Then there was the issue of third down. While the Jets offense faced an average down-and-distance of third-and-4.7 yards — a good thing for OC Nathaniel Hackett’s crew — the defense was allowing the 49ers an average of third-and-4.5 yards — not so good for Brick’s blood pressure.
“If you’re living in third-and-2-to-6, third-and-2-to-5, that’s kind of where we were living,” he said. “It’s hard to get home in those windows. The ball is coming out so quickly, especially against San Francisco with such a timing thrower in [Brock] Purdy. We just did not get the opportunity to really let our guys get in track stances and jump off the ball. And to do that, you’ve got to win on first down and second down, you’ve got to stop the run. Like Quinnen [Williams] said, you’ve got to earn the right to rush this passer. We did not do that.”
Ulbrich also had some praise for his frequently praiseworthy D. Individually, he gave positive marks for such matchups as Sauce Gardner when he traveled with WR Brandon Aiyuk, limited to two catches for 28 yards — not unexpected from the two-time All-Pro CB — and Jermaine Johnson winning his share of battles with LT Trent Williams, who the DC said is “one of the best that’s ever done it at left tackle — ever.”
But his big tribute was to the defense as a whole, which had a specific reaction to the realization that they were not playing up to their standard, Niners or not.
“It’s just like anything in life when it’s not going your way. It’s frustration and a little bit of anger,” Ulbrich said. “At the same time, I was happy about the demeanor of the group. A lot of groups going through that, especially a group that’s not accustomed to that happening to them, can go sideways and you can get finger-pointing and a whole lot of bad body language. You can get guys turning on each other.
“None of that occurred. The group stayed together. It was a good session on Wednesday morning when we watched it, and guys acknowledged it, they stood up and took it, coaches and players alike. And because of that, we’ve got a real good opportunity to grow from that.”