“We Need Explosive Plays”
January 28th, 2016
New Bucs OC Todd Monken.
Let’s just say Joe’s first impression of new Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken is that he is the antithesis of Woody Hayes.
The long-time friend and former colleague of Bucs coach Dirk Koetter made it clear today in his introductory press conference that he is not interested in three yards and a cloud of FieldTurf pellets.
Monken wants yards, chunks of yards.
“We don’t need any more five-yard plays,” Monken said. “We need explosive plays.”
The longer Monken, 50, talked, the more he got fired up. Joe can see how he would have been a fine recruiter.
Monken is big on an offense having fun. To have fun on offense, he said, you have to have explosive plays. He pointed to the Bucs’ NFC South foe and Super Bowl team the Carolina Panthers as an offense he wants the Bucs to model.
“Carolina has fun,” Monken said.
Yes, winning is fun.
January 28th, 2016 at 1:45 pm
I wouldn’t know what to do if I saw a Buccaneer WR get yards after a catch.
January 28th, 2016 at 1:45 pm
I like this guy
January 28th, 2016 at 1:52 pm
Oh no he wants to have fun like McCoy the basher will be out. I like to have fun because winning is fun!!
January 28th, 2016 at 1:55 pm
He does realize that to have big plays we’ll need to catch the balls that are thrown, right?
January 28th, 2016 at 1:59 pm
There is absolutely nothing wrong with GMC or Monkin saying to have fun. You have fun when you play well and win…..nobody has more fun than Cam Newton.
I would say that we need to add some speed to our WR corps in order to do what Monkin wants…..look for some 2 back sets with Sims…..more screens.
I would really like to see us get more production out of our FB position….Lane received 2 passes and ran once last year…..the entire year.
January 28th, 2016 at 2:15 pm
Still better be able to run the ball. Can’t make a serious run in this league if opponents don’t have to respect your ground attack, it sets up an entire playbook and it put Jameis in manageable situations last year which led to a great deal of his success.
January 28th, 2016 at 3:01 pm
It’s still about DEFENSE and RUNNING the ball…look at the super bowl teams this year….need to get a big time defense back!
January 28th, 2016 at 3:20 pm
Interesting that Bucs new OC Todd Monken wants to use the Panthers as the model. Carolina has impressed me to no end this year. #1 offense (only team to score 500 pts). Bucs scored 342 pts in comparison.
What’s interesting though is that the Panthers’ offense put up almost 5,900 yds in the regular season. Our Bucs put up over 6,000 yds. And yet we scored an average of roughly 10 fewer pts PER GAME than they did.
We both had solid rushing stats. Panthers rushed for 2,289 yds on the season, while our Bucs rushed for 2,159 yds, not that much difference except that the Panthers needed 526 rushing attempts while Bucs only needed 454 (our average per rush was right at a half yard MORE for the season).
We both had similar passing stats. Cam Newton passed for 3,837 yds on 496 attempts, while Jameis as we know passed for 4,042 yds on 535 attempts. Both Jameis and Cam were less than 60% completion. Cam was obviously more ‘efficient’ in that he threw for 35 TDs (to Jameis’ 22 TDs), plus Cam rushed for 10 TDs (to Jameis’ 6 TDs).
Offensively it looks like the 2 teams have a lot of similarities, EXCEPT that the Panthers were a lot more prolific at scoring TDs.
Defensively … several huge differences that I can see. Panthers defense was a lot more opportunistic. For instance, they had 24 INTs (vs 11 for the Bucs). For another, significantly fewer penalties. And yet they gave up nearly as many yds as the Bucs did (Panthers 5,167 to Bucs 5,446). But when the Panthers needed a stop, they pretty much got it: only gave up 308 pts all season and had the #6 ranked defense, while the Bucs gave up 417 pts on the season and had the #26 ranked defense.
Apologize for the long post, but like our new OC, I’m excited about our offensive potential for this coming season. But I still think that the major difference between the Panthers 15-1 season and the Bucs 6-10 season was the defenses. Unless we can fix ours, we’ll still be looking at the playoffs as outsiders.
January 28th, 2016 at 3:47 pm
Defense-The Panthers don’t shoot themselves in the foot. They don’t miss tackles, they don’t drop TDs, they dont miss FG and Expoints, they don’t committee an absurd about of pentaltys, they dont fumble kickoffs, they don’t drop INTs.
They also have a dominant pass rush. We need fundamentals and a pass attack then we may think of competing with the Panthers……. Or maybe we can bank on luck.
Lotta work to be done.
I
January 28th, 2016 at 4:08 pm
I like that all of coaches that loetter has brought in all have the same reason they are here. Because of Dirk Koetter. To work with him again, because they believe in everything he is about.
We all worked with people that you didnt get along with, and wouldnt care to work with again. Clearly Koetter is the guy that everyone loved and respected, both in the work he did and the personality he has. These guys arent here because the bucs are paying them truck loads of cash, they are here because they believe in dirk.
Lovie’s coaches were here because lovie was their father, amd they couldnt get work elsewhere. Lol
January 28th, 2016 at 4:21 pm
The Bucs – America’s Fun-N-Gun Team!
January 28th, 2016 at 4:30 pm
@Buccaneers … The Panthers don’t shoot themselves in the foot.
Agree totally. No winning team does. It took them about 3 years to mature as a team though. Bucs just finished Year One far as I’m concerned. Tend to think that in 2016 we’ll still be maturing as a team and putting more pieces in place. By the 2017 season though we’ll be making a push for the division crown and maybe more.
January 28th, 2016 at 4:35 pm
I really like this guy. Todd Monken fires me up!
