Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees (1.23.25)
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski’s Opening Statement:
“Okay, guys. Excited to announce Tommy Rees as our offensive coordinator. Tommy’s a guy that we met a few years back, kept a relationship, watched him from afar as he had his success as a young coach, and then we were able to bring him in here last year. And really this last year spent with Tommy really solidified what I thought about him. We had a process with some really impressive candidates for this job, some smart people that we really enjoyed getting to know but ultimately felt that Tommy was the right fit for this football team. As far as play calling, which I know you guys are going to ask, I’m going to call plays, and I reserve the right to change my mind, okay? So, excited to announce Tommy. He’s ready for this. We’ve been in already a bunch of meetings with Tommy, with the offensive coaches. It feels like Tommy’s got a really strong handle on this job, and I’m excited for him. So, without further ado, Tommy Rees.”
Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees’ Opening Statement:
“First and foremost, just want to thank Coach Stefanski, the Haslam family, and the entire Browns organization, Andrew Berry, for this opportunity. It’s one I’m going to take great pride in and look forward to. You know, really excited about being able to stay in Cleveland, stay with the Browns. And, lastly, thank all of you for being here braving the cold. And with that, I will open it up to any questions.”
I’m sure you had some other opportunities. How did it work out that you ended up staying here and how excited are you just to be here again?
“Yeah, Cleveland is where I wanted to be. I took this job a year ago wanting to be with Coach Stefanski, wanting to be a part of this organization, obviously the fan base, what this organization represents, the division we’re in, all those things added up. So, if this was going to be an opportunity for me, this was the one that I wanted to be a part of.”
When you start putting the offense together for 2025, how difficult is that not knowing who the quarterback is?
“Yeah, I think you want to build an offense that has flexibility to be able to cater to any quarterback’s strengths and that’s what we’re after here and that’s what we’re trying to build. We have to be malleable in our ability to shape the offense to really highlight the strengths of that player. I know we’re going to put a system together that’s able to do that.”
What role will you play in the draft and evaluating quarterbacks? Will you go to the Shrine Bowl? Will you go to the Senior Bowl?
“Yeah, a lot of those conversations are still to be had. Obviously, the evaluation process is ongoing for the quarterbacks. I’ll be involved in that. Whether we’re — Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, those decisions are yet to be made.”
You talk about putting that system together here. How do you envision it looking? Is it going to be similar to what was the first four years with Kevin and AVP (Alex Van Pelt), or do you anticipate working with Kevin to really kind of overhaul and put your own stamp on things?
“Yeah, I think we’re going to work together. We want to have a system that is sound. We want to have a system that is explosive. But at the end of the day, we want a system that caters and really highlights our players strengths. And so, it’s always going to be player centric. It’s always going to be in the front of the mind to make sure we’re doing things that are sound football wise and then how do we create opportunities for our players and our offense to be explosive.”
How do you feel about Kevin calling the plays?
“It’s great. Obviously, we’re going to work together. I’m looking forward to being a part of the process and having an opportunity to lead the offensive staff and lead the offense. Look, there’s so much work that gets done on the front end of things. Play calling is just part of the process and we’re excited to get to work together and making sure that we have a good product on the field.”
When you talk about catering the offense to the players’ strengths, especially your quarterback, there’s going to be a million options in free agency and in the draft. So, don’t you need to have a system that you have before you get those guys? You know what I mean? Like a foundation of a system and then a quarterback fits there as opposed to waiting to fit the system to the guy.
“Yeah, I think the best staffs, the best offenses find a way to cater to the people they have, right? You need to have a system that is diverse enough to be able to be flexible based on your personnel. You don’t want to pigeonhole what you can and can’t do based on your system. You want to be flexible to — Let’s go find the best quarterback we can and let’s make sure that he’s comfortable in the system.”
When you speak of that quarterback, whoever it is, what’s maybe the one biggest trait you need to see that tells you, “That’s the quarterback for me.” Is there a specific trait?
“Yeah, at the end of the day, the quarterback’s job is to solve problems. You’re going to be tasked 60, 70, 80 times a game to make a decision in a critical moment. And so, I’ve always started with the ability to make quick decisions and make the right decision. So, if you said one thing over the other, I want a decision maker at that position.”
