FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — For nearly six straight years spanning the mid- to late-2010s, Jeff Ulbrich boarded chartered flights bound for opponents' home stadiums. He was the inside linebackers coach during the Dan Quinn era in Atlanta, and — according to Ulbrich, with a smile — Quinn placed him in the back of the plane.
It wasn't all bad back in economy seating, though. More often than not, Ulbrich found himself sitting near franchise quarterback Matt Ryan. Over the years, the defensive coach and starting quarterback developed a close relationship.
"I sat with Matt for six straight years on almost every away game and developed a really cool relationship with him about football, life, family," Ulbrich said, "and everything in between."
Now, Ulbrich and Ryan are connected once again — this time as colleagues in a very different capacity. Ryan is the Falcons' new president of football. General manager Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski report directly to Ryan, who reports to owner Arthur Blank.
When Stefanski was hired, one of his first moves as head coach was retaining Ulbrich as the team's defensive coordinator.
So, after years as seatmates on road trips, Ulbrich and Ryan now have offices down the hall from one another inside the Falcons' facility in Flowery Branch. This is a development Ulbrich spoke highly of during his Wednesday afternoon press conference.
"It's phenomenal," Ulbrich said of Ryan's hire, "because, obviously, he is one of the highest-level character human beings inside or outside of football that I've ever been around."
Everything you want in a leader, Ulbrich said, Ryan embodies.
"Matt is the absolute right human being for that job," Ulbrich explained. "It's been so cool to see him in this role because, does he know what it takes to be a Super Bowl quarterback? For sure, he does. He took us to a Super Bowl when he was an MVP for a season. He's played this game at the highest level. Does he know how to execute a game plan? Absolutely. It's proven over the course of his career. Does he know what being a winner looks like? Absolutely. He knows what that process looks like to create a winner."
Over the course of Ulbrich's career, he has seen former players move into coaching roles or front office positions. He has witnessed some — though not all — of those individuals "pretend as though they know everything."
That, Ulbrich said, is not Ryan.
"He is asking questions right and left," Ulbrich said. "And I can just see him observing and growing."
That willingness to learn, Ulbrich said, gives him hope for what Ryan can accomplish moving forward.
"It's really exciting to think where he's going to take this organization," Ulbrich concluded, "because he's the right guy for the job."
