Colorado State University Athletics
Montini is Rams’ Man for All Tasks
12/19/2024 3:00:00 PM | Football
No glory, all guts is senior’s plan of attack
Pick a term. Glue guy. Worker bee. Throw back. Old school. Peter Montini is fine with whatever you choose, just as long as he's being picked.
For what, it doesn't really matter to the product of Plesanton, Calif. Give him a task, he'll perform it to the letter.
"I kind of like the dirty-work thing. Nobody notices it, but the guys inside the building do," Montini said. "You're just playing for your guys. I try to be one of the more physical guys on the field, the nitty gritty. My position, that's what it's about. I try to embrace it, and that's about it."
As part of the offense's 12-personnel, he's been a big reason the Colorado State run game has produced at an increased clip. He's a big reason the Rams' special teams units have excelled this year.
When it comes to the basics of the game – blocking and tackling – he's completely in tune. He possesses sure hands as a receiver on the instances he's called to run a route. He has just five catches, but two of them are for 10 or more yards.
"Peter is a classic glue guy who does everything you need to win. He's gonna block and do all the dirty work in the run game," Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said. "He's going to be on every special team. He's going to fill his role and do whatever the team needs to win. He's' a team guy. He's a hard guy to replace."
He plays tight end and fills the role of H-back. Fullback if that's what the game dictates. He's on every special teams unit, and he plays each role to precision.
He's the guy nobody notices until he's out of the lineup. Special teams coach Tommy Perry isn't quite sure how he's going to replace Montini in a lineup where he fills so many roles.
"He's a throwback, man. He doesn't care about recognition," Perry said. "He doesn't care how hard the job is. If there's a difficult block we have to have, or something critical to the play, No. 44 is going to be the guy. Whenever he has been out, oh my gosh, we feel it. You don't always see it, but when you go back and study tape, it's, 'oh, that's something Pete would have done.' You take it for granted until he's not there. It's going to be so difficult to fill his role. He's been incredible."
What Montini excels at doesn't exactly come with numbers attached, in a game where statistics widely dictate how a player's success is weighed and measured. Like a lineman, his blocks to spring punt returns aren't assigned a value in the box score. Same thing when he destroys a blocking scheme on kick coverage.
But it's fun for him, and it earns him the only admiration which matters – from those in the locker room.
"Pete's worth a hundred men on our (special) teams, to be honest. If we had 114 Peter Montini's, no one's beating us," Colorado State punter Paddy Turner said. "He's a level above in everything he does.
"Stats don't show up on Peter Montini's box score, but everyone else's stats are built on Pete. If Pete's not out there, no one has the stats they have."
Colorado State does use a metric to gauge production on special teams. It factors in plays made, but also effort given, blocks collected, plays destroyed. For three consecutive seasons, Montini has topped the charts.
He was the Rams' special teams player of the year the two seasons prior, and while Dane Olson topped him for the award this year, Perry said Montini could have won it again. Not that he believes Montini cares.
It's a pretty impressive run for a player who never performed on special teams in high school. He was a running back and linebacker at Foothill High School, and when he was being recruited, team's didn't exactly know what to do with him.
Nevada initially saw him as a linebacker, but there were roadblocks there. Then the staff moved him to tight end, behind an all-conference performer in Cole Turner. But Montini found his way on the field through via his passion – being physical.
"I didn't play special teams until I got into college. I knew what it was, but I never played it," he said. "My freshman year at Nevada, I got introduced to it, and that's how the young guys get on the bus and get on the field. I embraced it and every year worked more and more on it. I was talking to Trey McBride this summer about it, and there's guys in the NFL who get paid the big bucks for just doing special teams. Some guys only play five or six snaps a game. That's what I'm hoping to try to do, get a mini-camp invite get my foot in the door and show a team what I can do, play a bit of H-back, fullback.
"Once again, you're playing for your boys and your brothers on the team. You could not care less about what the people outside are saying or thinking, it's all about the core group of guys inside the building. You get to hit someone and not get in trouble for it, for the most part."
While Perry appreciates the effort Montini puts into his roles, and the violence he can bring, what he admires most is the precision of the details, the thought he puts into the actions.
While Montini loves the freedom of being able to go out and hit an opponent – be it a block or a tackle – the reason Perry said he excels is the technique is immaculate. If a change needs to be made on the fly, all they have to do is ask. They don't have to teach, won't have to show Montini. Just make the ask, and it's done.
"If it's a physical role, he's got it. If it's something where it needs to be a smart, savvy player, if it's a technique we don't reinforce, we pull him aside and stay we need you to move your foot this way, it's done," Perry said. "You don't give him notes, you just say, 'Pete, we need you to do this today,' and he does it, and he does it at an extremely high level. What he does is so important to what we do. There's no way our numbers on special teams would be what they were without Pete. He's awesome."
Montini is the player coaches will always appreciate more than the fans who can't watch everything happen on the field all at once. He's a guy who goes to bed at night with the comfort of knowing his teammates regard him in the brightest light.
He takes immense pride in providing aid to the offensive line and watching Avery Morrow and Justin Marshall churn out yards. Or blowing up a coverage guy to allow a punt return to spring for a score. Or just getting to hit an opponent for the sake of hitting him.
He is the Rams' catch-all.
"A Swiss Army Knife. I like to think that way," Montini said. "Do it all – block, run, catch passes and whatever the team needs. I want guys to remember I was a nitty-gritty guy, old school. A fundamental guy. When it comes down to it in football it's all blocking and tackling, and that's what special teams is. That's what old-school football is. None of this seven-on-seven, running routes. Gritty, old school football."
