.”
And now, Montez, who had nothing but praise for former co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren, has a new coach for his next two seasons. Kurt Roper steps in as the new quarterbacks coach, and will have to develop a relationship with his three quarterbacks this spring (Class of ’18 recruit Blake Stenstrom is expected to enroll until this summer).
“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.”
Quarterbacking, to Roper, is more than just making plays.
“Yes, he has to be a playmaker,” said Roper. “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.”
(If you had to re-read that last sentence, you are not alone … so did I. Not sure if I agree with that last statement).
For the Buff quarterbacks, it will be a clean slate with their new position coach, so it is not entirely a given that Steven Montez will be the starting quarterback against Colorado State in September. Sam Noyer got some playing time last fall, and many Buff fans believe that Tyler Lytle, who sat out his true freshman year last fall, is the quarterback of the future.
“I haven’t seen a whole lot of film yet, certainly not enough to develop a definitive opinion,” Roper said of his new charges. “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.”
School is not back in session at Colorado until after Martin Luther King Day (January 15th), so Roper and his quarterbacks will only have a month or so to “get to know each other” before the pads are taken out of storage next month.
Right now, the starting job belongs to Steven Montez. This spring will go a long ways toward deciding if that will remain his role the next two seasons.
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...