Rees' self-scout: Maximize aggression, efficiency
Tommy Rees was Notre Dame offensive coordinator for 11-straight wins, including his Camping World Bowl game debut and an upset of then-No. 1 Clemson during 2020's magical run to the College Football Playoffs.
Along the way, Rees' Fighting Irish offense posted top-10 national finishes in first downs (6th), third-down conversions (8th) and time of possession (7th).
Oh, and Notre Dame had the nation's No. 9 individual rusher in Kyren Williams, with 1,125 yards.
Naturally, the perpetually self-scrutinizing Rees hit the offseason with a singular goal: Where could he elevate his performance for the betterment of Notre Dame?.
“I think it's critical that you're always critical on your own performance,” Rees told IrishSportsDaily. “I think oftentimes high-competitive people are most critical on themselves. I'm certainly falling in that category.
“I think, and I was just talking about this, the area I want to continue to strive to improve is to be aggressive.”
Notre Dame has scored 31 or more points in nine of Rees' 13 games as offensive orchestrator; they're 2-2 with an average of just 16.25 points per game in the other four contests.
Though his offense is replacing the majority of its starters along the line and all-time wins leader at quarterback, Rees believes he can better blend an aggressive approach that tailors to the Irish's potential strengths.
“How are we able to call a game aggressively but also stay efficient? How do I coach the quarterbacks in a certain way that they're able to understand that, in that when I call something, they know really exactly why it's being called?,” Rees asked. “For me, it's coaching to win games and making sure I'm not just trying to get out of it or lose it or do certain things but how are we able to really stress defenses in a high-efficient manner?
“To be able to be aggressive from the first snap to the end of the game.”
Specifically, Rees hearkens back to the Irish's win last November at North Carolina, the regular-season ACC clincher. Though not the season's top points total, it's a game in which the Irish offensive stats read as perhaps their most ruthlessly efficient: 31 points, 25 first downs, points in every quarter and 35 minutes' owning the ball.
“You know, I look at that North Carolina game and there were times during that where I was like, 'Hey, we've got to keep our foot on the pedal because they can score at will,'” Rees said. “I've just got to continue to have a mentality that serves that way throughout the entire season.
“Now, our job is to win games and we're not going to do things that put us in a position to cost that. But at the same time, I want to make sure that we're always striving to stay aggressive and stay in a manner that is, 'Hey, we're out here to win and we're out here to be aggressive and we're out here to really do those things.'”
