Tommy Rees - Offensive Coordinator

[TorontoGold]

Some of you guys are funny Hate Tommy when he's coaching here, hate him when he leaves. Did you want him to stay or leave? Pick a side!

Imagine if he does well, surely wouldn't be good PR for the school. If he develops as a great college coach and you need to get someone with ND connections...oh no! Tommy going on to have success would be great. How many times do we hear about Dabo and his playing time at Bama? Anthony Weaver would be an interesting name at DC in the future if the Ravens have troubles.

 

[ulukinatme]

Imagine if he does well, surely wouldn't be good PR for the school. If he develops as a great college coach and you need to get someone with ND connections...oh no! Tommy going on to have success would be great. How many times do we hear about Dabo and his playing time at Bama? Anthony Weaver would be an interesting name at DC in the future if the Ravens have troubles.

Exactly. As a former player and coach I want him to succeed as much as possible. It's good for him personally, and it's good for the university's brand.
Of course, that all changes if we have to face Bama!

 

[NDRock]

Some of you guys are funny Hate Tommy when he's coaching here, hate him when he leaves. Did you want him to stay or leave? Pick a side!

We all know how you feel about Tommy

 

[T-Boone]

If Rees really is a future ND coach then the only thing I want him to get out of being at Alabama is to learn how to recruit the same as Saban. I’m torn as I want Bama to lose every game they play but it would be good for Rees to get a couple years experience there.

 

[Irishdrunk]

How pissed would Buchner be if Rees took another job?

Good chance at starting at NU though..... he might need to bust a move with Tommy.

 

[Irishdrunk]

We all know how you feel about Tommy

View attachment 3053871

I think many posters think this would work with me responding on Brian Kelly posts, too.! LOL

 

[PutuporShutup]

Yeah, a lot of stupid people have taken jobs for Saban at Alabama and parlayed them into horrible jobs like HC at Georgia, Texas, and NFL positions.

His stupidity wasn’t for taking the job under saban or Alabama, it was not having a plan for qb at bama

 

[GoIrish41]

Good chance at starting at NU though..... he might need to bust a move with Tommy.

He’d have to sit out another season, if I understand the portal rules correctly. That would put him at 4 years since he played a full season during his junior year of HS.

 

[ulukinatme]

His stupidity wasn’t for taking the job under saban or Alabama, it was not having a plan for qb at bama

He just took the job. How would he have a plan already with a new team's roster? Maybe that's why they convinced Buchner to come? Buchner is the contingency plan.

 

[PutuporShutup]

He just took the job. How would he have a plan already with a new team's roster? Maybe that's why they convinced Buchner to come? Buchner is the contingency plan.

Exactly… bama will probably have their worst starting qb under saban… not blaming tommy, but why I think he made a mistake

 

[stlnd01]

Exactly… bama will probably have their worst starting qb under saban… not blaming tommy, but why I think he made a mistake

It's interesting question, as he would have had the best QB, and potentially best offense, at Notre Dame since Weis had he stayed this season. But... Bama is Bama, the chance to work for Nick Saban doesn't come along every day, and I suspect after last season it was just time for Rees to move on to someplace new. Either way, I'm sure they'll sort out their QB room down there.

I know not everyone sees it this way but I think Rees showed a lot of loyalty by sticking through the coaching change and helping to stabilize the program. Then he pulled our offense out of the ditch after Buchner got hurt. I have a lot of respect for the guy. Hope he does well. Except if they play us.

 

[ulukinatme]

It's interesting question, as he would have had the best QB, and potentially best offense, at Notre Dame since Weis had he stayed this season. But... Bama is Bama, the chance to work for Nick Saban doesn't come along every day, and I suspect after last season it was just time for Rees to move on to someplace new. Either way, I'm sure they'll sort out their QB room down there.

I know not everyone sees it this way but I think Rees showed a lot of loyalty by sticking through the coaching change and helping to stabilize the program. Then he pulled our offense out of the ditch after Buchner got hurt. I have a lot of respect for the guy. Hope he does well. Except if they play us.

