It seems the unfriendly interactions were confined to the trenches, as noted by wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, who was just fine not getting involved.
“I laugh only because when it happened, I told the DBs, ‘As long as y’all don’t jump in, y’all good. We’ll spare y’all. Just don’t jump in,’ ” he said. “Other than that, we let the big boys tussle it out.”
Though said tussle went beyond what Ulbrich was comfortable with, Pearce is clearly bringing an edge off the edge in his training camp debut.
For an Atlanta defense looking to improve on a No. 23 ranking in points and yards allowed in 2024, having a first-rounder infuse some aggression and attitude into the mix isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Ulbrich wants some pugnacity, but he wants his guys going right up to the line and not crossing it.
“I think celebrating the guys that take it right there and push it as far as that violence and urgency and intensity, but don’t go past the line,” Ulbrich said. “Don’t throw the punch. Don’t retaliate. The more we can take it there and not retaliate and celebrate it, I think that’s when you create that style of play.”