Jeff Ulbrich has made his bones in the NFL on defense, first as a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers for 10 seasons and now as a defensive coordinator. On Tuesday he added the title of interim head coach of the Jets, replacing Robert Saleh.
The change in leadership comes after consecutive losses that left the Green & White with a 2-3 record ahead of Monday night’s AFC East clash against the visiting Buffalo Bills. Ulbrich, a California native, acknowledged that one of his first orders of business will be a “deep dive” into an offense that has started games slowly, struggled in the run game and has seen veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers under extreme pressure from opposing defenses.
“I have a good relationship with Aaron,” Ulbrich, 47, said. “He is, he’s one of those guys that has … he has just unbelievable experience and he’s seen this game at the highest level for a long time. So he’s a guy with a lot of ideas and really positive feedback about a lot of different things, whether it be meetings, practice, game-planning, scheduling, all of it. So, he will be a vital resource for me in that way, for sure.”
Only a few hours into his new position as the team’s leader, Ulbrich said that all options will be considered when it comes to the offense and that “everything is on the table,” but the one constant is the presence of the four-time NFL MVP.
“I think Aaron’s going to be a part of a lot of conversations,” Ulbrich said. “Obviously, [he] has a lot of insight regarding this offensive system and he’s been a part of it when it’s been operating at the highest level, so responsibilities and roles and all that, we’re going to take a hard look at all the process included. Again, this is four hours ago I was told this, so still processing all this information.”
He added: “I think the biggest thing, and actually, Aaron and I spoke about this earlier today, about there has to be an element of change. The players have to feel that, whether that’s our process, whether that’s scheduling meetings, practice, night before games, whatever that is, there has to be, there has to be a change bigger than just me now assuming the head coaching role. So, we’re going to take a hard look at all that we do and the process in which we get to Monday night and make the changes we think are necessary.”
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