Monken Resume Growing
November 2nd, 2018
Learned from Todd Monken.
Everywhere Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken has been, he’s had success.
Whether working for high-powered coaches like Les Miles, Jimbo Fisher or Mike Gundy, or running high-powered offenses (Oklahoma State) or developing quarterbacks or rebuilding programs from the grave (Southern Miss) to helping craft the NFL’s best offense without a running game or a quarterback, Monken has more than showed Joe the man is a damn good coach.
And last night was another example.
On national TV Nick Mullens — who?! — absolutely carved up the Raiders on Thursday Night Football. With Nick Mullens? Who the hell is Nick Mullens?
Mullens is currently the No. 3 quarterback for the 49ers behind Jimmy GQ and C.J. Beathard. Mullens was pressed into starting duties last night due to injuries to the aforementioned San Francisco quarterbacks.
In his first NFL start, he threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns while completing 16 of 22 passes without a pick.
Mullens was so good he almost made Chucky fire his defensive coordinator. Mullens was so good, he made the Raiders quit on Chucky.
Well, Monken knows Mullens well. He recruited Mullens to Southern Miss. He was a three-year starter for Monken beginning his freshman year and started every game his sophomore and junior seasons under Monken.
Yes, internationally-famous JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman wrote that the Bucs must find a way to keep Monken no matter who is coaching the Bucs next year.
The way things are going, Monken’s going to be a head coach in 2019.
TAMPA TWO is the spectacular, twice-weekly show from The Identity Tampa Bay and JoeBucsFan.com, presented by Caldeco Air Conditioning & Heating. Derrick Brooks and eye-RAH! take your questions today. Yes, Jameis, the team’s future and much more are on the docket. ENJOY!
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:08 am
“The way things are going, Monken’s going to be a head coach in 2019.”
Didn’t you say the same thing about Mike Smith around December of last year or thereabouts, regarding the 2018 season?
Everyone was screaming to lock him down with a new contract because the defense had “turned the corner”.
How did that work out?
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:10 am
Or maybe I’m thinking of the year prior. You know, the Hard Knocks season. Either way the principle is the same.
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:13 am
“Whats that grinding noise?”
Klueless Koetter
“Thats the sound of Jason Gump sharpening his knife to stab you in the back”
Lovie Smith
“The Redneck Shakespearean Tragedy part ll”
Kobe Faker
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:32 am
The question here just one or questions should I say is what coaches will be available and what veteran QBs as well that we can sign? I have a feel the Bucs keep Jameis and sign him to a 1yr prove it deal and we fire the head coaches and get new ones to see if they can save Jameis. That’s what it will come down to.
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:40 am
Kobe you crack me up.
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:41 am
Here comes the next best thing to hit the NFL for the next 11 days. The media is gonna eat this up.
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:42 am
Gruden is just an absolute train wreck in Oakland… It’s crazy. I didn’t expect him to do great but I didn’t expect them to suck this bad either. He has just totally dismantled that team in less than a year. I was feeling pretty crappy about our Bucs until I tuned in to last night’s game. If the “Grumors” ever had any validity… The Bucs sure dodge a bomb.
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:44 am
FLBoy: you are thinking of the 2017 season when the Bucs had a 5 game win streak to go from 3-5 to 8-5. They had the following run: Bucs 36- Bears 10 (nothing special as the Bears were in tank mode but the Bears were favored in Tampa that weekend), Bucs 19 @KC 17 (good upset but KC had offensive issues at the time), Bucs 14 Seahawks 5 (Mike Smith could hang his hat on beating a team that was exposed concerning a weak OL), Tampa 28 @SD 21 (Chargers were in freefall from 5-6 to 5-11 getting their HC McCoy fired and giving the Browns their last win in a 1-15 season before the 0-16 run) and 16-11 over the Saints at RJS….. Nice run but a few of those wins were simply wins over teams that they simply “faced at the right time”. Bucs would then go and lose to the Cowboys in a thriller where Mikes D fell apart late and a Saints loss in the dome to a 6-10 or 7-9 Saints team…..
