Tommy Rees - Offensive Coordinator

[Some Irish Bloke]

Well shortly after he said he knew driskells handle on here and to PM him for the name, he sent me a PM saying he knows Im Driskell

He accused me of being Driskell as well. Odd behavior.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Driskell does seem like the kind of guy who would have conversations between his sock puppet accounts.

 

[ulukinatme]

 

[GrangerIrish24]

i believe we have reached the end of the internet. im going outside

 

[NDIrish1988]

If Tyson Helton goes to Purdue, please let him take the Western KY job. Just get out him out of ND.

 

[CanadalovesND]

If Tyson Helton goes to Purdue, please let him take the Western KY job. Just get out him out of ND.

 

[stlnd01]

If Tyson Helton goes to Purdue, please let him take the Western KY job. Just get out him out of ND.

Please stop.

 

[NDIrish1988]

How can he have such little self awareness?

 

[NDIrish1988]

Please stop.

A lot of fans want Rees gone. He’s a lousy developer of QBs and has botched every moderately highly rated QB he’s signed of inherited. He also recruited Clark, Pyne, and Angeli.

I think Minchey & Carr have a lot of promise but not with Rees coaching them.

 

[stlnd01]

A lot of fans want Rees gone. He’s a lousy developer of QBs and has botched every moderately highly rated QB he’s signed of inherited. He also recruited Clark, Pyne, and Angeli.

I think Minchey & Carr have a lot of promise but not with Rees coaching them.

A lot of fans want Rees gone? Really? Like I haven’t been on this message board all season?

We can agree to disagree about Rees as a developer of QB talent but it’s pretty clear he’s not chasing a dead-end G5 head coaching job (let alone the same one Mike Sanford did). He’s ours until an NFL OC job comes calling, no matter how much you whine about it.

 

[ab2cmiller]

How can he have such little self awareness?

OMG….LMAO…. Is this what they call irony?

 

[Irishdrunk]

🙏🙏🙏

Oh the laughs recalling how Brian Kelly held Tommy back from “unleashing his offense”.

Still makes me laugh. That w Buchner being a dark horse candidate for the Heisman.

All little treasures.

 

[NDMatt91]

🙏🙏🙏

Oh the laughs recalling how Brian Kelly held Tommy back from “unleashing his offense”.

Still makes me laugh. That w Buchner being a dark horse candidate for the Heisman.

All little treasures.

I never bought into the Buchner nonsense, but I feel like a moron for briefly believing the BK held back Tommy theory until the end of the OSU game.

 

[T-Boone]

We can agree to disagree about Rees as a developer of QB talent but it’s pretty clear he’s not chasing a dead-end G5 head coaching job (let alone the same one Mike Sanford did). He’s ours until an NFL OC job comes calling, no matter how much you whine about it.

For real? Is it his birth right or something?

 

[ulukinatme]

For real? Is it his birth right or something?

 

[clashmore_mike]

How can he have such little self awareness?

Pot meet kettle?

 

[T-Boone]

I’m your density.

 

[Grahambo]

Smart man if this is accurate.

 

[CoachB]

I take some issue with the people saying that Tommy is a bad developer of QB's. Pyne was just awful in the spring game and pretty darn bad early. By the end of the year, he was playing pretty darn well.

It has been discussed extensively the limitations of the offensive skill players, the line taking some time to mesh, etc. but people don't seem to view Tommy rationally. I actually think he has been quite good. JMO.

 

[Rockin’Irish]

I take some issue with the people saying that Tommy is a bad developer of QB's. Pyne was just awful in the spring game and pretty darn bad early. By the end of the year, he was playing pretty darn well.

It has been discussed extensively the limitations of the offensive skill players, the line taking some time to mesh, etc. but people don't seem to view Tommy rationally. I actually think he has been quite good. JMO.

I would agree with you. As with most all young coaches, Tommy still has work to do to improve what he does. However, I expect he will not be satisfied with the accomplishments so far and will work hard to achieve even more.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I take some issue with the people saying that Tommy is a bad developer of QB's. Pyne was just awful in the spring game and pretty darn bad early. By the end of the year, he was playing pretty darn well.

It has been discussed extensively the limitations of the offensive skill players, the line taking some time to mesh, etc. but people don't seem to view Tommy rationally. I actually think he has been quite good. JMO.

Can't be just you, me, a few others and a bunch of NFL guys. There are legitimate people on this board with a bonafide posting history who have worked in sales (or HR or whatever) and they are certain Tommy is clearly not good and/or the product of nepotism or something.

I do think his misevaluation of QBs should be counted against him.

 

[stpeteirish]

Tommy's still growing into the OC position, a HC position now would be a big mistake, and it appears he can see that.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

He doesn't see G5 as his next step, because next is NFL OC (in his goals)

 

[NDMatt91]

Can't be just you, me, a few others and a bunch of NFL guys. There are legitimate people on this board with a bonafide posting history who have worked in sales (or HR or whatever) and they are certain Tommy is clearly not good and/or the product of nepotism or something.

I do think his misevaluation of QBs should be counted against him.

I can only speak for myself, but Kelly apparently didn't have a thorough nation-wide search for a OC when he moved on from Chip Long. I don't recall a single article, let alone a single insider, mentioning that there was a thorough search. It appears it was just a lazy, safe, comfortable hire for Kelly. For a program like ND that's not a good look and it pissed me off as a fan. That's not Tommy's fault, though.

