Through exclusive interviews with Jeff Ulbrich and the Falcons players who embody his message, AtlantaFalcons.com breaks down the foundation of the Heart-Mind-Fist philosophy, which was forged during Ulbrich's 25 years in the NFL.
Born of a player's experience. Driven by a coach's purpose.
This is the third pillar, Fist.
Brandon Dorlus checks each box of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's "Heart. Mind. Fist." philosophy.
He knows his "why" – the Heart. He knows his assignment – the Mind. In the Atlanta Falcons' Week 3 win against the Vikings, he puked and rallied — that's the Fist.
"I got caught in there for like six plays straight," the defensive lineman said. "I was tired. I came to the sidelines. I threw up. Then, I was like, 'All right, I'm ready to go back in there.'"
Dorlus got a quick break to catch his breath, among other things. The offense didn't. Imagine how those across from Dorlus at the line of scrimmage felt without a moment of relief. They're taking on wave after wave.
"It's hitting people, but it's constant," Dorlus said. "How much are you hitting a person? How long can you do it for? Is there any drop-off? Say, if you don't start and you're a backup, when you go in, will it look the same as the starter?"
The Falcons recorded six sacks against the Vikings, tied for their most in a game since 2018. Atlanta surrendered only six points, its fewest in a game since 2020.
Ulbrich's attack-style defense should wear opponents out, just like it did that Sunday.
"It's almost like what the fist does for boxers," safety DeMarcco Hellams said. "They land punches. Just land punch after punch."
This level of physicality is the most obvious part of Fist, which may seem like the most self-explanatory aspect of Ulbrich's philosophy.
However, there are layers within Fist — one for each letter in the word — that build up to the overall goal of a dominant performance.
"This Fist part starts in the offseason," Ulbrich said. "It doesn't just happen on Sundays. You build your body to not only deliver punishment but to withstand it, too. Because it's going to go both ways. Just the nature of the beast."
For that reason, Steven Benjamin, the team's sports registered dietitian, encourages players to begin making improvements to their bodies, whether that be through exercise or nutrition, as soon as the season ends. They really only have until training camp to do so. Because once contact is introduced, the focus turns to damage control and strength maintenance.
Ulbrich knows how important prioritizing health is from his own career. He was a linebacker in the NFL for a decade, playing for the San Francisco 49ers from 2000-09. His history has shaped the way he coaches, especially the basics, which are introduced in the preseason.
"That's where I really think the ex-player in me helps because it's like the way that we teach tackling, for example, our head is up and out," Ulbrich said. "I've been around five million coaches that tell you, 'Put your screws on people.' I'd like to say that I teach tackling, I teach block protection with my hands, I teach a lot of things where I've taken your head out of contact. Because you break your arm, you break your arm. Yeah, I feel bad. But to me, it's the brain. It's close and dear to my heart because it got me retired. Concussions did. So, I'd like to say that we're teaching a brand of violent football that's also as safe as it can be."
There's the expected descriptor for Fist: violent. It covers the final two pieces of the puzzle. Each final piece is external in the sense that they involve others experiencing the impact of the Falcons' defense.
"It goes back to the casual fan," Ulbrich said. "They walk away from this game saying, 'They strain. They play with passion. They feel connected. I don't know what they were doing, but it looked like they were on the same page and they played with violence.' And that's part of it.
"The other part of it – the tangible part of it – is: When our opponent is worried about their safety because we are so violent and they're not worried about what they've been taught on the practice field Monday through Sunday, we got their ass."
So, the Falcons' standard of violence? Fans can see it. Opponents can feel it.
Four games into the season, this mindset is already paying off. The Falcons have allowed an average of 244 yards per game, which are the second fewest in the NFL. It's also the second-lowest average in franchise history.
Through four games last season, the Falcons allowed an average of 336.5 yards per game, which ranked 19th in the league.
While that overall jump in production is encouraging, Fist could more so be correlated with turnovers. Those are the real game-changers.
"The ball is oxygen," Dorlus said. "We need the ball to breathe. If you don't have the ball, we're doing it wrong."
That goes for the defense and offense, and the former can help the latter.
Case in point, 11 of last year's 14 playoff teams had a net-positive turnover difference, meaning the defense had more takeaways than the offense had giveaways. That includes the Super Bowl champion. The Philadelphia Eagles finished sixth in net turnover difference at plus-11, with the defense totaling 26 forced turnovers compared to the offense's 15 giveaways.
The Falcons, meanwhile, tied for 23rd with a negative-six net turnover difference. They had 18 takeaways and 24 giveaways. Atlanta did not make the playoffs.
So far, the Falcons hold a positive-one net turnover difference. There have been six takeaways and five giveaways.
If Atlanta's offense can remain clean as the defense wreaks havoc, that can only bode well for the team's future. Fist helps with half of that equation.
"Imposing your will on the opponent, it can stop a lot of things, help a lot of things," Hellams said. "If someone's scared to do something, or they're scared to block you, it's easier to make a tackle. Or, if they think we're going to come punch the ball out, they're not going to fight for extra yards."
Everybody on the Falcons' defense conditions for non-stop action.
Players strain themselves in practice, so when game time comes around, they're comfortable being uncomfortable. It's their superpower. No matter what happens, they can execute their fundamentals to the best of their individual abilities.
"I grade Fist on intent," Ulbrich said. "I don't grade Fist on the actual byproduct or result of the play. As long as the intent was there. You can see intent. Like you might not be the most explosive, strong guy, so your intent to set this edge, it was right. I saw speed to the point of contact. I saw leverage. I saw hand placement. I saw everything was exactly as we teach it. I saw you trying to be violent."
A coach sees players who have bought in and believe in what they're doing.
It's no longer just Ulbrich's philosophy. It's now theirs, too.
"We're here to inflict pain," Falcons inside linebacker Josh Woods said, "play really violent, aggressive defense and ultimately be feared."
