Joe Whitt Jr and Kliff Kingsbury speak to the media before practice
The Washington Commanders coordinators were back in front of the mic before today’s practice. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr said Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield is playing some good ball right now. You have to hit him like a running back, and not a small QB, because he will make you pay with his elusiveness. Buccaneers rookie RB Bucky Irving is a fast, quick slasher who will also have to be accounted for. Whitt said this defense is totally different than the one Tampa Bay faced in Week 1.
Joe Whitt Jr
LIVE: DC Joe Whitt Jr. speaks to the media before practice https://t.co/rz81uosfwm
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 9, 2025
Baker Mayfield:
DC Joe Whitt Jr. with effusive praise for Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield.
“He’s playing high level ball.”
He said they have to hit him like a RB in the pocket because, if they hit him like a QB, Mayfield will bounce off. pic.twitter.com/McCXTUEmdE
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) January 9, 2025
Whitt: you have to go in there like you’re tackling a running back https://t.co/BAcMbk2Fch
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) January 9, 2025
Joe Whitt stresses how impressive Baker Mayfield has been – “We missed 5 sacks on him Week 1, but we weren’t the only ones.”
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) January 9, 2025
Different defense than the one Tampa Bay faced in Week 1:
Joe Whitt Jr says of the D compared to the first meeting is “totally different.”
— John Keim (@john_keim) January 9, 2025
Bucky Irving:
Whitt on Bucs’ RB Bucky Irving: “he makes you miss in space. Fast, quick, slasher…”
Whitt says of QB Baker Mayfield and his elusiveness: “…have to hit him like he’s a running back… He’s scrambling to throw. He’s playing at a high level.”
— John Keim (@john_keim) January 9, 2025
Kliff Kingsbury:
Ive heard about how early Kliff Kingsbury gets to work but could never get an exact time – Joe Whitt just said Kingsbury gets into the office around 3am. 3AM. Damn.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) January 9, 2025
Bobby Wagner
Veteran:
Bobby Wagner, on what, as an established vet, has provided the team this year. pic.twitter.com/b9u1lmflnU
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) January 9, 2025
Media Good Guy Award:
Bobby Wagner was voted as the Commanders’ 2024 Good Guy Award winner from D.C. media this season. Well-deserved.
Naturally, it made sense to have Jayden Daniels witness the moment. pic.twitter.com/npbBPVSt2n
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 9, 2025
Playoffs:
Commanders LB Bobby Wagner always keeping it real.
It’s the playoffs, but don’t lose the joy of being on the field.
Bobby told me, “there’s no “we’ll get them next week” but also still having fun. Some teams worry about the mistakes and doing that makes you make more mistakes.” pic.twitter.com/VOnqBfqHXo
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) January 9, 2025
Jonathan Allen
Rematch against the Buccaneers:
Commanders DT Jonathan Allen has worked his tail off to get back for this playoff game.
He’s excited for this rematch against the Bucs.
JA told me, “Week 1 feels like forever ago. We’re not the same team…it’s going to be a fun. We are looking forward to it.” pic.twitter.com/j0Uc56uNvy
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) January 9, 2025
Kliff Kingsbury was asked again about head coaching opportunities after reports that the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints had requested interviews. He said he’s focused on preparing for the Buccaneers and his agent is handling that side of the business. Kingsbury talked about Jayden Daniels’ preparation all season, and getting him ready for Todd Bowles’ blitzing. He faced the Buccaneers defense in his first game as a rookie, and he’s learned a lot since then.
Kliff Kingsbury
LIVE: OC Kliff Kingsbury speaks to the media before practice https://t.co/Vwr3rPmJxt
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 9, 2025
Head coaching interviews:
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is a popular candidate for head coach openings across the NFL.
Kliff was asked today if he plans to take any interviews for NFL head coaching jobs.
Kliff said, “I’m not going to touch on that. Just focused on Tampa.” pic.twitter.com/GRqMKX5HRV
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) January 9, 2025
OC Kliff Kingsbury: “I haven’t had any discussions (with other teams).”
He said his agent is handling all interview requests and he’s focused on Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/5vBo4q8MKj
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) January 9, 2025
Kliff Kingsbury on head coach interview requests: “I haven’t had any conversations about it. As coaches, we pay representation to handle that.” Said It’s all about Tampa Bay this week.
(Sources: The Bears and Saints have requested interviews)
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) January 9, 2025
Asked if he plans to take interviews for head-coaching jobs, Kliff Kingsbury said, “I’m not going to touch on that. Just focused on Tampa.”
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 9, 2025
Todd Bowles:
Kliff Kingsbury said Todd Bowles does a good job of evolving his defenses
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) January 9, 2025
Jayden Daniels’ preparation:
Kliff Kingsbury on Jayden Daniels’ prep going into Wild Card game: ‘He’s done a great job week in, week out about asking where things can get better…He’s a guy that likes competition and big moments so we’ve kept it the same’
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) January 9, 2025
Daniels vs the Buccaneers’ blitzing:
Kingsbury says his focus for this week is to make sure Jayden Daniels has answers and outlets against the blitz that Todd Bowles will bring
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) January 9, 2025
Terry McLaurin
Playoffs:
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is looking forward to his second career playoff game.
If it’s a close game, Terry knows this team will rise to the occasion.
Terry told me, “we’ve seen just about every scenario there is…we’re battle tested and ready for those moments.” pic.twitter.com/uQpLcql4Wg
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) January 9, 2025
Terry McLaurin addressing the media. Said he’s extremely excited to be in a road playoff game. “We really believed in ourselves this season.”
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) January 9, 2025
Media Good Guy Award streak ends:
Terry McLaurin’s streak of consecutive Good Guy Awards ends at 4 seasons. His thoughts: https://t.co/cpFtLrcfgG pic.twitter.com/cy8sXAinKJ
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 9, 2025
Zach Ertz
Playoffs:
Commanders TE Zach Ertz has been apart of plenty of playoff games.
He says nothing changes compared to a regular season game.
Zach told me, “whoever scores more points is going to win the football game. That’s still the rule…we just got to find a way to win.” pic.twitter.com/lDYR8MSrId
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) January 9, 2025
Practice notes
Marshon Lattimore:
Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore on the practice field again today.
Compared to yesterday, Lattimore did a little more work during the media viewing part of practice.
He is still “trending up” to play in Sunday’s playoff clash in Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/SmYXrN4WSq
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) January 9, 2025