This year I think Monken is a good OC but I am still uncertain as to how much autonomy he has in calling all the plays and to be honest some of the call made in the past month are questionable at best; just for example consider how the OC (or Dirk) set up the offense to chew clock at the end of regulation and try to kick a medium length FG which of course sent the game to OT. Clock management blows but is that on the OC???? Anyhow, if you wanted to retain one piece of this dysfunctional coaching staff; it seems that Monken has some imaginative game plans which are making the opponents have to work hard to game plan unlike what Mike Smith offered up on the other side of the ball……
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:00 am
monken has “head coach” written all over him…every time i watch his pressers, that theme passes through my shantytown of a brain…
not saying here in tampa necessarily…just saying
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:01 am
he looks poised for success…monken that is
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:09 am
Hmmm, kind of makes you wonder, we have had a pretty good offense through out the time Jameis has been here. But he has not progressed in key areas of
his game. At this point in his career , it seems like Jameis is still not a polished
product capable of running a high powered offense.
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:14 am
Kobe ,
IMO licht’s weapon has been reduced to a toothpick.This roster is on him
and a jveteran QB is outplaying his most important number 1 pick.
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:14 am
I bet CJ Beathard crapped his pants watching that game.
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:17 am
adam from ny; I like the guy too but why not go for the jugular vs Cleveland in a tie game? Is it Monken going vanilla or is it Koetter having a veto option? This is an important question because that play calling and use of clock at the end of the regulation in the Cleveland game was well below average! Does the guy have the cojonnes to rip the win or does he feel that a turnover is more likely???? Mindset is key in such a leadership position which is why Winston has got ? marks left and right…..
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:20 am
lambchop SF just proved a backup can beat the crap out of a below average team….. We seen the same thing here in Tampa when Fitz beat the Jets and Fins last year and on the other end when numerous back ups worked the Bucs with beat downs to the Rams, Carolina, Vikes etc…. of course that is all on Mike Smith if you follow the Bucs line of thinking…..
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:30 am
JBF has a Craic research team, that’s another nice tidbit. The more you know…
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:30 am
Truth be told , the hiring and firing of a HC is a Glazer decision and the one thing that they proved when they refused Rich Mckay selection for HC years ago is that they want to be in charge of the selection process.
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:31 am
i agree fort myers dave…some of the play calling is definitely suspect and seems like koetter has his hands in on it too…other times it seems crazy fluid and feels like a 100% monken offense…none of us will probably ever know how much dirk is involved – i assume he is in on it about 20% of the time, primarily as an ego thing, and to keep monken in check…i’m just guessing – never hurts to guess…
#NotSayingEyeWantMonkAsTheBucsHeadCoach
#MonkIsQuiteCerebral
#KoetterMightSoonFearTheMonkOfTampaBay
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:39 am
So moral of the story:
You can’t coach out the stupid in some QBs……. cough, Jameis….
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:42 am
When a qb is turning the ball over at will, they are not going to put the pedal to the medal.
They are forced to call a different game and dial it back. Which becomes boring.
If qb is throwing tds on the first play of the game , then they will let it rip and the offense will be humming . Like being in the “trust tree “ …frank the tank.
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:43 am
Hire Derrick Brooks as vp, promote Monken to hc next season promote Buckner to dc, draft oline, dline and press corners next season
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:49 am
“Monken was playcaller for the 1st 3 games. After pitts loss, Klueless has been calling the plays.
*The first 3 games, Klueless didnt have the playsheet front of him. Monken was calling alot of quick shotgun pass routes. Slants and crosses with the ball out in 2 seconds. Quick passes on first down setting up the run
*After the pitt loss, starting with the Chicago blowout, Klueless started his predictable running on 1st down and throwing deep bogdown. Constant time consuming playaction with JW dropping back with his back facing the pass rush. JW HAS NOT been QB under Monken as playcaller at all.
***READ BELOW***
YOU WILL SEE FITZ UNDER KLUELESS PLAYCALLING VS CAROLINA
Fitz will start the game under Klueless under center
YOU WILL SEE SAME THE FITZ THAT WAS QB FOR 3 GAMES LAST YEAR…LIFETIME BACKUP
“What is Kobe Sayin?”
“The downfall of this year and the last 2 years is KLUELESS PLAYCALLING not JW or the Bucs”
Kobe Faker
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:51 am
FLBOYINDALLAS, , THIS GUY RIGHT HERE WAS SCREAMING TO FIRE HIM WHEN EVERYONE ELSE WANTED TO LOCK.HIM DOWN!!!
