Falcons insist they won’t drop ball on Vic Beasley’s pass-rush specialty

4:59 PM ET

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich snickered at the notion that Vic Beasley Jr. would be deprived of his pass-rushing specialty while making the transition from rush end to strongside linebacker.

“The emphasis with Vic will still be pass rush,” Ulbrich said. “The emphasis will still be his nickel end stuff, will still be playing Sam as a blitzer. The majority of his meeting time will be devoted to that. The majority of his individual work pre-practice will be devoted to that. The majority of his practice reps will be devoted to that. And on Sundays, the majority of his reps will be devoted to that.

“The Sam stuff, it’s just another way to get one of our best athletes on the grass. It’s not going to be anything that’s going to take away from anything. And the beauty of it is, he’s going to have a guy like Philip Wheeler or Tyler Starr or Ivan [McLennan] or others guys who are playing that Sam position that will be working with him. So, ‘Vic, you’re tired? OK, get your break here.’ But on third down, that sucker’s going to be on the grass.”

The Falcons are emphasizing working on the art of the pass rush with Vic Beasley in practice. AP Photo/David Goldman

Beasley’s role entering the 2016 season has been one of the primary topics of discussion this offseason. True, the Falcons do ask their strongside linebacker to drop into coverage in certain situations. However, the coaches insist their primary focus with Beasley is making sure …

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