FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When asked to describe Jeff Ulbrich, the Atlanta Falcons' new defensive coordinator, the best descriptor safety Jessie Bates III could repeatedly summon was the former position his coach spent a decade playing.
"Linebacker personality."
"Linebacker mentality."
"Linebacker orientated."
After starring at the University of Hawaii as a linebacker, Ulbrich entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers in 2000 and remained with the organization through his final season in 2009. He appeared in 120 games, starting 75, and registered 501 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two interceptions and a safety.
Ulbrich began his coaching career immediately after his playing one ended, spending the 2010-11 seasons as the assistant special teams coach with the Seattle Seahawks. After three seasons at the collegiate level, where he first began coaching his old position, Ulbrich joined the Falcons for the first time as linebackers coach in 2015. During his next six years in Atlanta, Ulbrich also picked up the title of assistant head coach and interim defensive coordinator. From 2021-24, Ulbrich was the New York Jets' defensive coordinator and spent 12 games as interim head coach in his final season.
"This is my first time, that I can recall off the top of my head, where my DC has been a linebacker at heart, a guy that played it and saw it from my shoes," said Falcons inside linebacker Kaden Elliss. "I'm really excited about it."
Elliss, who joined the NFL in 2019, is correct. None of his previous defensive coordinators were linebackers at any level. Jimmy Lake (Falcons, 2024), Kris Richard (New Orleans Saints, 2022) and Dennis Allen (Saints, 2019-21) were all defensive backs. Ryan Nielsen (Falcons, 2023; Saints, 2022) was a defensive lineman.
With that in mind, Elliss has noticed an early difference, one that he appreciates.
"When you're game-planning a team, sometimes the onus has to get put on a position group," he said. "I think, in my very biased eyes, that when defensive coordinators are D-line or DBs, they kind of gear things and put the tough jobs on the linebackers a little bit. I can already tell Brich is going to look out for us and make sure I don't (cover) Justin Jefferson alone, you know what I mean? Those types of scenarios."
The manner in which Ulbrich coaches also evokes the position he spent a decade playing. For Elliss, it's his attention to detail. For Bates, it's because he's so demanding. Those traits are ones good NFL linebackers often possess.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who was a defensive back in college, sees it. Though, Morris added another adjective into the mix: intentional.
"When he coaches, he has a real intentionality on what he's coaching that day and what he wants to do and what he wants to get accomplished," Morris said. "He's not afraid to say it. He speaks with a high level of clarity to the guys. …
"That's what that kind of room is like. It's almost like being in a quarterback room. It's a really intentional day for quarterbacks every day. For wideouts, I might just go catch the rock. But it's really intentional for those guys every single day."
And that intentionality has led to a productive offseason with the defensive install. It has been a slow and steady process which has put the defense in a good position ahead of the Falcons' five-week break before training camp begins in late July.
"I love it," Bates said. "The meetings are unbelievable. The way that he's teaching the positions, teaching our defense, to not just understand your job but get a whole understanding of how we are trying to attack as a defense. I think that will go a very long way when you can play four different coverages, and it all looks the same."
Especially when Ulbrich is checking whether his players are actually paying attention and absorbing the information.
"Even in the meeting room, people are a little on edge at times," Falcons inside linebacker JD Bertrand said. "Like, he does a good job of cold calling people and making sure people are always on their Ps and Qs. So, I think there's that side, but there's also a side that he understands the game and he understands linebacker responsibilities, so he's able to very much emphasize and verbalize from a linebacker perspective how to play each different role."
Clearly, Bates isn't the only player -- or even coach -- who has noticed Ulbrich's tendency to pull from his past. Bates was just one of the first to point it out publicly.
The label was never meant in a bad way. In fact, quite the opposite.
"That's the type of linebacker that I would love to play with," Bates said. "He's holding everybody accountable to that standard."
