The Falcons have not been able to rely on their defense in over a decade, with the pass rush consistently among the NFL’s worst. Nothing has changed in years; it’s the same song and dance every offseason: How does Atlanta improve the defense, particularly the pass rush?
Since 2020, the Falcons have had five defensive coordinators, if you count Jeff Ulbrich‘s promotion following Dan Quinn’s firing. None of them have had much success in turning around Atlanta’s defense, other than Ryan Nielsen, who oversaw an average defense with below-average talent.
Now, with Ulbrich back in the fold, expectations shouldn’t be raised all of a sudden because of one simple fact — the Falcons just don’t have the Jimmys and Joes. X’s and O’s are important, but talent is what makes defenses great. At the very least, Ulbrich realizes that, telling reporters in his first press conference since being hired, players are more important than scheme.
“All the scheme in the world is great, but the players make the scheme to life. Always have. Always will,” Ulbrich said, via Terrin Waack on X/Twitter.Â
Somehow, the Falcons had three All-Pros in the secondary — A.J. Terrell, Jessie Bates, and Justin Simmons — and had miscommunication issues in the last game of the season. That’s a coaching issue. Quite frankly, it was embarrassing. It’s not like the Falcons had bums in the secondary, or that it was early in the season.
Of course, the root of the problem isn’t coaching. Should Ulbrich be an upgrade over Jimmy Lake? It’s probably safe to assume that’ll be the case, but until the Falcons improve the talent on that side of the ball, it’ll be a liability. Thankfully, Ulbrich realizes that too. Drafting and developing defensive players has to be the Falcons top priority moving forward.
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Photographer: Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire
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