49er linebacker Jeff Ulbrich growing into one of team
’s leaders
In just his fifth NFL training camp, San Francisco linebacker Jeff Ulbrich is already one of his team’s key veterans. And, with the turnover that seems to affect most NFL teams hitting the 49ers particularly hard in the past few years, the 27-year-old Morgan Hill resident has been vaulted into the position of team leader.
On the San Francisco defense, which has just five regulars with more NFL experience under their belts than Ulbrich, it is he who calls the signals in the huddle. (Only one regular – Bryant Young – has been with the team longer than Ulbrich.)
At 6-0, 249, it is Ulbrich who possesses the versatility, born of his particular combination of speed and strength, to shift from weakside linebacker to the strongside position without missing a beat when linebacker Julian Peterson’s holdout stretched from camp into the preseason schedule.
And, it is he who finds himself in the uniquely veteran position of evaluating and mentoring the 49er rookies.
The Live Oak High and Gavilan College standout has come a long way in a very short time since being drafted in the third round (No. 86 overall) by San Francisco out of Hawaii in 2000.
Not that his fledgling status as a veteran leader has changed his approach the game. In short, he’s still no rah-rah type and he still lets his play speak for itself.
“As far as leadership goes, my stance is I try to lead by example,” Ulbrich said during a conversation at the 49ers training camp in Santa Clara. “If I think the younger players need some advice, I’ll take them aside and talk to them.”
But whatever his approach, Ulbrich’s steady play is clearly one of the 49ers’ best hopes for a solid season heading into the 2004 regular season. He’s coming off a season in which he finished third on the team in tackles with 90 (70 solo) in 14 games, including a career-high 14 against Detroit and former head coach Steve Mariucci. Ulbrich reached double figures in tackles in six games last season, and added two sacks, a fumble recovery and scored a safety.
But this is a whole new season for Ulbrich and the 49er defense, especially considering that former defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr. left to take the head coaching position with Atlanta.
In Mora’s place, the 49ers hired former college assistant coach Willie Jackson.
Ulbrich said the biggest changes under Jackson have been the new terminology and the new coach’s aggressive approach to the game, but he said he wants to see the new coach reacts to live, regular-season NFL play.
“It’s difficult to judge him until we get into a game and see the rhythm of how he calls plays and adjusts to the (opposing) offenses,” Ulbrich said. “I’m excited, though. He’s aggressive, he has that old-school mentality. Jim (Mora Jr.) forced you to learn the base defenses and he wasn’t sold on the big-play philosophy. He wanted the solid play. Willie is going more for the big play. He wants to force the action.”
Despite uncertainty about when, and if, Peterson will join the team soon, along with question marks on the defensive line and backfield, Ulbrich said he believes the 49er defensive unit has what it takes to enjoy a successful season.
“With the personnel on the team this year, we believe we can do our job,” he said. “Obviously, as a team we want to win the Super Bowl. But our mentality is to go out and take care of business.”
Ulbrich said he is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of a pair of rookie defensive players, cornerback Shawntae Spencer and safety Keith Lewis.
Spencer, a second-round pick out of Pittsburgh, has been making “a ton of plays” in camp, Ulbrich said. “He’s always knocking down passes.”
Lewis, a sixth-rounder out of Oregon, has developed a hard-hitting reputation already, Ulbrich said.
“He seems like a tough guy, he’s always hitting someone,” Ulbrich said. “We had to back him off a few times out there (in practice).”
But Ulbrich admits that the loss of so many top-flight players in the offseason — especially on offense, where the 49ers lost quarterback Jeff Garcia, receiver Terrell Owens, running back Garrison Hearst and offensive linemen Derrick Deese and Ron Stone — has left many observers with questions about the team’s potential this season.
“I think there’s a lot of doubters out there,” he said. “But that will just make it much more rewarding when we win. I’m using (the doubters) as motivation.”
Something else that keeps Ulbrich motivated is returning to his roots at Live Oak by working out with Acorn football players during the summer.
“After the season, I work out at the 49ers training facility in the spring and during the summer I want to get a break from the facility,” he said. “I get around those young kids and it really gets me charged up. It reminds me what the game’s all about.”
And, the luxury of playing so close to home is not lost on the local product.
“Beding realistic, it’s tough to stay on one team in this league, but I’ve been blessed,” he said. “Being here, I get a chance to play in front of friends and family. It’s great.”
Coached by then-defensive coordinator Glen Webb, Ulbrich starred in football for three years at Live Oak High, earning team MVP honors his senior year. (He won a league wrestling title at 191 pounds, too.)
In college, he redshirted a season at San Jose State before transferring to Gavilan, where he earned first team all-conference honors and was named the team’s MVP.
At Hawaii, Ulbrich was a two-year starter before being drafted by San Francisco.
Ulbrich lives in Morgan Hill with his wife Cristina and three-year-old daughter Samantha Nicole.
