For the first time in his career, Jeff Ulbrich knows what it's like to be a division champion. 49ers’ Ulbrich
high on intensity
By Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comUlbrich and the San Francisco 49ers (9-5) are going to the playoffs for the second year in a row, but this time it's not as a wild card.
The hard-hitting whirlwind of a linebacker is keeping a keen eye on the Green Bay Packers, who beat his 49ers last week and in last year's playoffs.
"Of course we want to have home-field advantage for the playoffs, but a lot of people are thinking our chances are slim if we don't get it. I think the opposite," Ulbrich said. "I'd love to go to Lambeau Field. They (the Packers) haven't lost there in what, a hundred years or whatever? It would be awesome to go there and beat them."
Ulbrich, a former Hawaii standout, has built a reputation for ferocity and extreme effort, but he's learning to channel his football aggression.
"My anticipation of offensive plays has greatly improved," the third-year pro said. "My composure has also improved a lot. I'm more relaxed and not so amped up and jittery, a lot more presence of mind."
The new-found extra focus helps in calling plays, a responsibility Ulbrich shares with fellow linebacker Derek Smith.
Still, it's hard for anyone to slow down Ulbrich, and that's something Hawaii fans learned long ago.
He bounced back quickly from what team doctors originally thought was a season-ending hyperextended knee injury.
Ulbrich credited the 49ers' training staff for the fast recovery, but it was also his passion for the game that allowed him to miss just two games.
"The guy who stepped in for me was also having trouble with an injury," he said. "It was just one of those things where you have to go."
It doesn't take much encouragement to get Ulbrich to go. He scores high on the team's loaf-count barometer.
"The coaches give you a 'loaf' if there is any change in speed during a game," he said. "You get it if you're going one speed and you get knocked down and you don't get up and sprint to the ball. I can count the loafs I've gotten this year on one hand.
"I pride myself on playing with a ton of intensity."
Ulbrich likes coach Steve Mariucci for his flexibility.
"He's one of the greatest coaches I've been around," he said. "He's not just a straight-line guy that says 'I'm always going to do it this way.' If we're banged up, we go light in practice. If he thinks we need to be more physical, we hit harder in practice. If we're down, he knows how to get us up."
Ulbrich is gunning for the Super Bowl and thinks it would be great to play in the Pro Bowl in front of Hawaii fans some day.
Everyday, he's reminded of the 49ers' mystique.
"When you walk in the complex, the very first thing you see are the Super Bowl trophies sitting right there," Ulbrich said. "If you walk down the hall a little bit, you see plaques of every game won since Bill Walsh was coach. The three game captains are pictured on the plaques with the score of the game. You see Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana and Roger Craig. A little bit farther down, my three plaques of when I was a game captain are up there, and to see myself next to those guys is an awesome thing."
Walsh, who headed up the 49ers draft in 2000, was the one responsible for selecting Ulbrich in the third round.
"He (Walsh) speaks to the team once every four games or so, and he invokes his wisdom," Ulbrich said. "He also speaks to people one on one, and he's always giving me encouragement."
Ulbrich, who had 12 tackles in last week's loss to the Packers, likes the 49ers' playoff chances.
"I feel like our offense has yet to play a really good game," he said. "We have so many weapons, two great running backs (Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow) who give us two different looks and probably the best receivers corps in the league with T.O. (Terrell Owens), Tai Streets and J.J. Stokes and a great tight end in Eric Johnson. If they start clicking on all cylinders, they'll be unstoppable.
"And the defense is coming together. We're not giving up many yards, we've got a solid rush defense in the top five in the league and our third-down defense is improving. If we put it all together, we can go pretty far. We want to win the Super Bowl and I think we're capable of that."
National Football League
