FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Once Nate Ollie opens his meetings, doors across the Atlanta Falcons' facility close.
Defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro knows his new position coach's volume is to blame for others' interruptions. But it's just who he is. And the man will not be deterred.
"He's loud 24/7," Orhorhoro said.
Ollie certainly is. His voice can be picked out from the sideline of practice. Sometimes even when the linemen drills take place on the far side of the field, or when music blares through speakers. Still, it carries.
The Falcons — coaches and players alike — love him for it.
"Nate Ollie is a walking ball of energy," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "The minute you meet him, the minute you interview him, the minute you do anything with him, he is always going to be a certain form of energy, and that comes with a belief in what he's teaching."
What he's teaching – and constantly preaching – is the attack-style front this staff is implementing in order to improve the Falcons' pass rush, which ranked 31st in sacks in 2024 and ranks 32nd in sacks since 2018. The concept is self-explanatory in that all four players up front along the line of scrimmage must attack the quarterback as soon as the ball is snapped. It sounds simple, but it is successful. Ollie can attest from experience.
Before joining the Falcons in January, Ollie spent time with four other teams from 2019-24. Three of those years — 2024 with the Houston Texans, 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts and 2020 with the Philadelphia Eagles — saw his unit finish top five in sacks. Two others – 2022 with the Colts and 2019 with the Eagles – finished top 15.
Ollie said all those defenses used the attack-style front.
"It's just exciting to build it from the ground up and see guys flourish," Ollie said. "Man, that excites me."
That excitement can be contagious.
"When you have that high-level belief and that high-level thought process that you can't be beat, because of that, it eventually goes to your players," Morris said. "And eventually what's going to happen with Nate, which happens to all coaches, is that energy goes into your room. Then, you eventually pull off and you watch those guys become a version of you or become your sounding board. I'm seeing it start to happen already with some of the guys up front."
Though contact was prohibited during the Falcons' offseason program, the pace of the pass rush already seemed to have picked up. Rookie edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. were noticeably moving the quarterback off his spot as recently as Wednesday in the final open mandatory minicamp practice. Early feedback is that the freedom the attack-style front breeds has been well-received, too.
Same as Ollie's overall vibe.
"As a D-line, you want a high-energy coach because the D-line is a high-energy position," Orhorhoro said. "You're making contact every play. You might run 40 yards this play. You might run 20 yards this place. So, I feel like if you have somebody that's high energy that can keep it up, it'll be really good for the group."
Ollie's general passion toward football is normally more than enough to fuel his energy. Being with the Falcons has added another layer of enthusiasm thanks to a pre-existing relationship. Ollie couldn't wait to be reunited with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who he worked alongside in 2021 at the New York Jets.
Although the Jets ranked 26th in sacks that year, they picked it up in the three that followed – never dropping below 11th – due to an increase in depth. New York heavily invested in its defense in the 2022 offseason, much like Atlanta has in 2025, and the attack-style front, which requires regular rotation, showed its potential
Ollie knows he didn't invent this approach to pass rush. He doesn't claim otherwise. But he will vocalize his support at the top of his lungs. And no one is trying to quiet him.
"I absolutely hope we play with the energy that Nate coaches with," Morris said. "I pray for that every single night."
