OT - OK State QB Teaches New OC Offensive System

Submitted by Marley Nowell on

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/george_schroeder/04/14/ok…

Interesting article about how Oklahoma State is handling hiring a new Offensive Coordinator Monken and their 27 year old QB Weeden teaching his coach his offense:

According to Cowboys coach Mike Gundy, the 27-year-old quarterback knows the offense as well as any of the coaches, so who better to help out the new guy? Still, everyone including Monken admits the entire situation this spring has been "a little odd."

Monken, a Jacksonville Jaguars assistant for the last four years, has a diverse background. Gundy knew him well from a previous stint as Oklahoma State's receivers coach. But Monken had never worked specifically with Mike Leach's version of the spread, or Holgorsen's more run-friendly derivative.

"He was willing to come in and work within our system," Gundy said, "which allowed us to make one guy adjust instead of making 60 people adjust. That's why he was a good fit."

 

The way that the OC was hired is even more fascinating to me:

So when Holgorsen left, Weeden asked Gundy for input on the replacement. Gundy's first thought was exactly what you'd think he'd think: "I'm the coach, he's the player."

But as he considered the request, Gundy recognized the unique situation. It wasn't just that he wanted to keep the system intact, with only a few minor tweaks. He also had a star quarterback whose maturity and relationship with the coaches had grown quickly into something more commonly found in the NFL than in college. When else would that happen? Gundy realized Weeden had a point.

Gundy kept Weeden briefed on the search. After narrowing it to Monken, he put them on the phone together. During a conversation that lasted maybe a half-hour, player and prospective coach hit it off. If Weeden hadn't felt comfortable, Gundy might have turned to another candidate, but it wasn't necessary.

That last quote is just crazy to me.  Imagine if Denard literally was allowed to choose who his new OC was.  We have all heard how coaches should stick to what they know and run the systems that have gotten them sucess.  Coach Mike "I'm Still a Man I'm over 40" Gundy is trying the opposite approach and I am curious to see if their offense will be similarly prolific.

dnak438

April 15th, 2011 at 5:52 PM ^

From SBNation:

"Monken showed diminishing returns during his first run at Oklahoma State from 2002-04. While the offense's overall yardage ticked up by three yards in 2003, the Cowboys' national rankings fell from 21st the first year of Monken tenure to 32nd the next season and then to 52nd in 2004. From there, he went to LSU with Miles before landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a position coach."

Overall, that doesn't sound like a great situation.

Tater

April 15th, 2011 at 6:19 PM ^

Weeden certainly will have a great coaching resume when he graduates.  And I would love it if Borges decided to ask Denard about maybe 5 or 6 basic spread plays to throw in and mix things up.

OMG Shirtless

April 15th, 2011 at 9:01 PM ^

1.  A kid enters the military after high school, fulfills his initial service requirement and then eventually enters school, retaining all eligibility.

2.  A kid plays minor league baseball for 4-5 years immediately following highschool and then returns to school, they can no longer play college baseball but they can play college football as long as they didn't break any of the endorsement rules.  I'm not sure exactly which rule Jeremy Bloom (olympic skier who went to Colorado) broke that prohibited him from playing college football, but I assume it had something to do with personal endorsement deals he had opposed to the equipment hookups a minor league baseball player would get for free equipment.

I'm sure there are more technicalities of what people can and can't do to retain eligibility.  I have a few cousins who joined the military after high school, and then started college at 23 or 24, hypothetically they could play college sports.

Michael From TC

April 16th, 2011 at 1:36 AM ^

and weinke did it because he was mormon and went on his mormon trip and started college late.

 

i believe as long as you dont break your eleigibility requiremnets you can start college at any age and still have 4 years eligibility?

Naked Bootlegger

April 16th, 2011 at 12:36 PM ^

Weinke played minor league baseball for 6 or so years, then enrolled @ FSU to play football (he actually enrolled @ FSU out of high school, but then quit to try baseball).  While I can't dispute your insistence that he was/is Mormon (he grew up in Minnesota, which statistically makes him being a Mormon pretty unlikely), his elder stateman status as a college football player had nothing to do with delays due to a Mormon mission.   And don't most Mormon missions last 1-2 years?   Weinke was in his mid-20's when he went back at FSU to play football.  That's one helluva long "mission"!