Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees (12.24.25)
Can you wrap up Shedeur’s (Sanders) game and what did you think of his performance against the (Buffalo) Bills?
“It started really strong. I think positives wise – we knew coverage wise how they played, there was going to be some opportunities to create with your legs when they’re matching as much as they do with two high. Thought he did a really nice job there on a number of occasions. You know, was good in the pocket when he needed to escape. And then some of the action game when they were playing two high, matching coverage, either finding Q (Quinshon Judkins) or finding guys underneath to keep the sticks efficient was really a positive for him. I thought he felt very comfortable throughout the game. You know, had a little bit of miscommunication on the first interception and then just situationally aware on the second one of kind of how they’re playing it and just gain a zero there as a good play and let’s move on to the next, but thought it was a step in the right direction. There’s always with a young quarterback, every new moment he gets is a new learning opportunity. And we talked about that, we talked about that on Monday, like situationally at the end of the game and just all those different opportunities to learn and grow from and teach off of to help all these young guys as they continue to go on in their careers.”
Tommy, I wanted to ask you specifically about the low average depth of target for Shedeur on that game because I know you’ve grown accustomed to seeing them, you know, really pushing the ball downfield. But is that a game like you said, like where you reviewed the film the day after and you’re like, okay, we were pleased with the way you handled the coverage…
“Buffalo was, I think, first or second in the league in early down passing, like for a second down pass defense. They were first or second in the league and they put a lot of emphasis on their pass defense. They play a lot of two high coverage. They keep things top down by design. So, you’re going to have to pick your spots to get the ball down the field. And you know, you call plays that the intent is to go down the field and they play coverage like we about talked about a week ago, where they dictate where the ball goes. And I thought his decision making in those moments was really good and what you want. You know, we had the one at Q that got us down to the four-yard line, I think it was a gain of 16, we check it down. We had another one on second and eight that got us nine and got us first down. Like, those are plays that keep you on schedule. You know, we’ve talked about that all year, getting out of third and long. Those are plays that keep you on schedule and allow us to have success on third down. So, you know, then there’s times throughout the game there might be a couple reps here or there where, ‘hey, they’re giving us a coverage where we can’t attack it. Now let’s go attack it.’ So pleased with how he made his decisions. Pleased with kind of the way they were defending and finding ways to continue to move the sticks that way.”
When you were talking about the first interception, the Q one, did you say it was more timing than accuracy with Shedeur?
“Yeah, I think just on timing, getting on the same page with how we want the route done versus that specific coverage and just making sure that those guys, see it the same way to make sure that we are executing in that moment.”
Obviously on the field is the best experience, but how much does it benefit Shedeur going into this game that you guys have already gone over this opponent before. You know, you’ve played a game, with Shedeur as kind of the backup for that game. How much does that help benefit him going into this start?
“Yeah, I think it helps. You know, the Steelers are not the same team as they were the first time we played them. Schematically, they’re a little bit different. Personnel wise, they’re a little bit different. Obviously, they have some new faces, they have some guys out. So, there are some changes. But it certainly helps to know there’s a familiarity with how they play, who their personnel is, how they set their front, the coverage tendencies they have. There’s certainly an advantage there for him to feel comfortable going into an opponent that we’ve prepared for and that we’ve watched film on for a week and that he’s familiar with.”
Is that because the schematic differences because primarily because of TJ (Watt) being out?
“No. I think teams always kind of evolve throughout the year, right? Who you are in the middle of the year early in the year is probably different than who you are down the stretch. And they’ve done a nice job of finding new wrinkles, new compliments, matching their wrinkles to who their personnel is. Obviously, Watt’s, a great player, you got to account for him, but they have other guys that have been in and out or new guys on the team that present different challenges.”
How have you seen his decision making improve in the five starts he’s made?
“I think Sunday was a great example of it. Finding opportunities to let the play play out against the defense that’s called by them. I mean, I think when you look at a defensive structure, and you have a play called, like so much of the quarterback position is solving the problem and having the answer quickly. And you saw him process that information and get to his answers on time, which allowed us to be efficient.”
As a coach, how do you navigate maybe ebbs and flows, the progression and regression from a rookie?
“You know, your focus is so much on development. Your focus is so much on the process of getting the best out of them every day. You really don’t go through the emotional roller coaster. You just focus on the process. You don’t focus on the result as much as, ‘Alright, are our eyes in the right spot? Are we doing the things that we’ve been coached to do or asked to do?’ If you’re doing that, then you’re on the right direction, which our guys have done for us. You know, the results haven’t always been what we wanted, but we really try to focus as much on the process as we do on the end result, which takes a lot of the emotion out of it. You’re looking at it through a very specific lens.”
