The Pewter Plank
FanSided

Buccaneers: 5 pleasant surprises through Week 5

By Ryan Doyle

CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 30: DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 30: DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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BOWLING GREEN, KY – DECEMBER 5: Head Coach Todd Monken of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on the sidelines during a game against the WKU Hilltoppers at Houchens-Smith Stadium on December 5, 2015 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers defeated the Golden Eagles 45-28. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
BOWLING GREEN, KY – DECEMBER 5: Head Coach Todd Monken of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on the sidelines during a game against the WKU Hilltoppers at Houchens-Smith Stadium on December 5, 2015 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers defeated the Golden Eagles 45-28. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

OC Todd Monken

When the FOX broadcast mentioned that Todd Monken was calling the offensive plays in the Buccaneers season opener, it took the fan base by surprise.

Head coach Dirk Koetter called the plays in every game in his tenure with Tampa Bay. Monken put together a successful preseason of playcalling, but nobody believed he would turn over playcalling duties in the regular season.

Early returns show that Koetter made the right call. Monken has the offense operating at its peak through the first batch of regular season games. From Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s historic start to the regular season and the rejuvenation of DeSean Jackson, Monken deserves his fair share of credit.

Tampa’s offense ran like a well-oiled machine to start the season. It ranks number one in the league passing yards per contest. Even with the clunker of a game in Chicago, the Bucs still averaged 28 points per game.

The rushing attack still has some work to do but putting Fitzpatrick in a position to have that much short-term success is nothing to brush aside.

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