Falcons New Assistant Fires Strong Message to Set New High Standard

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich have the biggest responsibilities for turning around the team's defense this season. But that doesn't mean position coaches won't also play a significant role.

That includes even the newest voices.

Nate Ollie is not only in his first season with the Falcons but 2025 will be the first time he's an NFL defensive line coach, not "an assistant" defensive line coach. Despite that, Ollie isn't simply dipping his toes into his new role.

Ollie made clear to the media this week he's establishing a physical tone at the team's offseason workouts.

“Everything that, it’s like we’re trying to be like Mike Tyson and throw haymakers,” Ollie said Tuesday, via The AJC's Ken Sugiata. “We’re getting off the ball, attacking, throwing haymakers.

"No jabs. It’s all haymakers — that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Honestly, the quote is a breath of fresh air for the Falcons. Not that Atlanta's defense has been soft in recent years, it just hasn't been very good.

Time will tell if any of general manager Terry Fontenot's defensive draft picks will work. In the meantime, though, the Falcons defensive front can be more physical than the opposition.

That kind of mentality generally helps a lot against the run. That wasn't the Atlanta defense's biggest weakness last year, but the unit didn't exactly excel in that area either.

The Falcons finished the 2024 campaign 15th in run defense and 18th in yards allowed per carry.

There's a popular narrative that to win in the "modern" NFL, teams have to be innovative -- score a lot of points, pass for a lot of yards, etc. Playing bully-ball doesn't work anymore.

That isn't necessarily wrong. But bully-ball still works when teams have the right bullies. Just look at how the Philadelphia Eagles beat up the offensive-minded Kansas City Chiefs (who are actually a lot more physical on defense than the average fan realizes).

The top goal for Morris and Ulbrich in 2025 is to get the Falcons back to the postseason. But to achieve that and establish a formula for long-term success, they need to build a culture.

It sounds like Ollie wants physicality to be a big part of that culture.