Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. addressed the media before practice on Oct. 10. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
Opening Statement:
"Alright guys, from the last game it was more like we wanted to look. I thought we played aggressive, we tackled well, had few missed tackles, communicated well, got after the quarterback. So, the one thing that we're still not doing, forcing turnover. So, we talk about the ball being life and we have to make that come to life. We have to start getting the ball at a bigger clip and we have a big challenge in front of us. Good football team. It's going to be fun. So, I'll open up to any questions.
On if Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson looks more elusive this season:
"Man, Lamar's been Lamar for a long time, so if he's 220 [pounds], if he's 210, he's still Lamar Jackson. He can move and do those things, so I don't think it really matters. He's a difficult cover."
On what makes Baltimore's running game difficult to defend:
"Well, it starts with [Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator] Todd Monken, I was with him in Cleveland in 2019. Extremely smart guy. They have a mobile quarterback that can beat you with his arm and his legs. They have a big running back, downhill, that's faster than you think. And then they have a smaller running back that runs with more power than anything. So, they, 43 [Baltimore Ravens RB Justice Hill] and 22 [Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry], both of them are really good players. The offensive line's big, but they can get on people. So, they're good and they know what they're doing. They know how to scheme it up. They do a nice job."
On how to stop Henry and on if he approaches Henry differently compared to other backs:
"I mean, you're not necessarily approaching him and you're approaching the offense. Okay, you got to be in your gap. You have to be able to defeat blocks, send him where you want him to send him and in that standpoint. From a tackling standpoint, you talk about, and it's every week, it's not just with Derrick, you have a tackling plan for every back that you have and you try to stick to the plan. So, we have our tackling plan for him just like we had had it last week and that doesn't change."
On how he coaches capitalizing on missed interception opportunities:
"Yeah, and it was really a clean take on how he broke on it. But we have to do a better job, I have to do a better job of just drilling it. We're not touching the ball. I think it's been five games, and we haven't had an interception. I don't know if in my whole career we've been five games and not had an interception. So apparently, I'm not doing a good enough job of exposing these guys to enough ball drills and understanding to different type of throws, different types of anticipation of where the ball goes. So, we'll drill it more, we'll get creative with it, but we have to produce the ball more."
On the challenge presented to pass rushers when a quarterback and offensive line are in sync:
"Well, it is a challenge because a lot of people, especially with Lamar, you don't want him to escape over the top or in the B gap. So, you try to balance the rush, and a lot of people try to cage him and so that gives him the opportunity to escape inside and he's so fast. So yeah, I can't necessarily say how we're going to fill the voids, but we do have a plan and hopefully next time we talk, it was a plan that worked. I'll tell you if it did or not."
On the defensive front's play:
"Well, like I talked about some last week, they're rushing as a unit, and you really saw it come to life this week. There's nobody getting out of the gap or coming inside just because I think I can win inside. When we have a blitzer come in there, they're rushing as a unit. We use [LB] Frankie Luvu in some different spots and so he's really part of that rush unit, and how active he is, that brought it to life as well. But the main thing is they're not being selfish and they're saying, 'Hey, if we rush as a unit, the sacks will come to us.' You might get a sack flush to you just by being in the proper spot. So, that's what I've been most pleased with when it comes to the rush unit."
On if he has a feel for Monken's tendencies having coached with him in the past:
"Yeah, but you know back then [Former Cleveland Browns Head Coach] Freddie [Kitchens], he called it, so it was a little bit different, but a lot of respect for Todd. He's very creative, he's very smart. So, I have a sense of what he's going to do now. Now, can we stop it? That's what we'll see on Sunday. I think we can."
On CB Mike Sainristil's growth:
"Mikey, we've moved him inside and out. The last two games he's played outside, and we put him to the field the last two games and he's getting more comfortable there. He can play with vision; he played a lot more physical. He's covering well. So right now, that's where we need him to be. So, he's going to find a home back inside at some point. But from where the defense is right now, we need him to the field."
On if he envisioned Sainristil playing on the outside:
"Yeah, we knew he can play both inside and outside. Ideally, we started him playing at the star position, but we play guys, like I told you, each week we change up for what we need to do to win that particular game. So, that's what we've been doing."
On how CB Noah Igbinoghene has grown from last season:
"We got him late last year when we were in Dallas and with the trade, when we traded [Kansas City Chiefs CB Kelvin Joseph] for him and we had a number of guys that were just ahead of him. And with him coming in there late, he came in here at the same time with everybody else and he was able to put his performance out there. And he's earned the right to go out there and get the reps in the starting position that he's getting. So, he just when in Dallas, he came late, and he was behind the eight ball a little bit."
On CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr.'s limited playing time last game:
"That's same as the Mikey question. Playing to the field. Each week, we're going to play the guys in a position that we feel best, that gives us a chance to win that particular game. So, that's how I can answer all those questions of the number of reps that anybody's playing at any position. That's what we felt that was best for that week."
On he likes playing with the defense receiving little attention compared to the offense:
"Oh, I'm not necessarily looking for any type of attention. I'm looking for better play. [QB] Jayden [Daniels], he's getting all the attention that he's getting because he's played outstanding and that's what comes with it. So, the only thing I care about is winning football games and I'm glad he's our quarterback, and so we're trending the right way the last couple weeks. And it's going to keep going that way for the defense. We're going to start making a little bit more splash, getting this ball. The physicality is definitely there, but I don't care about being in darkness or light, I just care about winning. That's the only thing I really care about."
On if this game is a measuring stick for the defense:
"I'm excited every time we step on the field, we're not using Baltimore or anybody necessarily as a measuring stick. It's the next game, you know what I'm saying? So, whenever we get out, they're on the field. We're excited because it's the next game, because anybody in this league can beat you, so you can't get high or low. We try to stay even keel, prepare for the next opponent, and that's the biggest game that we have because it's the next game. So, it doesn't really change because there's a dynamic player in Lamar Jackson who we have a ton of respect for, but they had dynamic players last week with Cleveland that we had a ton of respect for. And the next week they have dynamic players that we're going to have a ton of respect for. So, each week we're going to give it our best and then we'll reload and do it again."
