Freeman made the mistake of trusting Rees too much. Or he was forced to trust. Who really knows. Ultimately it's on Freeman. I understand this.
But the point still stands. A tenured Saban lost games he shouldn't have lost while a first time HC in Freeman lost games he shouldn't have lost. I don't think anyone thought Freeman wouldn't make these mistakes. On the flip side, I don't think many thought Rees' offense would look this bad. Rees at least has more experience as an OC than MF has as a HC.