Tommy Rees - Offensive Coordinator, falcons Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-10 | Full transcript (primary source).
On September 10, 2026, Tommy Rees addressed the media in a press conference as the Atlanta Falcons prepare to kick off their regular season. The session focused on the team's offensive strategies and the importance of tailoring game plans to the strengths of their quarterbacks.
Transcript
Rees: I feel good. Yeah, excited. Obviously you work very hard for these opportunities. You know, you only get so many of them, and great staff, great people to work with. Players have been great bought in, so excited to finally get rolling on the regular season.
Rees: I know a lot of coaches like to tailor what they do to player strengths. How do you feel like the game plan is in spot with two of them?
Rees: Yeah, I think it's the most important thing you can do. Regardless of, it starts with a quarterback, but regardless of who your quarterback is, you want to make sure that things that allow them to feel comfortable, allow them to play to their strengths, allow them to play fast. You know, there's always things week in and week out that you're trying to do to attack a team, but first and foremost, you want to feature your guys, and you want to make the quarterback comfortable. And, you know, regardless of who that guy is, that's our job as coaches to make sure that we get that done.
Rees: How different might a, you know, Michael Penn's game plan look like compared to a 2-0 game plan?
Rees: Yeah, I think both have things that they like. Both have strengths that they prefer. You know, I think when you work with guys through the offseason, through camp, you start to really get a feel for what makes them tick, kind of their comfort zone. So, yeah, I'm going to sound like a broken record, but our job as coaches is to figure that out and put them in a position to have success. It's to challenge them. It's to find new ways to continue to build things that they feel comfortable doing, finding ways to apply what they do well to the defense we're playing. And that's the exciting part. You know, it's a lot of fun to game plan. It's a lot of fun to put together a plan. It's a lot of fun to get the players to buy into it. And that's the process we're in right now.
Rees: When you're in those first games, you know, there's obviously a bunch of newness to that. But when you factor in new staff here, new staff in Pittsburgh, even though you're familiar with most of the personnel on that side of the ball over there, how much impact does that have on the game plan and everything like that?
Rees: Yeah, that's certainly part of the equation early in the season, right? And then you add the wrinkle of it being a new staff, similar players that they've had for a while now, but a new staff coming over. You know, P.G., their defense coordinator, he does as good of a job as anyone of challenging the offense. You know, we played him twice in Vegas the last couple of years when I was in Cleveland. And they have a very effective defense, affecting the passer, stopping the run game. You know, P.G., I've gotten to know him a little bit. He just does a great job. Can't say enough positive things about him and the way he approaches the game defensively. And he had the wrinkle of the complexities of who they were in Vegas with the personnel they have in Pittsburgh. You know, you got to find ways to stay efficient and stay effective. And we're familiar with the personnel, how he wants to use the personnel. That's a challenge. And we got to be great in game at making adjustments and getting a beat on how they want to play us.
Rees: How similar is the playbook you had last year to now? I'm sure, obviously, you have to kind of adapt to who you have. But there's also a brand you want to play, too. So how do you kind of blend that together?
Rees: Yeah, I think it goes back to the first question. Like, who are our guys? Who's our quarterback? What makes them comfortable? You know, I feel like we're diverse enough in our offensive scheme that we can pull from a lot of different areas to apply it to who we have. So I think each year you kind of have the foundation or the bones of the offensive system. And then you apply it to who you have and how you want to play and trying to highlight your strengths as much as possible. And then every year you evolve. Every year there's new themes in offensive football, new themes in defensive football that you have to account for. And, you know, that's why you work so hard in the offseason to get ready for these opportunities.
Rees: I know that there are a lot of factors that go into a quarterback's average time of throw. But I wonder, is there a baseline from an offensive standpoint of amount of seconds? We've got to give this guy this amount of time or we can't run an effective and complete offensive. We need to figure out how to at least hit that threshold.
Rees: Yeah, I mean, we don't probably talk specifically in a number. I think team by team who you're playing it varies, right? Play against a good rush. You got to roll, you know, and you got to do some things to help the past game in that sense. I think one of the underrated parts of that is like receiver play and them understanding like you're in a race against the guys trying to hit the quarterback, right? So how can we play fast on the outside? How can we put a plan together for our players where they can play so clean, have a very narrowed focus that allows them to play fast and get open in good manner. And then, you know, man's own, you know, impacts that who they have Russian and what our protection plan looks like. So there's a lot of variables to that. Obviously, we're playing against a really strong front. And then you put that with PG scheme and how they like to affect the passer. You know, you got to be on your on your stuff to make sure you can be effective in the past game. But, you know, you've heard the number three seconds all the time. Like I would say historically Pittsburgh is probably under that, you know, just because of who they have. So, you know, that's certainly something that we echo when we talk about protecting the quarterback. It's not just the line. It's not just the tight ends. It's not just the quarterback himself. It's really everybody impacts that part of the game plan.
Rees: And to us historically been well under he's been about two and a half. I think last year I don't know if I don't know how much of that is him and just the way he likes to play and how much of that is the situations he's been in the offense. He's been in the pressure. He gets that type of thing. You all have a feel for that.
Rees: Yeah, I think part of it's to, you know, like, I think he's a, you know, wants to be quick, wants to be decisive. He's pretty quick twitch in terms of like getting the ball out. And when it's time to throw it, he snaps through it. You know, there's obviously elements to it from the scheme and all the things they're asking him to do and who you're playing. But, you know, I think to have shown that his entire life, you know, his ability to quick release and get the ball out.
Rees: You mentioned the Pittsburgh defensive line a couple of times. Can you talk about just specifically like those matchups and what the offense line is going to be up against them?
