SANTA CLARA
– San Francisco 49er linebacker Jeff Ulbrich took the matter
into his own hands. After backup tight end Brian Jennings beat
Ulbrich deep middle for a long reception late in Tuesday morning’s
practice, Jennings picked up the ball and tossed it to Ulbrich in a
minor form of taunting.
Ulbrich, the ex-Gavilan College Team MVP in 1996, did Jennings
one better. He picked up the pigskin and rifled a direct hit on
Jennings, who kept on jogging, perhaps, feeling that disgression
was the better part of valor.
SANTA CLARA – San Francisco 49er linebacker Jeff Ulbrich took the matter into his own hands. After backup tight end Brian Jennings beat Ulbrich deep middle for a long reception late in Tuesday morning’s practice, Jennings picked up the ball and tossed it to Ulbrich in a minor form of taunting.
Ulbrich, the ex-Gavilan College Team MVP in 1996, did Jennings one better. He picked up the pigskin and rifled a direct hit on Jennings, who kept on jogging, perhaps, feeling that disgression was the better part of valor.
It wasn’t the rub-it-in effort from Jennings which had irked Ulbrich, the Niners starting right inside backer.
“He pushed off,” said Ulbrich with a sly grin. “That wasn’t acceptable.”
The 6-foot, 249-pound Ulbrich is exactly what the 49ers need on the defensive side of the ball – an in-your-face type of player. He’s the kind of player middle linebacker Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds – who played with the 49ers from 1981-84 and was a member of the franchise’s first Super Bowl champ – would be proud of.
On one sequence Tuesday, Ulbrich flew through air to knock away a pass attempt, then immediately collided with a 49er d-back – a mismatch.
Injuries have been an issue with Ulbrich, who, by his own admission, is healthy. That’s a blessing for the Niners. Despite missing the first two regular season games last season due to a knee injury, Ulbrich finished with 84 tackles, fourth on the team. The year before it was an ankle injury which kept Ulbrich out two games, but he still managed 92 tackles, 57 of which were solo. The 92 tackles were good enough for seond on the team.
This season, Ulbrich, the Niners third round pick out of Hawaii in 2000, plans to plug the middle along with fellow inside backers Derek Smith and Jamie Winborn. The talented Winborn is listed second on the depth chart behind Ulbrich, but is fully-recovered from last year’s season-ending knee injury and will get his share of reps.
“We will all play a lot,” said Ulbrich. “Rotating will keep us fresh.”
Ulbrich is feeling confident about the Niner ‘D’ thus far.
“The defense is going to be the best it has been since I’ve been here,” Ulbrich said. “We’re going to have a breakout season. We’re just going to build on what we accomplished last season and we’ve worked really hard as a team over the summer.”
Ulbrich, along with San Francisco defensive tackle Bryant Young trained with many members of Live Oak’s football team this summer. Ulbrich graduated an Acorn in 1995 where he starred in football as an All-Central Coast Section peformer, leading the Acorns to two league titles.
And despite wrestling in just his senior season, Ulbrich won the Monterey Bay League title at 191 pounds.
“It means a lot to the kids to have Jeff work with them,” said Live Oak head football coach Glen Webb, who coached Ulbrich in high shool. “He’s a great role model. They can see he has the same beginnings as they do. Jeff had a great work ethic in high school. He hustled and had a lot of natural ability. He was tough mentally and physically.”
After a redshirt year at San Jose State, Ulbrich transferred to Gavilan where he was First Team All-Conference. In his senior year at Hawaii, Ulbrich led the Western Athletic Conference with a school season-record 169 tackles. He made First Team All-WAC and was tabbed the team’s co-captain.
Playing for former Atlanta Falcons coach and NFL quarterback June Jones helped pave the way to the NFL for Ulbrich. The defensive coordinator for the Rainbow Wahines back then was Greg McMackin, who happens to be the Niners current linebacking coach, joining the team after serving as defensive coordinator at Texas Tech the past three seasons.
“It’s great playing for coach McMackin again,” said Ulbrich. “He and coach Jones really helped me get exposure to the NFL. They knew the type of player I was.”
Ulbrich feels he has learned a great deal in his short stint in the NFL.
“I’ve improved my knowledge of the game,” he said. “It helps to know what offenses are thrown at you and how to read them.”
He still resides in Morgan Hill with his wife, Cristina and daughter, Samantha, age two.
Young and talented, Jeff Ulbrich is still learning the game, yet producing for the 49ers as he goes.
