As Jeff Ulbrich enters his fourth season as the Jets' defensive coordinator, his standard for the unit defense continues to rise.
"That we find a way to win every single week," Ulbrich said. "That's what it is, and we're the reason that we win. We put that on our backs. That's bigger than stats, that's bigger than analytics, that's bigger than all that. We find a way to win every week."
When Ulbrich joined the Green & White in 2021, the Jets' defense ranked 32nd in total yards per game allowed. In the last two years, the group has ranked in the top 5 in that category. But Ulbrich thinks one key component is missing.
"To be a great defense, elite defense, historic defense, you have to take the ball away," Ulbrich said, stressing interceptions. "Ultimately that changes games, it wins games and wins championships. The ability to take the ball off people is a huge emphasis from the very beginning of OTAs, minicamps, the whole thing. That's obviously the guys catching the ball, the DBs executing on the back end and a big part of that is our rush affecting quarterbacks as well. It all goes hand in hand."
The Jets defense had 17 interceptions last season, but made up for it in other categories. The group combined for 48 sacks, 168 QB pressures and 99 tackles for loss. Ulbrich believes having the defensive line go against future Hall of Famer LT Tyron Smith in camp will increase their level of disruption this year.
"You can't even put that into words, can't articulate what that means," Ulbrich said. "Obviously, I've spent a lot of time with Dan Quinn and he would always rave about just how much better [Smith] made the entire group. Not just the reps on the field, but the stuff in the locker room. Just the feedback and the consistent feedback from a future Hall of Famer is priceless. It's going to be a big reason that all of our defensive ends become that much better."
Last season, the Jets offense ranked 29th in scoring percentage (the percentage of drives ending in a score). This year, with the addition of a healthy four-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers, Ulbrich has considered how playing with a lead would add to success on defense.
"It's an exciting idea for sure and we've got guys that can take advantage of that," he said. "We've played in a lot of tight games the last couple years. To have the opportunity to play with substantial leads and let our dogs just absolutely eat is exciting."
