The Falcoholic
Only this college football Saturday stands between us and the return of Atlanta Falcons football this Sunday. Folks, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
My day job responsibilities are too demanding for me to cover the Falcons in person every day there’s media availability, and Thursday’s generally the day I have the fewest meetings, so it’s easier for me to get up to Flowery Branch. One opportunity that affords me is the chance to check the vibes each week. And my friends, the vibes in Flowery Branch are quite good.
I’ve been credentialed with the Falcons for about a decade now, so I’ve had a lot of opportunities to observe the vibes in good times and bad. Remember how magical it was to open the season with five straight wins in Dan Quinn’s first season as head coach? The vibes were impeccable. Remember that six-game losing skid that followed that five-game winning streak? The vibes were extremely not good. You get the idea.
Here’s a vibe check on the defense, offense, and special teams heading into Week 1.
Media members keep asking players and coaches during minicamp and training camp what’s different about this team this season. I do think bringing back Jeff Ulbrich has injected a lot of energy on the defensive side of the ball. Players really respect him and trust his judgment, and they’ve bought into his aggressive philosophy of “heart, mind, fist.”
“You’ve got someone who’s played in the league at a high level for 10 years, so it’s a little different when you’ve got somebody that’s been in your seat,” Jessie Bates III, arguably the best safety in the NFL, said on Thursday. “I think the teaching is a little bit different with Brich and just his presence, man — that’s one thing I’ve been really impressed with, is the person that he is and the way that he’s explaining our style of play. He lives by it. That’s what he does day by day.”
As far as that “heart, mind, fist” mantra of Ulbrich’s, Bates pointed to the Jets defensive success under Ulbrich’s leadership.
“They embraced it so much, so it’s a reason why they were top 5 defense over there for the last, what, three years?” Bates said. “I really think that he emphasizes the connection, and playing for one another is way more deep than any type of scheme, any type of coverage. I think that’s what really separates good defenses and great defenses, when you’re able to make it your own.”
Another unknown heading into Sunday is what to expect from Atlanta’s rookie starters on defense. But Ulbrich’s looking forward to it.
“It’s exciting. Yeah, it’s exciting for for them. It’s exciting for the guys that are also going to play,” Ulbrich said.
With the team’s plans for rotation, there will be less pressure on rookies, and more opportunities to coach them up on the sideline.
“What you guys will find...