Exactly. A number of coaches bailed when things were looking ugly the next season. Diaco was one, he knew the defense would struggle the next season after failing to bring in an NT nor a MLB for his 3-4 to replace Manti and Big Lou, so he took the opportunity to bail for a HC position.

Rees has left a stocked cupboard for Parker this year, and one of the most experienced offenses in FBS to work with. If Parker doesn't succeed this year it's on him, because he's got pretty much all the tools to work with. He's got a proven QB and talent coming in behind him, he's got one of the best RBs in the game, not to mention the best pair of OTs. The receivers are young, but promising. The biggest question mark is TE of all things, which is rarely an issue for ND.

 

[NDQuebec]

Agree with both posts. Give credit to him for playing a huge role in landing Carr, Minchey and Hartman. I'm not so sure that they would all be at Notre Dame today without him.

 

[Irishdrunk]

Interesting in retrospect- he leaves ND w a great QB for Bama that doesn’t have one. I understand it’s Bama but if they lose more than 2 games he might end up being the fall guy. At ND he likely had job security.

 

[irishff1014]

Shouldn’t this be a good thread?

 

[Old Man Mike]

??? as to the non-mysteries of Coach Tommy going to Alabama.
For me there are close to none. Why?
A. Tommy would like to continue to rise in the profession. Saban/Alabama is rising in the profession.
B. There was no rising here at Notre Dame. Coach Freeman would get his full turn.
C. (more speculative) I believe that Coach Freeman and Coach Tommy got along and were/are both professionals.
but Tommy was not Coach Freeman's man. I've seen situations where an incoming head coach is more or less
forced to accept a MAJOR assistant coach by the higher-ups. It doesn't seem to ever go smoothly unless it's a
phenomenally lucky fit. (Even the legendary DC at Virginia Tech didn't really work smoothly with the new regime ---
but Bud Foster ran the defense OK like he was the semi-independent King of a fiefdom. Shortly even he resigned.)
Tommy leaving this quickly clears all the air --- Coach Harry too. There is now no alternate focus-of-influence in
the arena to put a edge into things for Marcus Freeman. Tommy's off on his own lifepath, and Marcus is clear King in his.

 

[Irishnuke]

How pissed would Buchner be if Rees took another job?

Buchner and Ulukinatme

 

[PutuporShutup]

It's interesting question, as he would have had the best QB, and potentially best offense, at Notre Dame since Weis had he stayed this season. But... Bama is Bama, the chance to work for Nick Saban doesn't come along every day, and I suspect after last season it was just time for Rees to move on to someplace new. Either way, I'm sure they'll sort out their QB room down there.

I know not everyone sees it this way but I think Rees showed a lot of loyalty by sticking through the coaching change and helping to stabilize the program. Then he pulled our offense out of the ditch after Buchner got hurt. I have a lot of respect for the guy. Hope he does well. Except if they play us.

Rees dug the ditch with not having a qb ready for the 2022 season

 

[ulukinatme]

Rees dug the ditch with not having a qb ready for the 2022 season

Kelly's lazy recruiting philosophy of going after low hanging fruit dug that ditch. With Kelly out of the picture Rees landed Minchey, Carr, Hartman.

 

[CoachB]

Not sure all the Tommy hate, actually. The only thing I can think of is armchair quarterbacks critiquing things they don't understand. Tommy is actually quite good, IMO. Some of his play designs are next level. Did he ever call a perfect game? No, who does? And he's still young. You learn a ton every year you coach. There are always plays you want back.

IMO, the job he did with Drew was remarkable. From the moment Pyne took over to the USC game, he improved dramatically. He took Drew's limited skill set and made him productive. Tommy is underrated, IMO. I believe you will get to see.

 

[stlnd01]

Rees dug the ditch with not having a qb ready for the 2022 season

Yes we’ve discussed this on 47 other threads.