I get his point about throwing for 5 yards. What is the point? The best teams try for a first down on every play.
The Bucs have never had an offense good enough to do that…until now.
January 28th, 2016 at 6:47 pm
No need for Defense rules to apologize for long post he is right, in many ways Bucs parallel the Panthers, we are a young team and no reason to think we can’t be where they are in a few years. After a few more strategic drafts and free agency pics we will be ready. Next year will be another growing year–our cupcake schedule is over We need DE’s that provide the pressure that sets up the interceptions. Also no coincidence that we lost the last 4 games when Kwon was sidelined.
January 28th, 2016 at 7:01 pm
Defense Rules…actually I believe Seattle was at the top of the league in penalties 2 years ago when they won the SB.
Talent make up for penalties in some instances.
There’s been so many boneheaded penalties. I’ve grown numb to them. Anytime the Bucs have a big gain or make a big stop, I have to pause before I cheer.
Yah I’m numb to it.
January 28th, 2016 at 7:50 pm
When Newton loses he doesnt have fun.
January 28th, 2016 at 8:22 pm
Actually Newton does have fun when he loses…up until the final whistle and it’s certain he’s lost. He never loses in his mind until the scoreboard says he’s lost.
Moret than fun Newton has joy and he spreads it through the stadium. It infects everybody and joy brings energy.
Ummm let’s see…do we know of any other QB in this league his plays and lives his entire life with joy…who isn’t deflated until the final whistle and scoreboard proves he lost….why I believe he wears #3!!!
I am so excited about the NFC South…this is great for us and I believe it’s going to be good for everyone in the NFL. Watching #3 and Cam face off twice a year is just going to be such a show!!! Two similar players who play with reckless abandon and a wild joyous enthusiasm.
January 28th, 2016 at 8:24 pm
@DefenseRules
You never need to apologize for long posts. We all have scroll wheels or thumbs for our mobile devices.
I always start off reading every post no matter how long or who writes it. If it holds my interest I keep reading…if not or if it makes no sense I simply scroll past.
I NEVER have to scroll your posts because you always put thought into them and they are well written.
January 28th, 2016 at 8:29 pm
87-i agree that talent can lift a team past fundamental mistakes. But we’re not just talking pentaltys with our Bucs.
As I noted in my comment above; its the dropped TDs its the dropped INTs its the missed kicks its the missed tackles its the fumbled punts…………and if you really broke it down the list could go on for a mile. No way mere talent can make up for the endless mistakes this team has sent records for.
Just writing about it and thinking about it gives me an all too familiar sickly feeling. As high as most folks are on this coaching staff I hope they realize that if Koetter and his staff can’t get us to do the fundamentals this team has no chance to get out of the cellar.
January 28th, 2016 at 8:40 pm
@St Pete….. I appreciate your vision of a Panthers\Bucs rivaraly. I too feel there could be some epic battles between the team.
Let’s just not get ahead of ourselves……. After all, we are talking about a Carolina team that has done nothing but embarrass us for years on end. They continue to come into our mother %$ck&%$ house every year and dance around like they own the place. It has gotten so bad against Carolina that I have a feeling of hopelessness even before the kickoff has happened. I have no better way to put it then that the Panthers have our balls by a string.
It is completely deflating as a fan that one team, that we play twice every g&%$amn year, can thump us so thoroughly.
Right now this matchup is nowhere near a rivaraly. It more closely resembles a game of keep away with the 8th graders laughing in the faces of the pathetic 5th graders. Am I mad? You bet you azz I am!!!!!!!
January 28th, 2016 at 8:49 pm
@Bucanneers
I certainly accept your point. We ain’t done nuthin’ yet!!! On the field that is.
But if we have to wait until then we might as well all adjourn and reconvene next September after the first game when it REALLY counts,
I get that and do not disagree. It’s just that we are fanatics…this is what we do. LOL
January 28th, 2016 at 9:02 pm
Sure, just the mere thought of Bucs\Panthers sends my brainwaves into an uncontrollable frenzy.
January 28th, 2016 at 10:00 pm
Buccaneers…no need to over dramatize buddy. Schiano’s Bucs beat the Panthers twice in 2012. That wasn’t too long ago and yes Cam played in both games.
January 28th, 2016 at 10:09 pm
I think you meant, “josh freeman’s bucs beat camthers twice in 2012”
January 28th, 2016 at 11:22 pm
Nope I was implying that the Schiano-led (garbage college coach that nobody liked) team beat the Panthers twice. It takes more than a Josh Freeman to win a game.
January 29th, 2016 at 12:25 pm
If Todd Monken wants an explosive offense we need to get Winston some playmakers. We just don’t have that explosive WR who will make Winston look better by catching those over or under thrown balls. A guy who can out jump and is willing to fight like a madman for completions. The draft is where that player is. The players below should be available in the second and third rounds.
WR Josh Doctson, TCU (6-2, 195, 4.49, RSr.): Doctson is outstanding on throws in his zip code, expanding his catch radius, contorting his body and finding ways to finish catches — often bailing out his QB.
WR Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina (5-11, 208, 4.52, Jr.): A playmaker with the ball in his hands, Cooper displays the play speed, elusive cuts and start/stop movements to create on his own, before and after the catch.
WR Will Fuller, Notre Dame (6-0, 184, 4.42, RJr.): A dynamic deep threat, Fuller has the uncanny ability to create separation late in his route, using an extra gear when the ball is in the air, a burst that most cornerbacks can’t match.
WR Braxton Miller, Ohio State (6-1, 215, 4.42, RSr.): He has game changing speed and natural athletic traits.