Why Falcons’ pass rush is ‘special’ with low blitz, high pressure rate

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jeff Ulbrich promises the Falcons’ front seven isn’t devoid of special players capable of winning one-on-ones. But in a league where elite defensive lines are either loaded with superstars or built more on a group that works well together, the Falcons’ defensive coordinator feels his unit aligns with the latter.

And that’s quite fine with Ulbrich, who’s picked up a new slogan: Do your job, plus one. His players have embraced it better — and perhaps faster, with a 11-man group consisting of seven newcomers and four members who weren’t on the team to open training camp — than he could’ve imagined.

“We’ve got a group of guys that want to rush together, which in this day and age is fairly unique,” Ulbrich said Tuesday. “I know that sounds crazy. Like, four rushing as one, it’s hard to find that on teams nowadays, because you have so many guys out there across the league that are mercenary mindsets. They’re out there to get their sacks, their production, their pass rush.

“And they’re not necessarily worried about creating for the man next to them, about running games with cohesion as one, creating for you, you create for me. We have that type of group — four guys that are completely unselfish, that want the guy next to them to win just as much as they want to win.”

Entering a “Thursday Night Football” bout against the Packers, the Falcons’ defense has created pressure on 41.5% of its pass-rushing snaps this season, seventh-best in the NFL. How good has the team’s defensive line been? Ulbrich blitzed at the league’s second-highest rate last season. Through two games, he’s at a 19.5% blitz rate, the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Falcons have brought four or fewer pass rushers on 80.5% of passing plays, the second-highest rate in the league, and they’ve created pressure on 43.1% of those snaps, the third-best mark in the league on four-man rushes.

Ulbrich’s mentality is to let his front provide pressure. He’s a firm believer that players win championships. Coaches must be competent and put players in the right places to be successful, but the players dictate outcomes. Great defenses, Ulbrich said, are run by the players, and they become even more powerful when they recognize they’re doing it.

He doesn’t want to be an all-controlling puppet master. He doesn’t want to put himself in the game. He will when he has to, particularly with simulated pressures.

But the Falcons’ defensive line hasn’t given him the urge to bring additional bodies very often this fall.

“We always go into a game with bullets,” Ulbrich said of blitzing, “but if I feel the rush humming, I’m not messing with it. I’m going to let the cover guys cover and I’m going to let the rush guys rush. I’ve been happy with it.”

The Falcons have four sacks this season, and 2½ belong to veteran outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and outside linebackers Samson Ebukam and Cameron Thomas have a half-sack apiece. Third-year defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus has six pressures.

Dexter, in particular, has been a difference-maker. Acquired Aug. 30 in a trade with the Bears, Dexter has 10 quarterback pressures, tied for the second-most in the NFL among interior defensive line, according to Next Gen Stats. He has a 25.5% pass rush win rate, the second-highest mark in the NFL among defensive tackles with at least 10 snaps, per Sumer Sports.

The Falcons have a league-leading 23 quarterback pressures from their interior defensive line.

Dexter attributed the group’s success to a blend of talent and coaches putting players in the right spots to capitalize on it. But selflessness, he acknowledged, is also a factor. He credited general manager Ian Cunningham for assembling a collection of like-minded individuals within the room.

Asked how long it takes for a defensive line to truly click, Dexter said the Falcons’ group already has.

“It says a lot about the guys that’s in the room,” Dexter said Tuesday. “Guys looking to make a play, but they’re looking more for their brother to make a play. And when you got guys like that in the room, you can quickly jell.”

Ulbrich said the selflessness the Falcons have adapted is a blend of feeling space and time on task. He saw it up close nearly 20 years ago with the 49ers, where Justin Smith and Aldon Smith had their own unspoken language and knew how to cover for each other, how to create space and how to work together at the highest level.

The Falcons have created a deep group of linemen already in sync despite a lessened bank of time together, which starting linebacker Divine Deablo described as impressive.

“We’ve had a lot of new guys,” Deablo said, “and they’ve done nothing but work really hard, studied the playbook and went out there prepared. So, I appreciate all those guys.”

Deablo added the unit’s selflessness is “rare,” something Ulbrich echoed verbatim as a reason he’s pleased with the Falcons’ pressure-by-committee approach.

“Typically, the guys that are garnering 15 sacks, they’re doing it because there is an element of selfishness to them. And some of that you celebrate, some of that you don’t, obviously,” Ulbrich said. “But we’ve got a group of guys that — I’m not saying we don’t have guys capable of 15 sacks, but we do have a group of guys that want to do this thing together.

“It’s special.”

Ulbrich admitted there were “a lot of unknowns” surrounding the Falcons’ pass rush. He didn’t know if he’d have to blitz at a higher clip or if he could trust his four-man fronts. Before Week 1, he said he’d let the games dictate it.

If the first two weeks are any indication, the Falcons’ defensive line has overachieved. The group, which Dexter said is “super high” on talent and depth, still has room to grow. Ulbrich thinks the unit can play better. He also thinks he can coach better.

There’s no ego, merely a desire to improve.

Now, the Falcons’ defensive front is ready for an encore Thursday night. Ulbrich witnessed a loud, energetic and positive group through meetings and walk-throughs this week. An 0-2 start hasn’t quelled enthusiasm — and if vibes remain high, he thinks production will, too.

“These guys are still all-in,” Ulbrich said. “As long as we keep approaching every day like that, we’ve got a chance to just get better. And in that, I’m going to be happy with the results.”