Falcons hire ex-Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator

With the Jets hiring a caller manager soon, Jeff Ulbrich recovered a location he’s acquainted with.

On Saturday, the Falcons hired Ulbrich arsenic their antiaircraft coordinator. He volition regenerate Jimmy Lake, who was fired connected Jan. 11. Atlanta finished 23rd successful the league successful some points (24.9) and yards (345.2) allowed yards per game.

On Monday, Ulbrich interviewed for the Jets’ imperishable manager position. He is 1 of 15 radical who person been interviewed, but Ulbrich was ever a agelong changeable to onshore the job.

“I wanted to convey the Johnson household for the accidental to beryllium the caput manager of the Jets adjacent though it was an interim basis,” Ulbrich said connected Jan. 6. It was a large honor. One of the large honors of my shot career.

“I privation to convey this fanbase. It’s 1 of the large fanbases successful this game; passionate, each in, and I privation I could person done much for them. I privation to convey the coaching unit successful this building, the enactment staff, unbelievable successful a precise trying year, stayed the people and unwavering enactment astatine each times, and past yet privation to convey these players because, astonishing locker country successful the look of existent shot adversity, they stayed together, they stayed the course.”

Ulbrich, 47, returns to Atlanta, wherever helium was a linebackers manager from 2015-19. In 2020, helium was promoted to Falcons adjunct caput manager and aboriginal became the team’s antiaircraft coordinator aft Raheem Morris was named interim manager aft Dan Quinn was fired.

Robert Saleh hired Ulbrich arsenic the Jets’ antiaircraft coordinator successful 2021 aft helium was hired arsenic caput coach. Gang Green ranked past successful yards and points allowed successful Ulbrich’s archetypal twelvemonth arsenic a full-time antiaircraft play-caller. However, from 2022-23, the Jets finished successful the apical 5 successful yards allowed nether Ulbrich’s leadership.

The Jets entered the 2024 play with precocious expectations pursuing Aaron Rodgers’ instrumentality from a season-ending Achilles injury. However, the squad got disconnected to a 2-3 start, and connected Oct. 8, Jets proprietor Woody Johnson fired Saleh and made Ulbrich the interim manager for the remainder of the season.

Johnson fired Saleh due to the fact that helium felt similar the Jets were underachieving. But the Jets didn’t person overmuch occurrence nether Ulbrich, losing 9 of their past 12 games to decorativeness the play 5-12.

In addition, the Jets’ defence slipped aft Ulbrich maintained his duties arsenic antiaircraft coordinator and interim caput coach. The Jets defence ranked 3rd wide successful yards allowed (313.8) this season, but they finished 20th successful points allowed (23.8), which was worse than the erstwhile play (20.9).

Following a 40-14 nonaccomplishment to the Bills connected Dec. 29, Ulbrich was asked to measure Rodgers‘ performance, and helium was distracted coaching up the defense.

“Honestly, I didn’t get to spot a full batch of the offense,” Ulbrich said. “I was doing a batch of antiaircraft adjustments, particularly that archetypal fractional and a bully portion of that 3rd quarter. So, we’ll spot erstwhile I get a bully look astatine the tape.”

Ulbrich besides made questionable crippled absorption decisions astatine times. Gang Green mislaid six games successful which it led successful the 4th quarter. The Jets besides led the league successful penalties committed successful 2024 (137).

“There’s a batch of things, and arsenic I truly bespeak connected this, I’ll truly beryllium capable to enactment them connected insubstantial and specify them,” Ulbrich said. “I’ve go precise convicted successful immoderate of the things that I truly believed successful that got reinforced, wherefore they’re important and proceed to be.

“They request to beryllium important, but astatine the aforesaid clip there’s things that I request to amended on, and there’s things that I got to instrumentality a captious look astatine myself and find the spaces wherever I tin amended those, I’m acold from perfect, and I’m excited astir that accidental to really, with a fine-tooth comb measure each determination and everything I did successful the past immoderate it’s been, 10, 11 weeks.”