Jeff Ulbrich is the new man in charge of the defense and he made it known early that the Falcons are going to be more physical. That showed in day two of training camp.
The Atlanta Falcons had one clear goal during the draft back in April: improve the defensive side of the ball. Jeff Ulbrich was hired prior to the draft, and the team wasted no time targeting pass rushers — an area they struggled with last season.
“Raheem Morris says he was tired of getting grilled for the lack of a pass rush for the Falcons, and they were intentional about fixing that this offseason,” Will McFadden wrote. "That's got to change, and the only way to change that is to change that."
Jalon Walker was the Falcons’ first pick in the first round, and the team plans to use him in multiple roles. However, Ulbrich already has a clear vision for where he wants Walker to start out.
“On first and second down, I want, especially Jalon, to really have an opportunity to just master playing on the edge because I think that there’s something there that’s really special,” Ulbrich said. “Give him an opportunity just to have one home initially and become as good as he can at that. Then, from a third-down perspective, we can get creative with him, and that’ll be part of his superpower.”
When Ulbrich was brought in, he emphasized that the Falcons' defense would be more physical, faster, and play with greater intensity. After a down year on that side of the ball, that message was welcomed — and on Saturday, the defense showed early signs of fully buying into his philosophy.
“What stood out most was how aggressive the defense seemed to be. They forced 3 punch outs today as that seems to be an emphasis from DC Jeff Ulbrich,” Falcoholic’s Adnan Ikic wrote.
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This is a promising sign for a defense that appears to be in attack mode already. While it's a small sample size, the early signs are encouraging. If this aggressive, turnover-focused style becomes a daily standard, it could make a real difference. No offense in the league complains when their defense is forcing takeaways — and this might just be one of the most exciting early takeaways from Falcons training camp.
Category: Football