I know you have a lot of experience in different areas, but for last season specifically, what did that teach you to make you feel ready for this opportunity here this year as the offensive coordinator?
“Yeah, I think there are differences between the college and NFL game. So being in the NFL for a year was a great learning experience for me being in it a while back, but now in a different role. You learn how to reach players; you learn how things are dealt with day-to-day. So, I would say just being back in the flow of the NFL helps. But in terms of — look, the coordinator job is about leadership. It’s about managing players and staff. It’s about finding ways to have solutions for your players and staff. That doesn’t change based on the level you’re at. I just think dipping your feet back in the NFL pool is important to get back into that process.”
How do you see shaping and delegating the staff and will you mostly coach the quarterbacks on a day-to-day basis?
“Yeah, those are all still decisions that we’re going to work through here over the next couple weeks to make sure that we have a staff that gives our players a great opportunity to have success.”
Do you feel you need to bring in a quarterbacks coach?
“Again, that’s something as a staff we have to evaluate on exactly how we want to play that out. Certainly, I’ll be involved with the quarterbacks, but again, we’re going to weigh all those options and make sure it’s the right fit for us.”
You were part of the staff, now being promoted, obviously for some reasons the team didn’t do so well on offense. Do you feel you can be objective and bring a new look on what went wrong and what can be done to fix things?
“I do, yes.”
Speaking of making decisions quickly, part of Jayden Daniels’ success is now being attributed to virtual reality and training his mind to work faster. How do you feel about that? Are you considering using that? Do the Browns have that ability to do that?
“Yeah, we do have VR as part of our — it’s part of the things that are available to our players. Every individual is different on how well they take to those things. Obviously, Jayden’s talked about it from his time at LSU even. So, I’m very familiar with that. I’ve used it with quarterbacks in the past. We do have the ability to use that. Again, some of that is on individual basis on how they learn. But part of our job as coaches is to be able to reach a lot of different players that learn a lot of different ways. So, if VR is a tool that helps us maximize our players ability, then that’s one that we’ll have at our disposal.”
What about Jalen Milroe and just how much you know about him as you guys head into the evaluation process of all these quarterbacks?
“Yeah, I mean, listen, as a person, I have a lot of love for Jalen, a lot of respect for Jalen. Obviously, we went through an entire season together and when you’re the play caller and the quarterback, there’s a great relationship there. But I’m really not going to expand much on anybody in the draft right now and just know that I have a lot of love for Jalen as the man he is and wish him all the best.”
I know you were asked this, but do you plan on being at the Senior Bowl?
“That’s up to the staff to decide how we want to delegate some of that. Obviously, the draft process is ongoing and it’s a long process, so we’ll have plenty of opportunities to be around these players.”
You look at the last two years for this offense, turnovers have been a huge issue. What’s your plan, your first steps to trying to solve that as an issue?
“Yeah, when the message is very clear, when the expectation on certain plays is very clear, when the teaching progression allows them to have confidence and play on time, on schedule, I think that helps limit those things. Obviously, interceptions pile up. We have to make sure that there is no gray area for those quarterbacks. And then, we got to preach good ball security for the carriers.”
A couple of the tight ends you coached last year said you see everything like a quarterback, teach everything like a quarterback. Do you think that’s a fair assessment?
“I mean, I guess that’s been my lens for football for a long time. I would think that’s a positive, right? But yeah, I definitely think that’s part of it. I think when you’re in the quarterback room or in that area of expertise, like, I do think it’s important to be able to step back and look at it through the lens of the other 10 guys on the field. And I would say last year being in that role gave me a great deal of appreciation on how to do that because it’s a different sport when you’re not playing quarterback, right? And there are so many little things that add up that you need to be able to have that perspective on and I would say I’m extremely grateful for that from last season.”
Because you have that unique lens, does that make you more critical of quarterbacks or maybe more empathetic to what they’re dealing with out there?
