The Atlanta Falcons are officially moving on to a new era of football, as they officially welcomed former Cleveland Browns Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski to town with the goal of improving upon where oft-maligned offensive coordinator Zac Robinson failed.
With Stefanski's offensive background, it is fair to wonder who is going to be calling plays in this operation. Stefanski confirmed that he is going to take a step backward this season, instead letting recently hired offensive coordinator Tommy Rees get the chance to show what he is made of.
Stefanski confirmed that Rees will call plays in Atlanta, which is exactly the situation the Browns had in place at the tail end of this season. Time will tell if Rees is more productive when he has superior talent both under center and on the perimeter.
Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski confirms that OC Tommy Rees will call plays
Rees was once regarded as a rising star in the coaching ranks, as his college tenures at Notre Dame and Alabama led many to believe that he could be someone who thrives in the NFL once he gets a better quarterbacking situation under his belt. The results in Cleveland have been very mixed, to say the least.
Rees and Stefanski oversaw some of the worst offenses in the league with the Browns, but some of these struggles can be ascribed to the fact that neither of them had NFL quarterbacks to work with. Even with Atlanta's situation, both of the passers here are superior to Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Michael Penix Jr. has all the arm talent in the world, and Rees being able to corral his ability to rip the ball down the field would be one way for this team to improve from a passing game point of view. Rees and Stefanski can also work with Kirk Cousins, with whom Stefanski overlapped in Minnesota.
With one of the best running backs in the game in Bijan Robinson and a high-end wide receiver in Drake London, the Falcons have the ingredients needed to run a very successful offense. It remains to be seen if Rees is the guy who can make them all fit together.