With that said I agree on locking down Monken Dirk doesn’t have the balls to be a head coach on gameday….hea a damn good coordinator but he has been a horrible head coach
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:57 am
@ Bird
100 % percent agree. Conservative decisions are forced by the QB play.
The other elephant in the room is a sometimes unreliable kicker. When he fails then the second guessers come alive. But there has been little evidence Jameis
will score in the redzone. Jameis has only passed for 1 TD in his last two games.
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:18 am
Koetter made Monken, Monken runs his offense. Give dirk his credit. Get dirk a good defensive coordinator and a good quarterback !!!!
We have #1 offense because of dirk!
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:23 am
“Will we see the Fitz under Klueless like the 3 games last year…
Or Fitz like the 2 first games under Monkens playcalling?
Stay tuned!”
Kobe Faker
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:24 am
Oh yeah we need to get dirk a kicker too. Might need to fire Jason Licht, his picks are trash
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:32 am
Why did we wait? Koetter is the reason for the locker room divide. He has never defended and stood up for his QB despite the sh*tty play calling for the first 3 years of Jameis career, having no offensive line, no running game, no kicking, the worst ST in the league and the worst defense in the history of the league and now HE is gonna get the credit for Monken? GTFOH
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:34 am
^^BTW it took Koetter 3 years to fire Mike Smith and 2 1/2 years to fire himself as play caller when even the casual observer should have seen that in year 1. Oh but that 5 game stretch in 2016^^ What a joke!
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:35 am
dirk is not a good play caller…things seem to have passed him by like old smitty…and he gets super tight by the red zone and probably has caused shameis to get nervous there too…fitzie simply dgaf…that boy ain’t gonna shave, ain’t gonna wash, and’s gonna sling that football like an old hagg throw a set of triple d melons over her shoulders while riding the bologna pogna
#ShoutOutToPonyBoyFromTheOutsiders
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:37 am
^^^Keep in mind if Koetter was still calling these plays, he would still be running first and second down and putting which ever QB in 3rd in long with no offensive line, what a guru^^^ Still punting from the opponents 36 when we have the worst defense in the history of the NFL. Shoulda been fired after that game.
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:39 am
7423- Koetter didn’t make Monken- Monken saved Koetter’s job (for now)- so you have that backwards sir.
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:39 am
@BucEmUp,
Derrick Brooks comes across as a soft apologist. I don’t know him, but he looks under every rock to excuse the play of the defense (his side of the ball) and QB (FSU alum). I don’t know if he’s on the Bucs payroll but just a little bit of accountability from him would go a long way. He was a great player for us, but I would rather see someone who’s going to be real and tell it like it is than sugarcoat. It’s disgusting really to see lipstick being applied to a pig.
I’d rather see Ronde Barber get involved with the team. Ronde comes across as a guy who’s gonna call it straight for the betterment of the player or team he’s talking about.
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:43 am
this offense is set up for a veteran type quarterback to take the helm and roll with it…the players all know this too….as long as the o-line protects as if brady was back there, we are good…jameis is still learning a lot…this offense is built for a seasoned gunslinger, and to win now…it’s crazy we don’t have a stud rb and the right side of the ol is mad suspect…otherwise this offense is dialed up to regurgitate opponents defenses…
#JameisJustNeedsToRelaxSitAndWaitLikeBackInTheDay
#TakeNotesAndMatureFromTheSidelinesForAyeBit
#ThisIsTheYearOfFitzMagic #HeShouldHaveNeverBeenPulled
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:44 am
^^and you are correct about the kicker, how is he still here? We have been chasing points for 3 straight games. My guess is they have their eye on Tavechio (sp.) when Matt Bryant comes back, by then Catanzaro may have kicked us out of playoff contention. Bring in Peneiro or anyone else for competition and I’m a Nole but that dude can kick, give him a second life in the NFL.
November 2nd, 2018 at 7:46 am
@Bucs Fan #7423,
Monken runs Koetter’s offense? Really? Why exactly do we need Monken then and why exactly did we never have an explosive offense with Koetter? Why did Koetter cut the offense over to Monken? Kudos to Koetter for being a man and handing the play call duties over. Koetter can probably manage HC duties, but he can’t touch Monken’s creativity.
