Why Believe in Falcons Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich? 'Gotten So Much Better'

When now-Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was in his 10th season playing linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers in 2009, his days as a starter had passed -- but he didn't quit, instead helping mature linebacker Patrick Willis into a future Hall of Famer.

Ulbrich hadn't yet entered the coaching ranks, but his mentorship and distribution of knowledge created the persona of a player-coach who aided those around him -- even when they were trying to take his job on the field.

"His whole work ethic rubbed off on me," Willis said at the time.

Ulbrich finished his playing career with 120 appearances, 75 starts, 501 tackles and 32 tackles for loss. He's still honored in San Francisco for playing 10 years with the organization.

Now over 15 years removed from his final NFL snap, Ulbrich is entering a crucial spot in his coaching journey: a return to a former spot, to help a former boss, after a difficult 3-9 stint as the New York Jets' interim head coach to close the 2024 season.

The Falcons hired Ulbrich on Saturday evening to lead their defense in 2025. It marks a reunion for Ulbrich, who was Atlanta's linebackers coach from 2015-20 and doubled as the interim defensive coordinator for the final 11 games of 2020 -- coaching under then-interim, now-head coach Raheem Morris.

And the same traits Ulbrich had then -- and during his playing days -- remain prevalent and beneficial in his approach to coaching.

"He's just like as he was as a player: he's a passionate coach," Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley said last summer. "He loves the guys; he loves his coaches. He loves to try to teach us and put us in the best positions.

"One of the things I appreciate about Coach Brick: he doesn't allow us to just be okay with what we did yesterday. He doesn't want us to be okay with last year's defense. He's always challenging us to take that next step, that next level."

Mosley noted Ulbrich would call out players for not running to the ball as fast in practice, solely because he knows it looks faster in games. Mosley, a five-time team captain, said it didn't matter if it was him or a rookie, because Ulbrich treats every player the same.

It's in large part because the 47-year-old Ulbrich was once in his players' shoes, and he believes coaches can only teach players so much -- peers need to be helpful.

Ulbrich blends both.

"He can talk to you as a coach," former 49ers linebacker and Ulbrich's teammate Takeo Spikes said, via The Athletic, "and then he can also put himself in the player’s position and be able to tell them: This is how you should think about it. I want to hear how you think about it, but this is how you should look at it.

"If it don’t work for you, throw it out. That was his introduction to me. In this defense, this is where it’s supposed to go, this is the ideology about it. That’s what made Jeff so good -- he was able to simplify things and allow you to play fast."

But Ulbrich also isn't stubborn. Jets linebacker Quincy Williams said conversations with Ulbrich are more like a dialogue -- rooted in togetherness.

During his time as defensive coordinator, Ulbrich, before even grabbing the iPad to correct things between drives, asked his Jets players what they saw. To Williams, such openness and player prioritization both during games and in practices stood out.

"The biggest thing is that he listens," Williams said in 2023. "Throughout the week, he asks us how we feel about this, how we feel about that. As far as the calls and stuff like that, most coaches are like, 'This is what we're running. and no matter what the call is, you all play it.'

"When we come to the sidelines, the first thing he asks is, 'What do you guys see out there?'"

For those on the outside of Falcons headquarters, the numbers-based answer is one of uncertainty.

At surface level, the Jets' defense was brilliant under Ulbrich. After finishing last in yards and points allowed in Ulbrich's first season in 2021, New York ranked in the top five of total defense each of the past three seasons, the only team in the NFL to accomplish the feat.

Dating back to 2022, the Jets lead the NFL in total defense (305.7 yards per game) and passing defense (183.5 yards allowed per game), No. 5 in tackles for loss (269), No. 8 in sacks (136) and No. 9 in scoring defense (21.1 points per game), according to Falcons communications.

But New York's defense struggled when Saleh was fired after Week 5. Over the final 13 weeks of the regular season, the Jets' defense ranked third worst in expected points added per play at 0.112.

Ulbrich continued calling plays for the Jets' defense after taking over as head coach, as he did during Saleh's entire tenure. The reason for New York's sudden defensive fall-off could be attributed to many reasons, be it the loss of Saleh, a subsequent effort drop when he was fired or sheer struggles from Ulbrich to balance everything.

But over the summer, when Mosley was aksed about the Ulbrich-Saleh dynamic, he smiled and shook his head, joking Saleh had slowly turned into an offensive coach.

In essence, Ulbrich deserves credit for the Jets' defensive success the past three seasons. His tenure strictly as defensive coordinator and play-caller warrants praise, and Saleh feels Ulbrich has made significant strides since the last time the Falcons employed him.

And so, as Ulbrich prepares to enter an important next chapter of his coaching journey, he'll do so as a different -- but importantly similar -- person.

"He's gotten so much better every single year with the scheme and understanding more and more as he develops as a coordinator," Saleh said in 2023. "He relates well to the guys, he has an unbelievable voice in the locker room, he's got an unbelievable level of trust with the players. The players trust him and love him."

So, why believe in Ulbrich? The Jets had to ask themselves the same question after 2021 -- and their defense reaped the reward in the three years that followed.