Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. addressed the media before practice on Dec. 26. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
Opening Statement:
"Okay. I'm going to start with the recap of the Philly game, and then we'll get into the Falcons. As a team defensively and as a team, we started poorly. Opposite of how we've been starting. We've been starting really hot, but we played as a collective unit. I mean, offense, defense, special teams was the glue that kept us all together. A couple guys I thought that really played well. Thought [LB] Frankie [Luvu] played well, Johnny [DT Jer'Zhan Newton], [LB] Bobby [Wagner] and [DT] Sheldon [Day]. Once we got out that first quarter, we played solid football. We hit the run, we limited the pass. We only got the one turnover, we probably needed more, but we didn't, when the ball was turned over from our offense we didn't allow them to score or they had to kick field goals. And when we were in negative, that was a real positive for us. And then at the same time, early on when we were giving up the points, when they hit the big, long run, the offense went out there and answered. So, it was complimentary football and that's what we needed from that standpoint there. Looking at Atlanta, a really talented team. [Atlanta Falcons Head Coach] Raheem [Morris] has done a really nice job of getting this team in position to make a playoff run. It starts with the runner [Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan] Robinson, he's dynamic. I've been a fan of his for a while. A lot like [Philadelphia Eagles RB] Saquon [Barkley], can make every run, run with speed, run with power, keeps his legs going, can catch the ball out the back field. They have the eligibles on the outside in [Atlanta Falcons WR] Drake [London] and [Atlanta Falcons WR Darnell] Mooney. They have the ability to get vertical on you, can run routes at a decent pace and they're good. The tight end [Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle] Pitts, he's just, you gotta treat him as a receiver. And then they switched the quarterback up, [Atlanta Falcons QB Michael] Penix [Jr.] is a guy that's coming in, really talented, really liked the kid when he came here on the visit, when he came with the quarterbacks here. He was personable, he can really throw the ball. I mean, he has a laser left hand guy and he's going to be protected by a veteran offensive line. And so, they'll be able to do a good job of protecting him, and we have to just do a good job of changing the looks on them and making it tough for him. But they're a good team, Raheem's done a really nice job with them and with that, any questions?"
On the difference in the run defense in the second half against Philadelphia:
"In the second half, we probably pressured more and more run blitzes. We were better on the move. Going back to the first Philly game, we put a front out that they hadn't seen. And so, this game, the one that Frankie got the interception on, we put a front with the new coverage that they hadn't seen. So, they thought we were going to be in one thing and Frankie fell back into it, but at the same time, when they hit the long run, we were in that same call and we didn't get anybody on the edge. And a guy should never run that far without being touched. And so, in the second half and actually after that play, I said, 'Okay, we're just going to run pressure,' and that's what we did."
On what jumped out from Penix's first start:
"He just seemed poised. It wasn't too big for him, a lot of times when you get a rookie quarterback out there, they're jittery. He knew where to go with the ball. Just, he was poised, it was what I was thinking."
On the type of challenge Penix presents without much NFL experience:
*"I mean, it is challenging, but everything's a challenge. If Kirk's [Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins] still been in there, that would be a challenge as well. They have the eligibles on the outside that are very good players. The running back is going to be, they're going to run the offense through Bijan. So, that's not really different. There's some couple things that I think that they'll do and that most people do with young quarterbacks. And so, hopefully that'll stay true."
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On the matchup between CB Marshon Lattimore and Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown and on the penalty calls:
"The calls, I do believe the officials, man, they try to do their best to get the thing right. It happened so fast. And the calls are the calls, the thing I like about Marshon, he kept fighting, he kept challenging. A couple times, A.J. was grabbing him, but I'm not, you'll never hear me get up there and argue about calls. I truly believe the officials are trying to get it right. And if they call it, they call it, they don't, they don't. He kept competing, he knocked a couple balls out. And so, it was a good fight between two good players."
*On what DT Sheldon Day has brought to the defensive line: *"Man, consistency. Alright, he was a guy that when he did his workout, I was like, 'Okay, he's a little small.' And I like big guys, I don't like a bunch of little guys, but he plays thick and heavy and he's right where he needs to be. He throws hands, he's a lot, like, when I talk about consistency and being where you're supposed to be, like I was talking about DA [DE Dorance Armstrong], that's what Sheldon is. And he's very smart, you could tell him, he understands the blocking schemes and what's coming at him. The lean and the balance of the offense alignment. If it's run, pass, he gets all that. And so, he's been a very important part to our defense."
