Win With People: Tommy Rees' Mantra for Offensive Success at Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Whether his preference or not, Alabama head coach Nick Saban speaks to the media multiple times a week during the season and throughout the spring and fall. Players are also regularly made available to the media.
However, it is pretty rare for the Crimson Tide's coordinators to get behind the podium. In fact, it normally only happens twice a year– once in August on the team's Media Day, and once during the postseason at bowl-mandated press conferences.
This means intrigue is high when the opportunity presents itself to talk to the coordinators, especially when a new one is thrown in the mix. This season at Alabama, both coordinators are new.
Things are a little different with defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. He's been coaching college football for five decades and is on his third stint at Alabama. Steele was on Saban's first Alabama staff in 2007 and has coached all around the SEC.
But Sunday's Media Day provided the first opportunity to peel back the curtain on what new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is bringing to Alabama. Steele has known Rees' family since before he was even born and believes that growing up in Chicago and playing at Notre Dame has given Rees a defensive mentality, even though he's an offensive player and coach.
"I don’t know if he’d appreciate me saying that about him, but he’s a very tough football coach, very, very smart," Steele said. "But he’s the same every day. That’s the best part about Tommy, he’s the same everyday. He’s got ice water in his veins."
That might explain why Rees once told a teammate at Notre Dame that if he could play another position besides quarterback, it would be offensive line.
"I wasn't a very good quarterback, so I figured I could take another shot somewhere," Reese said Sunday. "Like that physical part of the game has always resonated with me. I think the offensive line is a group that can be unsung a little bit. Really without that group of five in front of you, it's hard to do anything well, not just run the football, not just throw the football, but really, you face an uphill battle. I just always like the camaraderie of the group of the guys up front. There's a toughness to this game that I always felt like I missed by playing quarterback, and something that I kind of longed for."
At just 31 years old, Rees is one of the younger coordinators in college football. He spent the last six seasons coaching at his alma mater and described the phone call from Saban to interview at Alabama as a "surreal" moment. But he quickly turned to business mode, pushing aside his emotions to prepare for the interview and land the job with the Crimson Tide.
Part of that role is adjusting to the system and terminology Saban already has in place, which hasn't been too steep of a learning curve for Rees.
"I think it's the right way to do it," Rees said. "There's been a system in place here for however-many years, and players here that are familiar with terminology, with what you're trying to accomplish. To say one guy is going to come in here and change everything would be the wrong way to approach it."
Even though Saban is known more for the defensive side of the ball, the Alabama head coach was willing to learn and adjust with the evolution of offenses across college football with the help of Lane Kiffin. Rees noted how prolific the Crimson Tide offense has been for the past decade.
Rees said his mantra is "win with people," meaning his offense is more personnel-driven. His goal is to put the players he has in the best position to be successful, not modify the players he has on the roster to fit a specific system. So his offensive game plan will look different in Tuscaloosa than it did in South Bend.
For example, at Notre Dame, Rees' offense often featured heavy tight-end usage, but that was also the personnel the Fighting Irish had on their roster. Alabama's roster is more reliant on wide receivers, so he talked about finding the right blend of receiver and tight end play with the Crimson Tide.
"I do think we’re probably going to look different than when I was elsewhere because our personnel is different," Rees said. "There's different strengths, there’s different areas that we can take advantage of. We don’t have a system, or I don’t have a system that says, ‘Hey, you have to fit into these squares.’ It’s more about how can I fit what you do and what you do really well and to enhance in our offense."
Fortunately for Rees, he has plenty of talent at his disposal all around on offense because of the high-level of recruiting Alabama has had year after year under Saban. The offensive coordinator talked about the depth at quarterback being able to rep all five guys at practice and also mentioned being "a little bit spoiled" with the talent at the running back position.
In year one, Rees' challenge will be the finding the right balance and mix of that talent to put out on the field at the right time. The young offensive coordinator said the buy-in from players so far early in fall camp has been good.
"We really are enjoying the direction that the players are going in and believe that we have a good blend of veteran presence and young talent," Rees said. "It's our job as coaches and as staff to continue to put them in a position to have success, and try to get the very most out of them."
See also:
Why Tommy Rees Wanted QB Tyler Buchner at Alabama
Nick Saban's Thoughts on Conference Realignment: Prioritize Student-Athletes
Kevin Steele Excited to be Back at Alabama, Keeping Process Consistent
