FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich strung together seven beautiful words for the 2025 Atlanta Falcons during his introductory press conference Monday.
"Affecting the quarterback is my top priority," Ulbrich said.
It's something the Falcons struggled to do on a consistent basis in 2024. Never mind the lack of sack production that has spanned seasons.
Atlanta finished second to last in the NFL when it came to sacks, recording 31 total. Only the New England Patriots tallied fewer with 28, and they finished 4-13 compared to the Falcons' 8-9 record.
The Falcons very well could've been last in sacks if it weren't for a late-season turnaround. They had 10 sacks through Week 12, ranking last by seven. They then had 21 from Week 13 on, short of first during that span by three.
While sacks are important, they're not the be-all and end-all of a defense.
"You've got to affect the quarterback in two ways," Ulbrich said. "Either we affect him physically, get him off the spot, sack him, hit him. Or we affect him from the standpoint of a coverage perspective and try to confuse him."
The Falcons were at least putting pressure on quarterbacks in 2024. Their ninth-most 58 hurries prove that. They weren't, however, fully getting to quarterbacks. Their 42 knockdowns tied for 21st.
Outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie was responsible for the most sacks for Atlanta with six. Outside linebacker Matthew Judon posted 5.5. Inside linebacker Kaden Elliss had five. There were 13 players overall who had at least one sack.
"It's not just the men all the time," Ulbrich said. "Sometimes it's the scheme. Sometimes it's the context of the game. There's a lot of things that go into that."
Ulbrich spent the past four seasons with the New York Jets. In the past three years, the Jets were the only team in the NFL to place in the top five of total yards each time. Sack wise, they were tied for 11th in 2024 with 43, seventh in 2023 with 48 and seventh again in 2022 with 45.
The Jets never did better than 7-10 during that span, so that just goes to show Ulbrich can lead a productive defense even when the operation as a whole is playing from behind more often than not.
"You can't thrive in this league from a defensive standpoint," Ulbrich said, "without a good pass rush."
Take a look as new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich arrives at the Atlanta Falcons facility in Flowery Branch.
Photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on his first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Flacons)
Scenes from Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's press conference at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Flacons)
Behind the Scenes photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Flacons)
Photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on his first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Flacons)
Behind the Scenes photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Flacons)
Scenes from Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's press conference at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Flacons)
Behind the Scenes photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Flacons)
Photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on his first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Flacons)
Photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on his first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Flacons)
Scenes from Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's press conference at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Flacons)
Behind the Scenes photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Flacons)
Photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on his first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Flacons)
Photos of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on his first day at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Flacons)
