Jeff Ulbrich Won't Be a 'Yes' Man for Atlanta Falcons

If Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is going to coach himself out of a real pickle, he's going to do so surrounded by some old friends and confidantes.

The NFL's somewhat long and winding road has led him back to the door of his trusted old friend in Jeff Ulbrich to help coach up his disjointed defensive unit.

Certainly the common ground between Morris and Ulbrich is something which could bear fruit, but accusations have been strongly levied that the Falcons need substantially more than just milking the old pals network.

On that key note, you might have thought that the interview process between the pair might have consisted of enjoying a burger and a beer whilst chewing the fat.

The overall vibe might have been a little more relaxed, but it was Ulbrich who lifted the lid on the more business-like construction of the confab the duo shared prior to him landing the defensive coordinator job in Atlanta.

"It's funny because Raheem and I have a very close relationship, but I love the fact that we turned this interview into a very official interview where it wasn't just Rah and myself just chopping it up like buddies," Ulbrich said at Monday’s press conference.

In fairness, Ulbrich is a far different coach now than he was before; he knows deep down that the NFL is a business where the lights remain permanently switched on.

So without much element of doubt, his three-year stint as the defensive coordinator before becoming interim head coach with the New York Jets has changed Ulbrich in a great deal of ways. It's embedded in Ulbrich what being at the top of the food chain really feels like, the respect given and given back has seismically changed his entire outlook.

Furthermore, just hearing back what you want to hear isn't going to mount up to a hill of beans in a league which has a nasty habit of eating you alive. Ulbrich doesn’t being Morris’s yes man after learning what it was like being the head coach for even a short period.

"It was like I felt the shift, and the way people talked to me and treated me, and what they said to me and the lack of truth sometimes was really detrimental," Ulbrich said. “So, it reinforced the idea that Rah is going to need me in that way to make sure that I'm always telling him the truth and maybe eliminating some of the blind spots that he doesn't see."

Finding out the hard way that people will still paddle their own canoe is something many a head coach comes to live with over time. As a direct consequence, having as many eyes as possible on the problems was something Ulbrich might have been lacking in the Big Apple, but he's determined that Morris won't be denied such a powerful coaching arsenal in Atlanta.

At a most basic level, mere survival might have been Ulbrich's more immediate objective when he jumped into the mire of leading the massively dysfunctional Jets organization.

Up and beyond that however, it's also drilled home how he must be flexible in his methods and find ways to make things that work for the personnel you've got, or plan to put in place.

At the elite level especially, absolutely everyone is pouring all over what you're putting together, just laying in wait to pounce on any weaknesses that show up.

"They watch your tape, they learn your rules, and then they beat you ways that you've never been beat before," Ulbrich admitted. "So, because of that, you need more variety in coverage, you need more scheme. And so that's where I've changed completely."

When push comes to shove, the truth is Ulbrich will have to take all he's now gleaned and become a master problem solver in a hurry. After we've boiled down the bones of his first presser, you can't help but draw the conclusion that he's going to need to assemble an intelligent group of players if his grand scheme is going to find some traction.

Above everything else, the Falcons defense simply didn't get enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks to help facilitate a winning season, and Ulbrich knows that particular deficiency will have to change.

"You can't thrive in this league from a defensive perspective without a good pass rush," Ulbrich conceded.

Quite clearly ideologies match and blend between the coaching duo of Morris and Ulbrich, it brought them back together after all. Unquestionably, that will help smooth the path toward a cohesive working relationship, and hopefully in short order.

Having said that, the wins will have to come in Atlanta. Falcons fans got a look at the Morris/Ulbrich combo in 2020, and patience may be in short order in 2025.