When Atlanta Falcons middle linebacker Paul Worrilow huddled with new position coach Jeff Ulbrich this offseason, the goal was to establish a play-making mentality rather than being satisfied just playing a role.

For a guy who led the team in tackles the last two seasons, such a conversation might have seemed a little discomforting. However, Worrilow took Ulbrich’s words to heart, particularly coming from a guy who played 10 seasons at linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers.

Worrilow knows his coach believes he’ll excel in the Falcons' swarming, attacking 4-3-under a defense that incorporates some 3-4 personnel tendencies.

"It’s all about knowing when you can take your shots and knowing where your help is," Worrilow said. "I think in the past, it was like, 'This is my responsibility and this is where I’m going,' instead of taking those shots.

"[In this defense], you know what the offense is doing; their tendencies and you know where your help is -- where you can take a shot and you’re not going to hurt the team and the integrity of the defense. It allows you to take those chances and play a lot faster. You want to make plays that change the game. That’s why you’re out there."

Worrilow, undrafted out of Delaware in 2013, collected 269 total tackles his first two NFL seasons. He realizes none of those statistics really matter when you're playing on one of the league's worst defenses and making tackles down the field. He's also taken measures to improve his tackling, realizing he's missed his share.

"I'm buying into everything [the coaches] have installed," Worrilow said. "We've had a huge emphasis on tackling; being taught a way that you really haven't been taught before. It's a lot of detail, which is good. It's going to be a good payoff."

Worrilow is known as a highly intelligent player on the field. Off the field, he continues to put more time into studying tendencies, as Ulbrich encouraged him to do.

"I’ve learned a whole lot since Coach Ulbrich came in," Worrilow said. "Getting a different perspective from him has been a big thing. He’s been somebody who has had to prepare for these games. The things that he’s seen … I mean, I feel like I’m light years ahead of before.

"I’ve always put in a lot of time. Now, I feel like I’m more dialed in to the things that I need to be."

Worrilow dropped weight and improved his flexibility this offseason to better prepare himself for the style of football coach Dan Quinn desires.

“He is one of the guys that define grit,'' Quinn said of Worrilow. "He just won’t back off. When you go and see him, and the communication that he has, he is always trying to improve. That part of the game you see it all the time. He is very critical of himself, but at the same time he is really developing into a leader."

Worrilow appreciates the high praise but doesn't seek it.

"Those are not the things you pay attention to," he said. "I'm just keeping my head down, trying to be vocal out here, and just staying focused on the immediate: what I can do today."