Rees was, at most, one-third responsible for the QB depth chart situation last season. (Kelly, Freeman, and probably Long all also bear some blame there). But yes that’s partly on him. He also should get credit for salvaging our offense after Buchner got hurt and we were left with Pyne.

Both can be true.

 

[SWirishfan]

Not sure all the Tommy hate, actually. The only thing I can think of is armchair quarterbacks critiquing things they don't understand. Tommy is actually quite good, IMO. Some of his play designs are next level. Did he ever call a perfect game? No, who does? And he's still young. You learn a ton every year you coach. There are always plays you want back.

IMO, the job he did with Drew was remarkable. From the moment Pyne took over to the USC game, he improved dramatically. He took Drew's limited skill set and made him productive. Tommy is underrated, IMO. I believe you will get to see.

I think the issue was always consistently.
There were 1-2 plays a game where I went WOW...and then there were 2-3 series where we went 3 and out.

Why that is, I don't know. I tend to think he was outsmarting himself. Wasting a first quarter series to set up a single beautiful play in 2nd or third quarter.

 

[NDdomer2]

so question for the masses here.

since we were still giving Kelly wins and losses in last years season.

Does Rees get credit for ND's performances (good or bad) this season?

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Northwestern truly are a bunch of bumbling idiots for rekindling this thread into another Tommy Rees relitigation.

Seriously. Fuck those guys.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Tommy to Northwestern?
Northwestern to where?
Where did Ara come from?

 

[PutuporShutup]

Kelly's lazy recruiting philosophy of going after low hanging fruit dug that ditch. With Kelly out of the picture Rees landed Minchey, Carr, Hartman.

Coan pyne Buchner on paper is very similar… it’s all development … coan didn’t need developed and either does Hartman

Our issue was NOT Kelly recruiting

 

[PutuporShutup]

Not sure all the Tommy hate, actually. The only thing I can think of is armchair quarterbacks critiquing things they don't understand. Tommy is actually quite good, IMO. Some of his play designs are next level. Did he ever call a perfect game? No, who does? And he's still young. You learn a ton every year you coach. There are always plays you want back.

IMO, the job he did with Drew was remarkable. From the moment Pyne took over to the USC game, he improved dramatically. He took Drew's limited skill set and made him productive. Tommy is underrated, IMO. I believe you will get to see.

Pyne wasn’t good enough, Buchner was worse… Rees went all in on Buchner and didn’t have him ready. This was after not even attempting to get a portal qb

 

[stlnd01]

so question for the masses here.

since we were still giving Kelly wins and losses in last years season.

Does Rees get credit for ND's performances (good or bad) this season?

We have been debating the merits of Tommy Rees around here since 2010 and I assume we’ll continue to do so at least until CJ Carr runs onto the field for Senior Day in November of 2027.

 

[PutuporShutup]

Yes we’ve discussed this on 47 other threads.

Rees was, at most, one-third responsible for the QB depth chart situation last season. (Kelly, Freeman, and probably Long all also bear some blame there). But yes that’s partly on him. He also should get credit for salvaging our offense after Buchner got hurt and we were left with Pyne.

Both can be true.

Sure but our offense was at its worst with a healthy Buchner, and that was Rees installing that offense for 9 months…

It’s not like nd was doing amazing the first two games offensively then Rees had to adjust due to injury. He needed to adjust either way because the O he installed wasn’t working

 

[ulukinatme]

so question for the masses here.

since we were still giving Kelly wins and losses in last years season.

Does Rees get credit for ND's performances (good or bad) this season?

Kelly and Long put us in a hole from a depth and talent perspective in the '19 and '20 classes, that contributed to a lot of freshman and sophomores having to start the last two years. From a talent perspective Parker has a ton to work with, there are no "cupboard is empty" excuses when you've got Hartman, Estime, Alt, Fisher, and a lot of good young depth backing them up. Lots of experience and talent in this offense, that's a credit to what Tommy and Freeman built. Parker would really have to fudge things up not to succeed, and from what it sounds like he's mostly going to run the same offense they have been with just a few wrinkles of his own.