“Well, if you ask former quarterbacks, they would probably say critical. If you asked me, I’d probably say empathetic. But look, the quarterback position is one that there comes a high demand there. They want to hold themselves, we got to hold them to a high standard, but you also need to build confidence and love them up. So, it’s a great balancing act and the great ones understand that and know how that needs to be done.”
You talk about flexibility and some dynamic quarterbacks’ names have already been brought up today. Even in the short time you’ve been in the league, Tommy, does it seem like the way a quarterback has to play is changing, and evolving and becoming even more dynamic, flexible, etcetera? We see guys like Lamar (Jackson), Josh (Allen), etcetera.
“I mean, you have the extreme examples and then almost all quarterbacks now are able to create and extend would probably be the right word. That certainly has changed over time. It doesn’t mean the guys that can are extinct. I just think you start to see that with how talented and athletic defensive players are. The ability to extend and create has definitely taken an uptick over the last however many years. I don’t think it’s the only criteria, but you certainly see it as a trend.”
You talked about, obviously, last year coming back to the NFL and the experience you had, but you’ve never actually been an offensive coordinator at the NFL level. I’m just curious like how your stints at Notre Dame, obviously on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, how those kinds of help prepare you for this role at this level?
“Yeah, the job’s the job, right? I mean, again, you’re still managing people, first and foremost, players and coaches. You’re still in a leadership position. You still need to have total ownership. So, all of those traits that you develop over that time are critical. You still have to build relationships with all aspects of your offense because you’re not just in one room. And so, all of those traits that you learn at Notre Dame, you learn at Alabama, those still hold true at this level. I’ve been around great players, great coaches at both those stops, so I feel extremely prepared for this opportunity and a lot of that credit goes to Notre Dame, Alabama, the people that were there and the players that were there.”
After reflecting on last season, do you feel there needs to be a greater emphasis on the run game?
“Yeah, I mean, again, I think we want to be sound in everything we do. I think we want to put together a system that our players can have confidence in. Whether that’s run or pass or anywhere in between, we want to make sure that everything we’re doing has a ‘why’ to it, and our players understand that ‘why.’ So, to sit here and be critical, I just think we want to make sure that we’re finding ways to give our players the best chance on the field every Sunday to win the game. And a lot of that comes back to the ‘why’ of what we’re doing.”
Did you know Mike Bloomgren before you got here and what do you think he adds to the staff?
“Yeah, I mean, look, I’ve been with Bloom now for a couple weeks. I think he’s a great addition. I think he’s a great offensive line coach and a great person. I only knew Bloom through reputation. We have some mutual coworkers that we both worked with that I have only heard positive things dating back 10 years of knowing Bloom through reputation.”
When you took this job last year, did you think it could lead to what you’re doing now?
“My only focus last year was getting ready to coach the tight ends. I felt like that was going to be my priority and my main focus. So, I was trying to be where my feet were as much as I could and get ready to own that role.”
Did you use VR at Notre Dame or just at Alabama?
“We used it at both, yeah.”
Pre-snap penalties were such an issue offensively last year. Just what do you think the genesis of that was and what can you do now as an OC to help clean that up, especially the not lining up correctly and the illegal motions?
“Yeah, look, I think a lot of clarity needs to be in the teaching progression on how we make sure that those things are taught, how we practice them. There are small changes here and there that we can do in our structure and how we want to make sure we maximize those things, and we have to hold ourselves and our players accountable to those. At times, you also have to look in the mirror and say, ‘Okay, well, what’s feasible and what’s not?’ And if we do that, those will get eradicated.”
I don’t know if you saw Ben Johnson’s presser yesterday when he was talking about quarterback success is the better predictor now for wins and losses over turnover ratio. I’m just wondering if you’re following that, if you agree with that and what you look at in terms of success and what leads to success?
“Yeah, I did not see his press conference. I would say I agree with the quarterback has as much influence in a game as any position in sport. I think when you’re in a high-level passing efficiency, when you’re in a high level of efficiency offensively, that leads to wins and losses. I think the turnover margin is still a good number, but I think you see the pass efficiency number in the NFL continue to be a good indicator for that. And obviously, that’s a big part of playing the quarterback position.”
What ultimately drew you to wanting to work with Kevin?