The thing I can't quite understand is that there is still such a large portion of the fan base that wants him back as OC. Chip Long's offenses from 2017-2019 were all higher nationally in the ranking of PPG and YPG than this year's offense. The majority of the fan base, including myself, wanted Chip Long gone at the end of 2019. I just don't know what is different. Is it because Tommy is younger than Chip was and people want to give him more time? Is it because he used to play football for Notre Dame? Is it because Kelly is no longer here and people want to see how he does under a new HC?

Chip Long as OC
2017: 34.2 PPG (25th), 448.2 YPG (27th)
2018: 31.4 PPG (42nd), 440.1 YPG (32nd)
2019: 36.8 PPG (13th), 431.2 YPG (44th)

Tommy Rees as OC
2020: 33.4 PPG (30th), 448.5 YPG (26th)
2021: 35.2 PPG (19th), 426.2 YPG (45th)
2022: 30.7 PPG (52nd), 382.7 YPG (73rd)

 

[IrishLax]

I can only speak for myself, but Kelly apparently didn't have a thorough nation-wide search for a OC when he moved on from Chip Long. I don't recall a single article, let alone a single insider, mentioning that there was a thorough search. It appears it was just a lazy, safe, comfortable hire for Kelly. For a program like ND that's not a good look and it pissed me off as a fan. That's not Tommy's fault, though.

The thing I can't quite understand is that there is still such a large portion of the fan base that wants him back as OC. Chip Long's offenses from 2017-2019 were all higher nationally in the ranking of PPG and YPG than this year's offense. The majority of the fan base, including myself, wanted Chip Long gone at the end of 2019. I just don't know what is different. Is it because Tommy is younger than Chip was and people want to give him more time? Is it because he used to play football for Notre Dame? Is it because Kelly is no longer here and people want to see how he does under a new HC?

Chip Long as OC
2017: 34.2 PPG (25th), 448.2 YPG (27th)
2018: 31.4 PPG (42nd), 440.1 YPG (32nd)
2019: 36.8 PPG (13th), 431.2 YPG (44th)

Tommy Rees as OC
2020: 33.4 PPG (30th), 448.5 YPG (26th)
2021: 35.2 PPG (19th), 426.2 YPG (45th)
2022: 30.7 PPG (52nd), 382.7 YPG (73rd)

These are good points, but on the Chip Long front he was also running a dysfunctional roster and looking at a mutiny. I was optimistic that Tommy would show something this year but that didn't materialize. The offense was even more conservative than it was under Kelly... and I get it, Drew Pyne limits what you can do... but I have a hard time seeing the team have an improved identity in 2023.

 

[GATTACA!]

on the Chip Long front he was also running a dysfunctional roster and looking at a mutiny.

I mean what does it say about Tommy that Chip was able to produce vastly better results even considering those circumstances?

 

[Irishdrunk]

Isn't the critique of Tommy even more basic:

1. He was a QB
2. He was a QB brought in during injuries to other QBs during his tenure as a player at ND
3. He looked at our QB Room this Off Season and didn't think we needed another qualified / experienced QB Transfer.

I mean its one thing for green MF to make this mistake but according to Freeman "They both concluded a QB Transfer wasn't necessary."

I can't get over how flawed an error that was. Not just an OC, but an OC who was a QB that stepped in because of injuries. He should have known better.

 

[zelezo vlk]

I mean what does it say about Tommy that Chip was able to produce vastly better results even considering those circumstances?

Having Chase Claypool, Miles Boykin, Kevin Stepherson, or St. Brown at receiver would have helped over the past few years. That's an embarrassment of riches at receiver compared to what Tommy has had since 2020.

 

[IrishLax]

I mean what does it say about Tommy that Chip was able to produce vastly better results even considering those circumstances?

I would argue they weren't vastly better and I'd also argue that he had a LOT more NFL skill talent than Tommy has had overall.

Advanced stats say:
2017 - 12th, with that all world OL + multiple NFL pass catchers + a few borderline NFL RBs
2018 - 28th, NFL QB + 3 NFL pass catchers + 2 RBs that would play a few years in the NFL
2019 - 25th, NFL QB + 2 NFL pass catchers + 1 RB that would play a few years in the NFL... this was Long's worst group

2020 - 17th, NFL QB + 2 NFL pass catchers + 1 NFL RB... this was his best group, and it's objectively worse (freshmen Mayer + Benny Sko vs upperclassmen Kmet + Claypool) than Long's worst group
2021 - 20th, Disaster OL + Jack Coan + 1 NFL pass catcher + 1 NFL RB... this is comical compared to any Chip Long group and was still better in performance than any Chip Long year but 2017.
2022 - 42nd, Drew Pyne + 1 NFL pass catcher + ??? at RB but no one as good as Kyren Williams

If you ignore this past year, ND was clearly better on offense with Rees than they were with Chip Long. If you account for this past year, it's skill kind of a wash with Long having the best, 4th, and 5th rated years and Rees having the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th.

The bottom line is that Rees/Freeman need to improve their talent level back to what it was in 2017/2018. The talent level in 21/22 is a joke. The OL is good but QB and WR are train wrecks. You need a couple NFL WRs and a guy that can make all of the throws.

 

[Dale]

I mean what does it say about Tommy that Chip was able to produce vastly better results even considering those circumstances?

He did?

SP+

2022: 58th
2021: 20th
2020: 19th

2019: 20th
2018: 33rd
2017: 19th

Until this season dealing with Pyne, hard to say Long had vastly better offenses.