Initial Thoughts on Monken

Originally Published: Feb 9, 2011 7:49 PM CDTAt long last the Cowboys have a new offensive coordinator with the hiring of Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Todd Monken. I

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 1:33 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Feb 9, 2011 7:49 PM CDT

At long last the Cowboys have a new offensive coordinator with the hiring of Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Todd Monken. I think its a good hire.  And its hard not to trust Mike Gundy considering the home run offensive coordinator hires hes made. Monken is a coach who is well-versed in a number of different systems.  From the no-huddle as an assistant at Louisiana Tech, to the power-I running game of Les Miles at OSU and LSU, to the pro sets of the NFL, Monken has been involved with a variety different styles. And he enjoyed his time as an assistant coach in Stillwater.  The key will be melding all of those styles into the perfect fit for the Weeden-Blackmon Cowboys. Your first reaction is to say that Richard Simmons could coordinate OSU to 500 yards per game next season. But thats where the pressure comes in.  When your offense was third in the country in scoring and total offense, there isnt far to go upward, but theres a long way down. The immediate first question when looking at Monkens bio is, "Did he ever call plays?" Though Im not certain of it, I suspect Monken called plays as offensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan. While thats not exactly the pressure of sending in a play down by 5 points with 15 seconds to play and a trip to a BCS Bowl Game on the line in Norman, it is experience under fire. Remember, every good coach tweaks his system to fit the talent that he has.  Im not sure you could say exactly what Todd Monkens system is at this point. Dana Holgorsens OSU offense didnt look exactly like his offenses at Houston or Texas Tech.  It looked like Dana Holgorsens OSU offense. At worst, Weeden and Blackmon will get the pro preparation each needs before heading to the NFL.   And I think that the fact they will have worked directly under a coach who spent four years in the NFL will appeal to NFL teams this time next year.