The Falcoholic
The last time the Falcons were considered to have a respectable pass rush was in 2017. They finished 13th in the league in sacks with 39. With a coalescence of rising young talent and stout veterans, it was a group built to compete in the trenches against the best. Grady Jarrett, Vic Beasley, and Takk McKinley provided the juice to produce drive-ending stops. Dontari Poe, Adrian Clayborn, Brooks Reed, Derrick Shelby, Ahtyba Rubin, and Courtney Upshaw solidified the rotation with power and discipline to knock offensive lines backwards. It was a fascinating group that helped lift the offense up during setbacks to get the Falcons back into the playoffs.
They haven’t come close to having that amount of talent on the defensive line since, which is one of the primary reasons why they haven’t made the playoffs since. Raheem Morris was on that staff as a wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. He knows how crucial it is to be well-equipped on the defensive line. He witnessed what can happen when you aren’t between the end of the Dan Quinn-Thomas Dimitroff era and last season, where the defensive line had eight players who were 28 years old or older.
A sluggish front with declining players is a recipe for disaster. It cost the Falcons last season, leading to an offseason where a total revamp was required. Led by the returning Jeff Ulbrich, a full commitment was needed to acquire pass rushers and develop young talent. They couldn’t rely on one established edge rusher or attempt to see if some mid-round pick can emerge to be the focal point.
It was time to do everything possible for quarterbacks to feel uneasy standing in the pocket when facing Atlanta. While the approach was costly, the Falcons have hit the 50-sack total for only the second time in franchise history. Here is how they accomplished such a massive feat, which felt impossible to attain for years.
The defensive coaching staff has implemented an aggressive philosophy to elevate young players, while devising overwhelming blitz designs and using simulated pressures. There is a clear plan to develop each player and maximize their respective skill sets. It must be acknowledged how influential some of the game plans have been in certain games in bringing out the best in a group without a true dominant pass-rushing force yet. Whether it’s never allowing Josh Allen to get comfortable or forcing Drake Maye to panic in the pocket, the Falcons have rattled some of the top quarterbacks in the league.
Unleashing Kaden Elliss with a more concerted plan has given them a greater platform to create mismatches and have opposing signal callers guessing. While Elliss shone as a blitzer last year, it mostly came from blitzing through the A or B gap. Ulbrich has moved him around the line of scrimmage on twists to cause chaos with different edge rushers or interior tackles.
Elliss is an incredibly savvy player with a high football...