Every one of the coaches can call it what they like. Montini just likes answering the call.
For what, it doesn't really matter to the product of Plesanton, Calif. Give him a task, he'll perform it to the letter.
"I kind of like the dirty-work thing. Nobody notices it, but the guys inside the building do," Montini said. "You're just playing for your guys. I try to be one of the more physical guys on the field, the nitty gritty. My position, that's what it's about. I try to embrace it, and that's about it."
As part of the offense's 12-personnel, he's been a big reason the Colorado State run game has produced at an increased clip. He's a big reason the Rams' special teams units have excelled this year.
When it comes to the basics of the game – blocking and tackling – he's completely in tune. He possesses sure hands as a receiver on the instances he's called to run a route. He has just five catches, but two of them are for 10 or more yards.
"Peter is a classic glue guy who does everything you need to win. He's gonna block and do all the dirty work in the run game," Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said. "He's going to be on every special team. He's going to fill his role and do whatever the team needs to win. He's' a team guy. He's a hard guy to replace."
He plays tight end and fills the role of H-back. Fullback if that's what the game dictates. He's on every special teams unit, and he plays each role to precision.
He's the guy nobody notices until he's out of the lineup. Special teams coach Tommy Perry isn't quite sure how he's going to replace Montini in a lineup where he fills so many roles.
"He's a throwback, man. He doesn't care about recognition," Perry said. "He doesn't care how hard the job is. If there's a difficult block we have to have, or something critical to the play, No. 44 is going to be the guy. Whenever he has been out, oh my gosh, we feel it. You don't always see it, but when you go back and study tape, it's, 'oh, that's something Pete would have done.' You take it for granted until he's not there. It's going to be so difficult to fill his role. He's been incredible."
What Montini excels at doesn't exactly come with numbers attached, in a game where statistics widely dictate how a player's success is weighed and measured. Like a lineman, his blocks to spring punt returns aren't assigned a value in the box score. Same thing when he destroys a blocking scheme on kick coverage.
But it's fun for him, and it earns him the only admiration which matters – from those in the locker room.
"Pete's worth a hundred men on our (special) teams, to be honest. If we had 114 Peter Montini's, no one's beating us," Colorado State punter Paddy Turner said. "He's a level above in everything he does.
"Stats don't show up on Peter Montini's box score, but everyone else's stats are built on Pete. If Pete's not out there, no one has the stats they have."
Colorado State does use a metric to gauge production on special teams. It factors in plays made, but also effort given, blocks collected, plays destroyed. For three consecutive seasons, Montini has topped the charts.
He was the Rams' special teams player of the year the two seasons prior, and while Dane Olson topped him for the award this year, Perry said Montini could have won it again. Not that he believes Montini cares.
It's a pretty impressive run for a player who never performed on special teams in high school. He was a running back and linebacker at Foothill High School, and when he was being recruited, team's didn't exactly know what to do with him.
Nevada initially saw him as a linebacker, but there were roadblocks there. Then the staff moved him to tight end, behind an all-conference performer in Cole Turner. But Montini found his way on the field through via his passion – being physical.
"I didn't play special teams until I got into college. I knew what it was, but I never played it," he said. "My freshman year at Nevada, I got introduced to it, and that's how the young guys get on the bus and get on the field. I embraced it and every year worked more and more on it. I was talking to Trey McBride this summer about it, and there's guys in the NFL who get paid the big bucks for just doing special teams. Some guys only play five or six snaps a game. That's what I'm hoping to try to do, get a mini-camp invite get my foot in the door and show a team what I can do, play a bit of H-back, fullback.
"Once again, you're playing for your boys and your brothers on the team. You could not care less about what the people outside are saying or thinking, it's all about the core group of guys inside the building. You get to hit someone and not get in trouble for it, for the most part."
While Perry appreciates the effort Montini puts into his roles, and the violence he can bring, what he admires most is the precision of the details, the thought he puts into the actions.
While Montini loves the freedom of being able to go out and hit an opponent – be it a block or a tackle – the reason Perry said he excels is the technique is immaculate. If a change needs to be made on the fly, all they have to do is ask. They don't have to teach, won't have to show Montini. Just make the ask, and it's done.
"If it's a physical role, he's got it. If it's something where it needs to be a smart, savvy player, if it's a technique we don't reinforce, we pull him aside and stay we need you to move your foot this way, it's done," Perry said. "You don't give him notes, you just say, 'Pete, we need you to do this today,' and he does it, and he does it at an extremely high level. What he does is so important to what we do. There's no way our numbers on special teams would be what they were without Pete. He's awesome."
Montini is the player coaches will always appreciate more than the fans who can't watch everything happen on the field all at once. He's a guy who goes to bed at night with the comfort of knowing his teammates regard him in the brightest light.
He takes immense pride in providing aid to the offensive line and watching Avery Morrow and Justin Marshall churn out yards. Or blowing up a coverage guy to allow a punt return to spring for a score. Or just getting to hit an opponent for the sake of hitting him.
He is the Rams' catch-all.
"A Swiss Army Knife. I like to think that way," Montini said. "Do it all – block, run, catch passes and whatever the team needs. I want guys to remember I was a nitty-gritty guy, old school. A fundamental guy. When it comes down to it in football it's all blocking and tackling, and that's what special teams is. That's what old-school football is. None of this seven-on-seven, running routes. Gritty, old school football."
Every one of the coaches can call it what they like. Montini just likes answering the call.
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