“Yeah, I met him a few years back through a mutual coach. I just think his overall view of the game, his demeanor, those are all things that as a coach you want to be around people that you feel like you can learn and grow from and then hopefully take part of their style and continue to help build your own coaching philosophy and style and you want to be around good people. In the coaching world, it’s no secret you spend a lot of hours in this office. And so, to be able to be around a guy like Kevin, who is a great man, great coach, good person, like all those things make it a very attractive job.”
Do you feel as though, since you are not that far removed from being in the college game and being well versed in all these college quarterbacks, do you feel like there is one in this class that can start for the Cleveland Browns in 2025?
“Again, I’m not going to talk about any of the players that are in the draft and look forward to the evaluation process with that.”
Just in general, though, do you feel like this — I mean, last year, six quarterbacks came out and a lot of them have done really, really well. Do you feel like this class has some talent, enough talent that some of these guys can step in and start this year and succeed?
“Yeah, I look forward to evaluating them. I really do.”
Everyone assumes the offense will go back to the 2023 offense that won 11 games before you were here. Is that a correct assumption, that it’ll be more resembling what Stefanski did last year?
“Yeah, I mean, I think there’s core principles within that system that we want to major in and own. But like anything, you’re going to adapt with the times and you’re going to evaluate what our team is really good at and make sure that we focus the offense around that.”
I know in working with the tight ends this year, we obviously knew Mike Vrabel was heavily involved in that group as well for a portion of the season. There was some talk about him potentially being interested in bringing you over to his staff. But, just from your perspective, what was that relationship like? Seems like you guys kind of got pretty close. And what did you kind of learn from him during the year together?
“Yeah, I love Vrabes. We spoke on him a few weeks back, just being able to be around a guy who’s been a head coach, defensive side of the ball, has really spent so much of his life in the NFL. For me, offensive coach, never been a head coach, only spent a year previously in the NFL. So, to be surrounded by somebody with all that experience was really beneficial just learning kind of the ins and outs of this level, learning the ins and outs of this game. And then from a schematic standpoint, hearing him talk defensive football and how it impacts how we think offensively was great. As a coach, being able to see that side and be able to pull down those curtains and see how they think can really make you better on the opposite side of the ball.”
Along those lines, just coming in to this team and working with the tight ends, where you’re involved in so many different factors of the offense. How much of a learning experience was that for you in your first year here?
“Yeah, it was great. I’ll tell you a quick story. My brother played tight end growing up, okay? I played quarterback. We used to always argue about what position was harder, tight ends, quarterbacks, tight ends, quarterbacks, okay? On the field, quarterback is still something I’m passionate about, but I remember texting my brother in the middle of training camp, being like, ‘Hey, I know this has been 20 years since we’ve argued about this, but I think you are onto something with the whole tight end conversation.’ So, like, run, pass, protection, technique, there’s so much that goes into it. When you remove yourself from the quarterback room and have to look at things through a different lens, I think it’s so beneficial for somebody that spent as much time around the quarterback position as I have or as much time as a coordinator. It really gives you a great perspective on the other parts of the offense.”
Along those lines, multiple tight end sets have been something you’ve used a lot at Notre Dame, Alabama. Does that sort of align with what Kevin also does? I mean, how much have you guys sort of talked about that in terms of the offense?
“Yeah, I think you want to be versatile in how you can attack a defense, right? And those personnel groupings, adding gaps, adding formations, all of those go into effect of how you attack a defense, and we want to be — have the ability to be multiple and have different ways to present challenges to the defense.”
When you think about you being here when you were younger as a ball boy, coming in last year as the tight ends coach, moving into this. When you think about your connection to the Browns, why is this so meaningful for you to step into this role?
“Yeah, I mean, that’s a large reason why, right? I mean, growing up, my dad worked for however many NFL teams. For whatever reason, the Browns were kind of the one that stuck. Probably because I was here, boots on the ground, working training camp. Those were probably the years I really started falling in love with football. And so, when I think about my early development in the game, my early love for the game, so many of those memories were surrounded by either being here or watching the Browns on Sunday from home. It has come full circle. I haven’t really had the time to sit down and think about that, but, I know it’s one, speaking with my brother, speaking with my dad, it is a pretty cool story to be able to say, ‘Okay, well, when you really fell in love with the game, it was in this building, it was watching these games.’ Now to be in the position I’m in is something I’m grateful for.”
