The Falcoholic
Throughout the 2025 NFL season, SB Nation’s Doug Farrar will write about the game’s Secret Superstars — those players whose performances might slip under the radar for whatever reasons. In this installment, it’s time to recognize the Atlanta Falcons’ No. 1 defense, and linebacker Divine Deablo’s place in it, because it’s a perfect mix of player, coach, and scheme.
In 1977, the Atlanta Falcons put together one of the greatest defenses in NFL history. And if you’re not an old-school fan or eminent historian, you may not even know about it. The Grits Blitz, led by defensive coach Jerry Glanville, set the all-time pro football record by allowing just 129 points in a 14-game season, and while the Denver Broncos’ Orange Crush and Dallas Cowboys’ Doomsday defenses took those two teams to Super Bowl XII at the end of the season, what the Falcons had was the equal of any defense that year — or any other. Sadly, that great defense didn’t see the playoffs at 7-7, because it’s so hard to win consistently when your offense averages 12.9 points per game that it may not matter how awesome your defense is.
There may be a new Grits Blitz attack in Atlanta these days. The 2025 Falcons defense, designed by head coach Raheem Morris and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, just tamed the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football in a 24-14 win that took them to 3-2 on the season. This Falcons defense currently ranks first in the NFL in Defensive DVOA by a fairly wide margin — one season after ranking 29th under Morris and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake.
Ulbrich, who coached Atlanta’s defense in 2020 when Dan Quinn was fired after an 0-5 start and Morris was elevated to head coach from his former DC position, had a bit of a rocky start in his return in 2025, but things have been sailing along quite nicely since then. Ulbrich picked up some ideas during his time with the New York Jets in the interim, and this led to the signing of former Las Vegas Raiders defensive back Divine Deablo — and Deablo’s subsequent switch to linebacker. Deablo was a decent box safety/linebacker hybrid and occasional blitzer in four years with the Raiders, but the changes of scenery and position have done wonders. Now, Deablo is the true epicenter of this underground, underrated defense. While fellow linebacker Kaden Elliss is raising all kinds of hell as more of a pass-rusher, Deablo holds things down in the middle.
This season, Deablo has 20 solo tackles, 13 stops, six quarterback hurries, and in coverage, he’s allowed four catches on seven targets for 40 yards, 26 yards after the catch, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 73.5. Against the Bills, he was equally devastating when blowing up run plays or dropping into coverage.
Ulbrich wanted Deablo on this defense to fill a role that has become more and more important in today’s NFL.
“It’s a profile,” Ulbrich said last...