On why it's hard to tackle QB Jayden Daniels when he's on the move:
"Well, because he's really fast. Like he's probably one of the faster guys on the team. And so, as you're taking an angle, if you take an angle to actually go get him, he has a one-step cut where he can get vertical really quick. And so, if you don't have multiple bodies going at him, if he sees one person, like they talk about [Former Los Angeles Lakers SG] Kobe [Bryant] in basketball, he was never worried about the first defender. He was worried about the help side and what's coming at him. That's where Jayden's eyes are when he's running. He's not worried about you tackling him. 'He's not going to tackle me.' Alright, now how do I beat him and make sure that this guy doesn't get me? That's what he does. And so, he's just, he's hard. We in practice, I always say, don't run him in practice because we can't hit him. So, you're giving him 15 yards on a run in practice, well, we can't even get close to him, so it's not even fair. But he makes us look the same way in practice, yes."
On if there's a difference preparing for a first-year play caller:
"Yes, from the standpoint that you have a book on guys that you've seen years prior. With a guy that's his first year, okay, you look at what he's done now. We're towards the end of the season, so it's a little bit easier. But you look at, 'Okay, what did he do at the place before?' And his history, and then who was he really under for the majority of his time? You try to go back in the past and see where the, what he's done in the past."
On how much of Atlanta Falcons Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson's offense is his own versus from Los Angeles:
"It is not as much as the Rams as I thought it was going to be. I think it's a little bit more of him. Tampa was more Ram-ish than more reductions and all. But I think he's put a little bit more of his own flavor on it."
On what Atlanta does well offensively:
"Well, I think from the pass game standpoint, they make the reads similar, their balance for the quarterback. And so, the progression, if it's left or right, if it's away from the back or to the back, it's very easy for the quarterback to get through its progressions. In the run game, they do a good job of getting the ball on the edge. I mean, they have really good blockers. They really get to the second level quickly and they're able to get the runner on the second level."
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On Luvu's contributions to the defense:*
"Well, first he's, like I've said from day one, he's the type of player that we wanted to build this defensive around. He's a run and hit, high energy man. He's everything that this defense really wants to be about. Frankie is a great teammate, alright? He's a leader. He doesn't say a whole bunch of, he doesn't say anything. He just runs and plays and plays with great emotion and does whatever we ask him to do. He's right there, Bobby's so even keeled and then you have Frankie that just is ready to run through the wall. So, he's just what we stand for."
On if they have to adjust the defense at all going against a lefty quarterback:
"Yeah, well that's a good question. Some things we might do in reverse because of the progression of how they read it. But for the most part, we always do a hit chart of where the ball goes. And sometimes there's a right-hand quarterback that might throw it better to the left. That's rare, but there's sometimes that happens. And so, we see the hit chart, and if we want to tilt the covers one way or another that affects. I'll give you an example, we were playing, when [Former NFL QB] Michael Vick came back a long time ago, that game started with a right hand quarterback, and he came in, he was at Philly, and I had [Former Green Bay Packers CB] Sam Shields on the opposite side of the quarterback's throwing hand. So, when Vick came in, I still had Sam to the right side, and he was a rookie that year, and he gave up a touchdown. Well, I should have flipped him once he got in and put [Former Green Bay Packers CB] Tramon [Williams] on that side over there, which I didn't. But then it hit me like, 'Okay, he's to the quarterback's throwing arms.' So, that's a very good point."
On DT Jonathan Allen and on how the team will plug him in once he's ready to return:
"Oh, I'm excited. With the opportunity of getting him back, hopefully that happens. When he gets back in, I'm sure he'll be on the pitch count and I don't know what that number will be. I'll let the medical staff and AP [General Manager Adam Peters] and DQ [Head Coach Dan Quinn] lead that way, but he gives us just another veteran player, high pedigree player that can go in and give those quality snaps inside, that can get after the quarterback, push the pocket, be disruptive. So, we're excited to get him back."