Rees: Yeah, I mean, they've gotten older, but they're certainly still very effective. You know, like it's incredible to see Hayward and the level he plays at and how he impacts a game. You know, he's been a great, great player and he has not slowed down. You know, same thing with Watt on the edge. You know, everybody talks about those two guys so much and they're rightfully so. I mean, they're high motor, high skill level, high intellect. Like they know what they're doing out there. They played a lot of football. You know, it's hard to say like when they have high Smith and her big that I can just roll in there. You know, so they have a ton of depth, a ton of versatility amongst their system. It's not like you just have, you know, some guy teams worry about one guy. You know, they have a lot of guys up front that can affect the passer in different ways. You know, they have power, they have speed, they have counters. So again, like could not speak highly enough of that group and the style in which they play and how they challenge you up front and play physical and play with great intellect. Intellect up front. So it's a great challenge. But, you know, we have a good line. You know, I think we have a good plan going into it to make sure that we can, you know, you know, stay ahead of the sticks and continue to move forward.
Rees: What kind of role the vision of Zach Branch have in early on his or was that pressed in most of the season?
Rees: Yeah, Zach's done a great job since he's gotten here. Obviously, we've seen some production from him throughout. It goes back to the same conversation that we talked to the quarterbacks. Like our job is to identify what he does really well, put him in those positions and allow his ability to play, to allow him to play fast. You know, I think for young players, you're always after that. How can we get them to play fast and affect the game? And, you know, Zach is a guy that really cares a lot about this game and has put in a lot of work to put him in a good position to have success.
Rees: Last year, you guys led the league in running 12, I believe, right? The Rams have kind of been running those heavier packages in general. When I had Charlie last month, he mentioned that the league is kind of trending more that way. What do you like about those, you know, heavier packages running 12 and up?
Rees: Yeah, I mean, we had a pretty good rookie tight end a year ago, so we wanted him on the field. So, again, like our job is to find ways to get our best guys on the field and get them opportunities to play. You talk about getting into personnel groupings. You know, there are teams that you can dictate how they're going to play in terms of how they play personnel. One thing that PG does great is his blend of personnel groupings. There's not really a great beat to it. So, yeah, you study teams across the league. I think everyone's always looking for an advantage. And if you put certain guys on the field, can I give you an advantage, yes or no? And then how do you get your best 11 out there?
Rees: So, is that a deal where you go into a year saying, I think we're an 11 team. I think we're a 12 team. Is it week to week?
Rees: I mean, it's dictated by who you have. You know, like if your strength is in a certain room, you want to highlight those strengths. You know, I think we're fortunate to have a pretty good blend of personnel here offensively in the skill groups that, you know, we can be multiple. I think everyone's always after the ability to have a blend. But, you know, at the same time, you've got to highlight your personnel.
Rees: We were talking to Mike a few weeks ago, and he said that there's a saying in the quarterback room that you're wrong because it's easier. That's probably not an official play, Tommy, but is that something that you guys talk about? Like, hey, you have Fijian Robinson, you know, all else fails, you have the best player in the league?
Rees: Yeah, I mean, like Bijian's skill set, I think, speaks for itself. I don't have to, you know, the labor of the point there. I just think it's a great reminder. You know, that phrase has taken on a life of its own in the room. But it's a great reminder that, hey, if we don't hit the perfect call or we don't get the perfect look, let's manage the down. We're fortunate that, you know, I think it was the third play of the season last year. It was a check down that went for 52, right? And so I think we're fortunate that we have a guy that can be pretty great with the ball in his hands.
Rees: I know life in the NFL is always, you know, one game at a time, you know, look ahead. And Kevin certainly embodies that. When you're on the side of that rivalry with Pittsburgh, you know, when you were at the previous organization, how personal are those games? Is it something when it means so much to a fan base or when there is so much history in a rivalry? I don't want to say it's approach different, but is there a sense of urgency, you know, among coaches or anything like that?
Rees: Yeah, I mean, I think if there's not a sense of urgency each week, you're in the wrong job. I'm not going to sit here and say, like, there is no rivalry. Like, yeah, you feel it. You feel those games. You pull into Heinz Field. It's a great rivalry. You know, you're driving to the game. You're not taking a flight. So, look, guys that appreciate the history of football, which I think I do, you know, like, you certainly attribute playing in those moments, you know, after the fact, right? Like, this week or in the previous years, like, playing Pittsburgh, yeah, it's a great rivalry, but you still got to do your job. You know, you still got to operate. But, you know, I think when you have time to reflect, that's when you have time to kind of say, oh, it's pretty cool that you were part of these rivalry games. And, you know, we were fortunate in my two years. We split with them and had a couple great games there. We played them in the snow a couple years back, which was on a Thursday night, which was a pretty cool game. And, yeah, you don't take those opportunities for granted. Playing in that venue is pretty cool. I got to play there when I was in college against Pitt. It's a fun place to play. And they have a great, great fan base. I mean, it's a national fan base dating all the way back, you know, as the migration to the west took place from, you know, the rail towns. But playing the Pittsburgh Steelers should mean something. But every week means something.
Rees: We were talking about a few weeks back and he said that, you know, you'll just kind of take some stuff from around the league. If you see it and it's working, you're not afraid to maybe try to add it here. A, is that true? And then when you're doing that, is it more about the players that you have and saying, oh, I can see Drake doing this. Or is it this is a natural extension of what our scheme can kind of support?
Rees: Yeah, it's probably a natural extension. Look, there are great coaches across the league and, you know, studying and learning the game of football and watching it. That's something as a staff for myself, we all enjoy doing. And so you're constantly pushing the envelope on finding new ways, new wrinkles to adapt your system, to evolve your system. And again, it's like we have certain players that we feel like, hey, maybe we can do this with them. Let's find ways to continue to highlight what they do really well.
Rees: Cool. Thanks, guys. Appreciate it.
