Bucs' pry Monken out of college ranks

TAMPA -- Todd Monken spent the past three seasons changing the culture of Southern Mississippi's football program.

Now, he's eager to help Dirk Koetter turn Tampa Bay into a winning team, too.

Koetter hired the former Golden Eagles coach as his offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach this week, a move Monken found attractive even though he will not be calling plays for Pro Bowl quarterback Jameis Winston in his new job.

"It's a special opportunity. It really is," Monken said, adding that the Bucs, who haven't made the playoffs since 2007, are a talented young team with a promising future that he's excited to join.

"I enjoyed my time at Southern Miss. I've got a lot of great friends there. We did some great things," said Monken, who led the Golden Eagles to a 9-5 record and an appearance in the Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2015.

"But I'm really looking forward to every day, every week, every month doing my part to see (Tampa Bay) continue to rise."

The Bucs promoted Koetter from offensive coordinator to head coach earlier this month, replacing Lovie Smith. The new coach worked with Monken when both were assistants with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2007-10.

With Koetter calling plays, Winston became the fourth passer in NFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards as a rookie. The Bucs ranked a franchise-best fifth in total offense, while also improving from two wins in 2014 to six this past season.

So, Monken wasn't hired to fix an ailing offense. Instead, he'll help formulate game plans while also focusing on helping a group of receivers that includes Mike Evans realize their potential.

Evans topped 1,000 yards receiving each of the past two years, however he also dropped some passes to hurt the team in key situations this season.

"My No. 1 responsibility is to maximize the measurable skillset of our wide receivers. ... There's more to it than just calling the plays," said Monken, who inherited a team that went 0-12 the year before he arrived at Southern Miss and made steady progress in three seasons while going 1-11, 3-9 and 9-5.

Southern Miss won the Conference USA West division title in Monken's final season. He said he had no intentions of leaving his old job until Koetter called after becoming Tampa Bay's fourth coach in seven years.

"I came down and visited here seven months ago, not thinking that I was coming back and would actually have my own office," Monken said.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bucs' pry Monken out of college ranks."