FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons held initial press conferences for new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, retained defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and new special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman Wednesday afternoon at the Falcons' facility.
All three men detailed their coaching philosophies, scheme evolutions as well as their overall (and ongoing) evaluation of the units they now lead.
Let's dive into some of the main topics covered in their individual press conferences.
Tommy Rees
Why Atlanta: Rees' decision to follow Kevin Stefanski to Atlanta was an easy one. When Nick Saban retired from Alabama, Rees was serving as his coordinator. As he evaluated his next opportunity, Stefanski was the coach he wanted to work with — and for.
In the years since, the two have built a working relationship grounded in trust and mutual respect. Rees echoed a point Stefanski made during his introductory press conference weeks earlier: the two see the game through a similar lens. It's not identical, they've both acknowledged separately, but it complements each other well.
"I am not afraid to challenge Kev on certain things, and Kev is not afraid to push back. For any healthy, working relationship you need to have that."
Thoughts on Michael Penix Jr.: Like Stefanski, Rees is high on Penix, calling him someone he is "excited and eager" to help develop.
"I think you are looking at a young player that's really hungry and eager to get back out there. And it's our jobs as coaches to put him into position to have success."
Rees went on to outline the traits he believes are essential for a quarterback to lead a successful — and potentially high-scoring — unit. A quarterback, he said, must be a "high-level decision maker" who can limit mistakes in critical moments. It's the coaching staff's responsibility to help the player reach that level of confidence and command.
"Let the quarterback feel that he has ownership of the offense as we grow in it so that he feels like he has really great control of what we are doing."
Play-action: With public discussion surrounding the Falcons' play-action usage — along with their heavier reliance on pistol and shotgun formations in 2025 — Rees was asked about his philosophy on those elements, as well as his stance on operating from under center.
He explained that play-action and under-center elements have long been staples of the system he and Stefanski run.
"There are definite benefits to being under center. That's been a huge part of the identity with Kevin going back throughout his career. It's been the identity as we have worked together, and it's something that we believed in."
Rees added that while operating under center isn't the only way to "keep a defense in conflict," it remains a core principle of their offensive philosophy.
Dissecting the Falcons' run game: Rees is stepping into a run game that carries significant expectations, featuring Bijan Robinson and an experienced offensive line. He aligned with Stefanski's vision of blending the Falcons' wide-zone foundation with more gap-scheme concepts — an approach that aligns well with Robinson's collegiate background at Texas.
Rees said he is especially eager to lean on offensive line coach Bill Callahan as he refines the rushing attack.
"I have known about Coach Callahan since I was a little kid. He's a legend in the coaching world. ... He brings such professionalism. You can feel the expertise in the run game. Very convicted about how things need to be done."
Rees added that Callahan is part of an offensive staff he "could not feel stronger about." With multiple former play-callers in the room — including Callahan, Stefanski and quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt — Rees has a deep well of experience to draw from.
"As the younger guy in the room, it is exciting for me to be around guys who can make all of us better."
Jeff Ulbrich
Returning to Atlanta: One of Stefanski's first moves as head coach was retaining Ulbrich as the team's defensive coordinator. For Ulbrich, that decision signaled belief — that what he and his staff began building in Year 1 was worth continuing, even if the win total fell short of expectations.
"It was an honor for the organization to want to keep me in spite of us not winning as many games as we thought we could have, should have. I was excited to get the opportunity to really build upon what we did last year."
Although Ulbrich and Stefanski had not previously worked together, their collaboration began quickly and productively.
"I have been super impressed by the clarity of his vision and the way he wants to get this thing done."
An evolution of multiplicity: Much of Ulbrich's press conference focused on lessons learned from 2025 and how they shape the outlook for 2026. Chief among them was just how multiple the Falcons' defense became. In many ways, Ulbrich said, the unit showed more variety in both its fronts and coverages than he initially anticipated.
That multiplicity now becomes a strength heading into the offseason.
Ultimately, it gives Atlanta flexibility in both free agency and the draft.
"The scheme allows us to pivot and go the direction of the talent. Opposed to in the past where I was (looking for something specific)."
Rather than targeting rigid prototypes, the Falcons can now adjust their approach based on the best available talent.
The question of Kaden: Inside linebacker Kaden Elliss is set to enter free agency after three seasons in Atlanta. Given his impact on the defense during that span, replacing him would be no easy task if the Falcons are unable to reach a new deal.
Ulbrich was direct when asked about Elliss' future.
"I would love Kaden back. I think we all would. ... He is one of the most amazing human beings I have been around from a character standpoint."
From a football perspective, Ulbrich said Elliss' unique skill set fundamentally shaped what the Falcons were able to do defensively.
"The player that he is gave us this really unique flexibility. To think a guy could go out and play world class line of scrimmage play and at the same time you could stack him and he could play world class stack linebacker play. ... I have never had a line of scrimmage player run a defense and in a lot of our defense he was a line of scrimmage player."
In short?
"To replace Kaden would take more than one human being."
Craig Aukerman
Facing the kicker: It's no secret the Falcons cycled through three different kickers in 2025, with Zane Gonzalez finishing the season on a high note as NFC Player of the Week in the finale. Still, establishing continuity and consistency in the kicking game remains a priority for Aukerman — something he has recent experience navigating from his time in Miami.
"I dealt with a similar situation there at Miami, where Jason Sanders had a great year the year before. He got hurt in the last preseason game. We brought in about six kickers to go for a tryout. So, I know how stressful that is, especially bringing in a new guy. But we ended up picking a really good player there. And Riley Patterson, he did a great job for us."
In those situations, Aukerman said one trait stands above the rest.
"My biggest thing that I look at in a kicker, I want a guy that's confident. A guy that's going to go out there, it doesn't matter if it's in the first quarter or in the fourth quarter where he's kicking a game-winning field goal. I want a guy that's going to have total confidence in himself. I want his teammates to have confidence in him that they can go out there and perform at the highest level."
Prepping IDPs: Like Stefanski, Aukerman finds fulfillment in player development. A core part of his process is creating Individual Development Plans (IDPs) tailored to each player he coaches.
"Focus in on their strengths, focus in on their weaknesses, an area of focus that they might have that I feel like I could get them better. Whether it's teaching them fundamentals technique, maybe talking to them about certain things. That's the process that we will go through this offseason with those guys, and it's going to be detailed. Like, that's part of my job as a coach. I learned this when I was real young in age, I really need to go and teach these guys, be clear, clean, concise, and very direct with the players. That's kind of my coaching philosophy."
Aukerman said he is close to finalizing an IDP for core special teamer Mike Ford, a player he believes he can rely on moving forward.
"I want to make sure that the objective is very clear to them, everything is going to be clean, and then also be direct, and ask them direct questions to see if I know that they know what the answer is, and more importantly, does their teammate, do they feel confident when a certain player will answer a question correctly."