Let me go along with your theory though, even if they are Koetter’s play sheet, Monken knows how to dial up the right calls at the right times. Therefore, this is Monken’s offense. Plays don’t belong to anyone from this crop of coaches. All of the plays we see are some derivative of a play from years previous when the true innovators of the game were inventing the plays we see today. The important thing is understanding situational down and distance and understanding your opponent. Not everyone can grasp that.
November 2nd, 2018 at 8:03 am
“The way things are going, Monken’s going to be a head coach in 2019.”
Might be mistaken but weren’t people screaming to keep Koetter when he was our OC because he was going to be picked up as a HC?
November 2nd, 2018 at 8:06 am
^^thinking the same thing, would a late 30 something or early 40 something as our next HC, will relate to players better IMO. It is a different world now
November 2nd, 2018 at 8:29 am
Kobe sucks at commenting, even though is mildly comical.
November 2nd, 2018 at 8:48 am
keeping monken is like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fryer…….that’ll be a horrible look…..
look, the biggest thing that’s holding us back is the defense…..the offense is full of vets…..most of our young players are or will be defense…..bring in someone who can help mold those young players into at least respectable group and get us to the next level…..
Kris Richard for HC!!!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
November 2nd, 2018 at 8:52 am
then why not start our 3rd string QB and let Monken work his magic. We seem to be loaded with Magic on this team but cannot consistently win.
November 2nd, 2018 at 8:59 am
If there is any hint of Monken being head coach then maybe the Glazers should fire Koetter right now & see how Monken does the rest of the year. Then they can decide whether he stays head coach or they move on. I must say I do like him as OC.
November 2nd, 2018 at 9:00 am
LOL, stop it with the nonsense about the playcalling at the end of regulation against Cleveland. This is the NFL. You have to expect your professional kicker can make 40 yarders to win games. The playcalling was fine. Just because the kicker missed it doesn’t mean it wasn’t the correct playcall.
November 2nd, 2018 at 9:03 am
Had there been a pick or a fumble if they went for it, you guys would be bashing the playcalling too. I play a lot of serious poker and a common term I use when discussing hands with friends is not to be results oriented. As long as I feel that I played the hand correctly that matters as the ultimate outcome is always uncertain. Same thing applies here with the playcalling.
November 2nd, 2018 at 9:45 am
I suspect one of the biggest factors in our success in moving the ball is RECOGNITION vs who is calling the play or whose sheet it’s being called from…both QBs can see the field, but ever Dirk noted in yesterday’s presser that Fitz is essentially making pre-snap route adjustments based on what he is able to recall/recognize from past experiences.
November 2nd, 2018 at 11:17 am
Prediction- If Fitz becomes Fitz-Tragic (and I hope he doesn’t) Koetter will be fired on Monday, 1 week late, just like Mike Smith. If Fitz is Fitz-Magic, He will (and should) be named the starter for the rest of the year so there is stability. You still do not throw Jameis away- you give him his 5th year to see what he can do.
Full disclosure this is a double edge sword for me- I want the Bucs to win so I will put away my disdain for Koetter and his passive game plans and ride this out, but if we lose, Koetter should lose his job and we should turn this b*tch over to Monken for the rest of the year.
Catanzaro is this years team MVP because if he makes his extra points- we probably beat Atlanta and Mike Smith is still here. Fitz could be our Catanzaro this week and be co-MVP if Koetter loses his job because Fitz-Tragic makes an appearance. Honestly, I hope not, I think we can and will beat the Stinkin’ Panthers
as long as the defense shows up.
November 2nd, 2018 at 12:37 pm
Koetter is a football guy through and through. His father was a coach..he followed in daddy’s footsteps.
Football coaches are all notoriously conservative and really boring. Can you say Nick Saban perhaps as boring as it gets yet as successful as any coach in the land.
Again in broadcasting days when I’d go to “pre season” media gatherings with all the coaches in the conference….ALL of us…broadcast…newspaper preferred the basketball coaches to football coaches. Many of the hoops guys actually had personalities….football guys…BORING!
November 2nd, 2018 at 9:48 pm
Bros. Glazer don’t fire head coaches during the season. I do wonder how Monken would do in an interim head coaching role, however.
November 3rd, 2018 at 1:03 am
So Lovie got Koettered and now Koetter May get Monked