It
’s a time for new beginnings for Morgan Hill’s Jeff Ulbrich.
Last Saturday, the sixth-year San Francisco 49er linebacker and his
team began a new era under the guidance of new head coach Mike
Nolan and defensive coordinator Mike Singletary by beating their
cross-bay rivals, the Oakland Raiders,
20-17 in the team’s preseason opener. Then, the next day,
Ulbrich and his wife Cristina welcomed the latest addition to their
burgeoning family, a 7-pound, 4-ounce baby boy named Jace.
It’s a time for new beginnings for Morgan Hill’s Jeff Ulbrich. Last Saturday, the sixth-year San Francisco 49er linebacker and his team began a new era under the guidance of new head coach Mike Nolan and defensive coordinator Mike Singletary by beating their cross-bay rivals, the Oakland Raiders, 20-17 in the team’s preseason opener. Then, the next day, Ulbrich and his wife Cristina welcomed the latest addition to their burgeoning family, a 7-pound, 4-ounce baby boy named Jace.
While the 49ers and No. 1 overall draft choice – the $56 million kid quarterback Alex Smith – struggled early before veteran QB Tim Rattay led a late rally for the victory, Cristina’s performance was brilliant from start to finish. According to Ulbrich, the birth of his third child went off without a hitch.
“Everything went great,” he said. “She’s a good baby-maker.”
It doesn’t get much better than that for the Live Oak High grad and former Gavilan College standout.
These are heady days for the 28-year-old Ulbrich, who is even more enthusiastic than usual about the 49ers’ new attitude and approach.
After last season’s debacle, during which the 49ers compiled a 2-14 record under Dennis Erickson and Ulbrich was one of the lone bright spots on an injury-plagued defense that allowed a near-record 452 points, Nolan’s energetic drive is like a stiff breeze in the franchise’s sails, according to the 6-foot, 249-pounder.
“There’s definitely a sense of urgency,” he said. “Everyone is proving themselves all over again. There’s a whole new tempo. Without getting into last year – I enjoyed playing for them, too – (Nolan’s) well-suited to a team of our nature, a young team. He’s disciplined and he has a lot of energy.”
Two major changes have Ulbrich especially excited about the potential for improvement on the defensive side of the ball.
First, under Nolan the 49ers have made a commitment to the base 3-4 defense after merely flirting with it last season. The configuration allows the defense to feature its strong suit – the linebacker corp that includes Ulbrich, All-Pro Julian Peterson (healthy again after missing a chunk of last season due to injury), Derek Smith and Jamie Winborn.
“I was encouraged (against the Raiders),” Ulbrich said. “It’s a starting point. It was a big improvement over last year’s attempt to change to the 3-4 (which lasted just through the third preseason game).”
And, Ulbrich said Hall of Fame middle linebacker Singletary is instilling the same wide-eyed intensity that he made famous with the Chicago Bears in the entire Niners unit.
“(Singletary is) probably the best thing to ever happen in my career. I’m learning something new every day. We see those eyes on a daily basis. He’s very emotionally invested in this (team).”
During his football career, Ulbrich has been blessed with outstanding coaches, going all the way back to Live Oak High and then-head coach Norm Dow, and assistant coaches Glen Webb and Rick Booth. That trio helped Ulbrich become an all-league player, then move on to a standout collegiate career – first at Gavilan and then at Hawaii. (Ulbrich was drafted out of Hawaii in the third round of the 2000 draft by the 49ers.)
And, Ulbrich hasn’t forgotten his roots. He still lives in Morgan Hill and spends the bulk of his time in the offseason around town. For three years, Ulbrich spent time working out with the Live Oak High football team. Though he didn’t join the Acorn program this summer, he did spend extensive time working out with the San Jose State football team, courtesy of a pair of his former coaches – new Spartan head coach Dick Tomey, whom he met through the 49ers, and Tom Williams, his linebackers coach at Hawaii.
Once 49ers training camp began in late July, though, Ulbrich’s focus has been entirely on the team’s upcoming season.
“I’m just excited about a fresh start. I’m looking forward to putting last year behind us.”
San Francisco continues its preseason schedule by playing the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field on Saturday at 6pm. The 49ers play their regular season opener against the St. Louis Rams at Monster Park in San Francisco on Sept. 11.
