Over the weekend the Atlanta Falcons announced that they’ve hired former New York Jets’ Defensive Coordinator and interim Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich to be their new Defensive Coordinator. As you probably know by now Ulbrich spent six seasons in Atlanta where he served as the linebackers coach from 2015 to 2019. When Dan Qunn was fired in 2020 and Raheem Morris became the interim Head Coach, Morris made Ulbrich the Assistant Head coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator, and now their former ties to the Falcons have brought them back together again in Atlanta.
Now, there are some Falcons fans that think this is a bad hire and too much of a comfort hire by Raheem Morris because Ulbrich is too familiar with the team, and was here when Raheem was here, but earlier today The Morning Shift explained why this isn’t a bad hire, just a vanilla one.
“It’s the vanilla ice cream. I mean it is what it is. I’m neither excited nor depressed about it, it just is.” Mike Johnson said.
Later on in the show Mike further explained his point by talking about how at this current point in time it’s hard to know whether or not Jeff Ulbrich will do anything to make this defense better.
“I’m not like well this is going to change the game for the Falcons because it’s not, and simply put we don’t know that it is or isn’t. That’s the problem, like where I sit today. I don't feel any different than I did before the Ulbrich hire, he just is.” Mike said.
Mike used the ice cream comparison again saying “It is what it is, it’s still ice cream, you can still dress it up, but I don’t feel any different.”
Beau Morgan added on to Mike’s ice cream comparison by saying this Falcons’ defense is lacking and “needs toppings” and also said “If your guys can’t make the plays it doesn’t matter who is calling them, you need players or toppings”
This Falcons’ defense currently has 13 unrestricted free agents and 3 restricted free agents on it, so Beau is exactly right when he says the defense needs toppings, and the first step to Jeff Ulbrich proving to the team and the fans that he was the right man for the job is making sure the defense keeps the right toppings they already have in cupboard, getting rid of the ones they don’t need, and bringing in the right new toppings, so the current Falcons defense that’s just plain vanilla ice cream can have toppings that will make it the NFL best defensive desert.