A familiar face is heading back to the Falcons’ sideline.
The Atlanta Falcons have concluded their search for a new defensive coordinator and landed on a familiar face, former positions coach Jeff Ulbrich. Raheem Morris has always leaned heavily on his former relationships, and to the surprise of few, he prioritized that during this process.
To say that Ulbrich was one of the least inspiring candidates for the job would be an understatement. The former interim head coach and defensive coordinator for the New York Jets has limited play-calling experience and was a part of a Jets defense oozing with talent that regressed year after year under the tutelage of Ulbrich and Robert Saleh. It’s the Jimmy Lake hire with extra steps.
Morris made a point at the end of the year presser to stress that he understands his words mean little and that his actions will have to do the talking for him. The firing of Lake was celebrated as a moment of personal growth for Morris; the hiring of Ulbrich reveals that nothing about the man’s process has changed fundamentally. However, the belief that it ever was changing is really the fault of the viewer. Morris is who he is, unapologetically, and he always will be. There is something admirable and inspiring about that quality; it’s why he’s been such a successful coordinator and positions coach, but it’s also why he’s struggled as the man in charge. Ulbrich is here to fulfill Morris’s own self-beliefs, and that’s not why you should hire people.
At the end of the day, no hire will suddenly make the Falcons good at acquiring defensive talent, but this hire will make it harder to get the most out of any talent that comes through. No one loves working with thin margins more than the Atlanta Falcons. Their addiction to threading the needle is unlike any other, and their refusal to grow as a franchise would make any multi-divorced individual proud.
The 2025 Atlanta Falcons will now be led by two men who were part of the disastrous flameout of the Quinn era. This team never truly believes it’s wrong. Destiny and circumstance take the blame for erratic decision-making, a refusal to learn, and a lack of football knowledge.
This is going to be the set-up for an epic joke or an epic victory, and the Falcons wouldn’t have it any other way.