Todd Monken departed from the University of Georgia in February to become the Baltimore Ravens’ new offense coordinator. However, prior to his experience as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, Monken had an extensive NFL resume dating back to 2007.
One of his professional stops was in Tampa Bay, where he served as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018. During that time, Monken coached quarterback Jameis Winston, who the Buccaneers drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015.
In a recent interview on Glenn Clark Radio, Winston praised Monken and offered insight into what he brings to the table as an offensive play-caller.
“A detailed, specific, and confident coordinator and that’s what you need in this league,” Winston said. He also highlighted Monken’s ability to maximize the talent and personnel at his disposal, which has been routinely touted as one of his traits.
“He understands the ins and outs of what a player is looking forward to . . . [and] expecting,” Winston claimed. “He uses his strengths to . . . put players in great situations and make sure his offense is running effectively.”
Winston’s comments mirror much of the praise Monken has been given since joining Baltimore several weeks ago, including from head coach John Harbaugh. Hearing it come from Monken’s former quarterback, who he directly oversaw in the Buccaneers’ offense for three seasons, is reinforcing.
In his three seasons as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, Tampa Bay won only 19 combined games but had a high-octane passing attack. Winston missed several games during this span wound up with a combined 66 passing touchdowns and over 10,500 passing yards in 40 games.
In 2017, Monken’s offense ranked No. 4 in the league in passing yardage was Top-10 and overall yardage, as well. They also had the second-most first downs of any team that season. In 2018, the Buccaneers were No. 1 in passing yardage, No. 3 in total yardage, and No. 2 in first downs.
What plagued Tampa Bay’s offense during these seasons was the lack of a consistent run game and turnovers. Their ability to move the ball through the air under Monken, though, with Winston at the helm and Mike Evans leading the team’s wide receiver corps, was always apparent.
While the Ravens’ personnel is much different than what those Buccaneers’ teams had, the hope is that Monken will help uplift Baltimore’s passing attack — which has ranked near the bottom of the league in most metrics for the past few seasons.