The New York Jets promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim head coach after firing head coach Robert Saleh after Week 5. Say what you will about Saleh as New York’s head coach (20-36 in just over three seasons), but his defense was never the main issue.
The issue was the poor quality of quarterback and offensive play over the last four seasons. The best defenses of all time would struggle to drag Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White, and the corpse of Aaron Rodgers to the playoffs, so it’s no surprise Saleh and Ulbrich’s Jets couldn’t either.
Ulbrich has landed in Atlanta as the new defensive coordinator and opened up about things he would have changed from his time as interim head coach in New York.
Jeff Ulbrich Regrets Not Delegating As Interim Head Coach
Ulbrich spoke with Falcons beat reporter Marc Raimondi and regrets not giving up defensive play-calling duties once he was promoted.
“I should have given the defensive coordinator responsibilities to someone else,” said Ulbrich. It’s a fair point given where New York’s defense finished statistically compared to the previous seasons under Saleh.
Ulbrich said he didn't delegate after Robert Saleh got fired this year in New York and took everything on himself. "I should have given the defensive coordinator responsibilities to someone else." #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 27, 2025
The Jets finished the season ranked No. 15 in PFN’s Defense+ rankings with a grade of 75.4 (C). After ranking as a top-five unit in each of the previous two seasons, the Jets regressed significantly after firing Saleh. New York’s defense posted four of its five worst grades of the season from Weeks 14-17 under Ulbrich.
This was a frustrating downturn for a unit that Saleh and Ulbrich had built into a juggernaut. However, the Jets’ defense still has plenty of talent, and now head coach Aaron Glenn and his staff will try to return this to a top-10 unit in a less dysfunctional environment.
Ulbrich must turn his attention to creating a bully in Atlanta, where the defense was abysmal in 2024. The Falcons finished ranked No. 29 in PFN’s Defense+ rankings with a 65.5 (D) grade.
This unit fooled some people with an uncharacteristic late-season surge against weaker competition. From Weeks 13-17, the Falcons had the highest sack rate in the NFL (11.2%), exploiting the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. However, they had the second-lowest sack total (31) for the season.
The unit’s true form was exposed in a season-ending loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons would have been eliminated regardless, thanks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ win, but getting shredded by Bryce Young on their home turf was a fitting way for Atlanta’s defense to end its season.
Beyond the evergreen pass-rush problems, Atlanta was also a poor situational defense. The Falcons ranked 28th in red-zone defense and 31st in third-down defense.
Ulbrich has the chance to correct Atlanta’s defensive problems, but a poor year could put him and head coach Raheem Morris on the hot seat with Atlanta’s playoff drought at seven seasons.