You talked about the work on the front end before game day and everything. How much do you like that part of the job and how much do you kind of hope to be able to kind of set the table with Kevin for everything he does as a play caller?
“Yeah, I mean, when you put together a plan and then you see that plan come into action on a game day, that’s about as rewarding as a feeling. When you’re able to put together a plan for your players to have success, and then you’re able to see that success transpire on the field, that’s about as rewarding of a feeling you can have in sport. And so much of that are the hours that you lead up to the game, the time you spend in the office. You sacrifice a lot in these jobs, and a lot of it goes to exactly what you’re speaking to and that’s probably my favorite part of the job, is being able to sit in there and schematically find ways to attack a team and then to be able to have that come to life on game day really brings a lot of hard work to life. What you’re trying to do is give your players the best opportunity to be successful and when you can do that, it’s really a gratifying experience.”
I know you don’t want to get into specifics when it comes to maybe the quarterback plans going forward here, but the old adage is you don’t walk into a job without knowing exactly what you’re walking into. So, do you at least have an idea of what that plan might be this offseason?
“Yeah, like I said here a little bit ago, I’m really excited to get to evaluating that and see what’s out there.”
Would you say you and Kevin see the game similarly?
“Yeah, I think we have different experiences in the game. We’ve grown up in different systems of the game. I think the core tenets of what we believe in, being sound and being explosive, those things are both really important to us. But in terms of how you get there, we have similarities but there’s also going to be things that both of us see as new ways or different ways to accomplish those goals which I think is something you want, right? You don’t want everybody to have the same idea. I have a quote in my office that says, ‘We all think alike. No one thinks very much,’ and I think that’s really important with a staff that you’re able to feel like those guys have the autonomy to bring ideas to make the entire offense better.”
Why do you think you guys connected so quickly then?
“Yeah, I mean, I think we do see a lot of things the same way in terms of what’s important in the game of football. I just think I have a tremendous amount of respect for how he handles his job, how he handles people and that’s something that I wanted to be a part of. I think that’s probably a two-way street.”
There’s been such a vast difference between supposedly Kevin’s old way of doing offense and then the new, more spread RPO stuff that you guys were trying to do at the outset last year. And now, there’s all kinds of talk, ‘Well, they’re going back to Kevin Stefanski’s old offense.’ Is there a way to marry those two things and to really incorporate all of those elements into an offense and yet still also have an identity?
“Yes, there is. There is definitely — the ability to be multiple is something that we want. Now, what multiplicity looks like can look like a lot of different things to a defense while it stays very consistent for the offensive players. And so, when I think you talk about scheme, how you present it is what puts defense at a bind. There are aspects of scheme of things that have been done in the past, things that we did last year that are consistent, but how we present it presents the challenge for the defense. So, the identities in the scheme, the presentation is part of how we keep people off balance.”
Your general offensive philosophy, is there a kind of a route to where that started, where you sort of first developed is? I mean, everybody says there’s this person or that person, right? Is there a person for you?
“Yeah, there’s a lot of people. In 2016, I got the job in San Diego with the Chargers. I walked into that job thinking I had a pretty good grasp on football. I remember being completely blown away by the knowledge that the coaches had. And I would say that year, from just a schematic football standpoint, really changed the way I looked at the game. And we had Mike McCoy as our head coach, Ken Wisenhunt was our coordinator, Nick Sirianni was our wideout coach, Shane Steichen was our quarterback coach. There was a great staff of people around me that I really leaned into and learned from. And then, you add the stops along the way. I mean, certainly, being under Coach Saban and learning how he ran his program, and how you do things day-to-day, how he looked at the game as a defensive coach, the perspective I was able to gain from him was something I will value my entire life. Look, I spent nine years with Brian Kelly as a player and as a coach. So obviously, there’s things along the way that I picked up with him offensively. So, I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of great coaches. But I would point to the year in San Diego as one that really transformed the way I looked at football.”