What are some of the next steps you would like to see him take? He’s only got two games left, so what are the next steps you would like to see him take specifically against the Steelers? And does he have to worry a lot about the whole batted pass thing this game?
“Yeah, I just think continue on the right progression that he’s on right now, continue to make good decisions, continue to focus on the areas that we’re asking him to do. You know, find ways to move the football, find ways to score points – that’s the quarterback’s job. But to put expectations and put those on. And we’re just looking for good progression and making sure that each week there’s improvement. Each week we’re building upon what we’ve done and again, find ways to score points and move the ball.”
Shedeur has talked a lot about the why, like really understanding the why he’s making certain decisions. And he talked about like that fourth and two where I think the Bills had rotated from Cover 2, and they kind of buzzed somebody down. Just when you look at that fourth and two where he got sacked, what could have been different as a whole with that operation?
“Yeah, I don’t want to go into the specifics of the fourth and two. Schematically but I do think for young players, especially at the core quarterback position, as you can unravel the why behind things, it allows you to play faster, it allows you to solve problems quicker, it allows you to make decisions pre-snap. They presented a coverage, and there’s a why there, and there’s a way for each play that you call of, like, ‘Hey, how can we simplify our thoughts as much as we can pre snap so that we can play quickly?’ And I think that’s the why that you’re after all the time. There’s going to be times where the picture changes, and there’s going to be times when you got to get to two or three. But, you know, one of our constant goals in that quarterback room is, ‘okay, if we call a play, this is what we’re trying to attack. This is why we’re designing it this way. And here’s your counter if it doesn’t go that way.’”
Tommy did that, especially in the first half there with those long drives. Did that feel like as good a rhythm as you guys have been in, even as a play caller? Because it seemed like a lot of stuff was working for you.
“Yeah, we felt good. You know like, you’re staying efficient, you’re staying ahead of the sticks. You know, you have a good balance. Run, pass, screen, getting the ball in the perimeter, good blend in the run game, guys touching the ball, like, yeah, you know, that’s the rhythm you want. You can put together those drives. I think the team can feel that, feed off of that. You know, there’s been a couple other games or sequences within games where we felt that. You know, we had a really long drive, second drive against the (New York) Jets, maybe where it felt that way. We had a really good one earlier in the year, like the start of second half, maybe against Minnesota, coming out of that halftime, where you just kind of feel like things are in sequence. The opening drive against Detroit felt that way. I mean, there’s specific moments where you just feel like, all right, the rhythms there. The guys are moving and operating the way we’ve asked them to. They’re doing a nice job on the field. So, you know, we want to build off that. We want to build off the confidence of that. You know, we talk so much about the process and not the result. Those are the things that we talk about, like allow our process to yield those results, allow our process to get us into that rhythm, allow that to build confidence with our players so that they can, you know, this week, take another step in the right direction.”
Tommy, the Steelers’ pass defense – what are some of those time periods of emphasis that can help create that rhythm in the pass game for you guys?
“Yeah, I mean, it starts with our ability to protect, which I thought our protection Sunday was excellent for the majority of the game. You know, there’s a lot of times we’re in our actions and you know, we have plenty of time back there. You know, you look at this team, who they’ve been over the past however many years, it starts for them up front. So, it needs to start with us up front. Our ability to protect the passer is going to be critical. And that’s the quarterback, that’s the tight ends, that’s the receivers getting open, that’s the backs in protection and obviously the O-line. But protection against this group is everybody. It’s getting open on time; it’s playing on time. It’s everybody that’s part of the core being in protection. So that will allow us to have a chance in the passing game.”
You mentioned there have been individual series that have gone really well in different games. What’s preventing the offense from putting more of those together in a game?
“I think within each game you’ve had moments where you feel like the flow is right where it wants to be. You know, sometimes series after series it feels that way and you come up with a field goal instead of a touchdown. You know, we just – again want to look at our process and then in those critical moments, want to execute at the highest level.”
How do you adjust without having Quinshon?
“Yeah, we got a good group of guys in that room. You know, we have trust in those players. I thought both Rocket (Raheim Sanders) and Tre (Trayveon Williams) came in and did a really nice job. You know, obviously Malachi (Corley) and IB (Isaiah Bond) contributed in the run game as well. Although IB’s with zero catches for 21 yards, which is a bizarre stat, but we have a lot of trust and confidence in that group. Q’s a great player, we’re going to miss him, and he’s provided a lot for us. We have trust in the group we have. We’re going to continue to find their strengths and try to highlight those and, you know, we’ll see how this week goes with the other backs and getting them back here. But you know, those guys came in that second half and did a really nice job for us and critical third down conversions. We got a nine-yard run, we got an eight-yard run from the nine-yard line. Like really big moments, you know, for those guys and they were well prepared. So, you know, Duce (Staley) did a great job with them during the week, getting them ready to play.”
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