Even though 49ers linebacker Jeff Ulbrich had been through the full preseason schedule and last week’s season-opener at Arizona, it still wasn’t the big one – a game that means something on the field at San Francisco’s Monster Park.
It was something Ulbrich hadn’t experienced since Week 5 of last season, when despite suffering a tear in his biceps early on, he managed to play the entirety of a 28-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Three days later, he was placed on injury reserve and after some consideration, he underwent surgery to repair the torn muscle.
So to finally take the field again in a regular season game in front of his home fans, which for the first time included his oldest son Jax, meant a whole lot to the Morgan Hill resident and former Live Oak star.
“It was awesome,” Ulbrich said. “Especially, they introduced the defense, so I had the chance to come out here and just revel in the moment.”
When the clock expired on the 49ers’ 20-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams – San Francisco’s first win of the season and third straight win over its NFC West rival – the rest of his teammates gathered on the field to shake hands.
Ulbrich took a different route, walking towards the stands to meet with his wife, Cristina, and Jax, one of his three children.
Much of Ulbrich’s deliberation when deciding to undergo the surgery last year to repair the bicep centered around wanting to be a normal father and play with his children. While in theory, he could’ve bypassed the surgery and continued playing, he would’ve put himself at risk of a serious injury – serious enough to alter his daily life.
Ulbrich described the experience of returning to the field and having his son attend his first game simply as “awesome.”
“I peaked up there and I saw (Jax) without a shirt on,” said Ulbrich, laughing. Ulbrich said Jax didn’t have any words for him, just a big ol’ smile.
Ulbrich’s stat line doesn’t jump out at you – three solo tackles and an assist – but his presence was big for the defense and he helped create one of the game’s key plays.
San Francisco trailed at the half 10-3, but Maurice Hicks returned the opening kick off of the second half 59 yards to the Rams’ 34. Two plays later, running back Frank Gore broke free on a 32-yard touchdown run.
St. Louis was hoping to answer on its ensuing drive, but Ulbrich helped prevent that from happening. He came flying in on a blitz and Rams quarterback Marc Bulger was forced to sidestep his pressure and fell right into the hands of rookie linebacker and first round pick Manny Lawson, who recorded his second sack of the day and one of six sacks by the 49ers on the afternoon.
“They had me blitzing through the A gap and Bulger unfortunately saw me,” Ulbrich said. “And I dished him out to Manny.”
Lawson deflected much of the credit for his break out day to the rest of the defense, which held St. Louis to 3.9 yards per play, compared to the 6.5 yards averaged by San Francisco.
“It wasn’t a good game just for me, it was a good game overall for our defense,” Lawson said.
Overall, the game was a big boost for a team who won only four games last year and is itching to receive a return on the hard work it has been doing.
“That’s a confidence builder,” Ulbrich said. “The first win of the season. It’s a culmination of everything we’ve been working on.”
While it’s early, performances like the 49ers have put up the past two weeks have some asking if a division title is a possibility.
“That is our outstanding goal,” San Francisco Head Coach Mike Nolan said. “Our realistic goal is to make the playoffs.”
With two uneasy performances already turned in by the consensus favorite Seattle Seahawks, there does appear to be a feeling that the division could be wide open.
“I would say anyone can win this division,” Rams’ wide receiver Tory Holt said. “All teams are playing each other fairly well.”
That all begs the question, why not the 49ers? It may seem like a stretch, but anything can happen.
