Tag: CB Benjamin St-Juste

Commanders’ five best defensive plays through 13 games

What are the Commanders’ five best defensive plays so far this season?

What are the five best defensive plays for the Commanders in their first 13 games this 2024 season?

Over at Commanders.com, Zach Selby has put together a video and commentary on what he feels are the top five defensive plays by the Commanders.

Selby does good work, and fans can learn from him about some of the inner workings of the Commanders. He also provides some player features and interviews that fans might enjoy.

However, one objection I have, not to Selby personally, is that one of the five plays is not a defensive play. It would have been officially registered as a special teams snap rather than a defensive snap for the Commanders. But other than that, Selby’s choices are all appropriate.

Here are Selby’s top five defensive plays. See if you agree with him.

  • Dante Fowler’s Pick Six vs the Panthers in the opening drive for Carolina in the Week 7 game.
  • Quan Martin’s blocked field goal vs the Cowboys in Week 12 home game.
  • Benjamin St-Juste’s strip fumble against the Giants in Week 2 home game at Northwest Stadium.
  • Mike Sainristil’s interception against the Ravens in Baltimore in their Week 6 contest.
  • Mike Sainristil rips the ball from Titans running back Tony Pollard, giving the Commanders a short field as they raced to a 28-0 second-quarter lead against Tennessee at Northwest Stadium on Week 13.

What are your top-five defensive plays through Washington’s first 13 games? Let us know.

NFL analyst says Commanders should bench Benjamin St-Juste

NFL analyst weighs in on Washington’s cornerbacks once Marshon Lattimore is healthy.

What changes will the Commanders make in the lineup when Marshon Lattimore begins to play again?

Lattimore is currently recovering from an injured hamstring. He has returned to individual sideline work but has yet to be full-speed with the team in practice.

The Commanders began this 2024 season with Benjamin St-Juste and Emmanuel Forbes as the outside corners, and rookie Mike Sainristil held down the slot corner role.

Sainristil has been forced outside due to Forbes’ lack of development. The rookie from Michigan has continued to make progress playing outside. There is enough progress in the mind of one NFL analyst, who expressed his opinion Wednesday.

Mark Bullock, an NFL analyst who once wrote for the Washington Post, was a guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast” on Wednesday. At one point, Bullock strongly suggested what the Commanders should do when Lattimore enters the Washington starting lineup.

“I think I would leave him (Sainristil) outside right now. Because you see the improvement, and in the Eagles game, he was very good. I don’t think long term I would leave him outside. I would leave him out there to continue improving.”

Bullock pointed out that Lattimore would be the top team’s outside corner and would leave Sainristil on the outside and play Noah Igbinoghene inside in the slot.

“He (Igbinoghene) is holding up well enough in coverage, I would leave him there and put St-Juste to the bench.”

Igbinoghene has started seven games this season and played last season under Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt in Dallas.

St-Juste was drafted in the third round by Washington in the 2021 draft. He has 48 career games at corner and has started all 11 games this season at outside corner for the Commanders.

Meanwhile, Forbes continues to disappoint the staff, is not getting playing time, and may end up being another round-one bust pick by former head coach and general manager Ron Rivera. Michael Davis appears to have passed Forbes on the depth chart, getting defensive snaps against the Eagles.

Rivera missed on Chase Young (2020), Jamin Davis (2021), Jahan Dotson (2022) and now possibly on Forbes (2023) as well.

What everyone said after the Commanders’ loss to Steelers

A collection of quotes from Commanders, Steelers and analysts following Sunday’s game.

Though the Commanders led by ten points in the second half, they lost 28-27 to the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Northwest Stadium.

Here is a collection of post-game quotes from players, analysts, coaches and media personalities.

Jayden Daniels

“Yeah, it’s not, it’s not all on him (Newton). That’s what everybody’s gonna see, just that one big play. But it’s not all on him, and we’re all together. No matter what people outside the building are saying, are thinking, man, it doesn’t matter. What matters is what’s in the building and how we love each other, how we support each other. We have each other’s backs.”

“I mean, I don’t like losing, so I don’t want to feel like this, this feeling. I don’t want to have losses, you know, competitive. I want to win in everything I step foot in and I put my mind to so I wouldn’t say it’s any motivation. Just like, ‘man, how can I go back to work and kind of get this feeling in my system.’ When I win, I want to keep winning. When we lose, I don’t want to lose. I want to win again.”

Mitchell Tischler

“It’s ok to be frustrated by the play but the personal attacks at BSJ are uncalled for, he’s been nothing less than respectable and accountable and while wins and losses matter, how you handle it matters too.”

“Veteran QB > Rookie D-Linemen … pretty emblematic of a mistake-filled game for the Commanders.”

“Zach Ertz has been in this league for too long to not run that route to the first down line … looks super close, hope review overturns it.”

Benjamin St-Juste

“Sometimes I get caught up in trying to make the play so much that I try to guard everything. In those situations, you’ve got to pick and choose, and you’ve got to pick the right option.”

John Keim

“According to TruMedia, Pittsburgh sent five or more rushers on 19 snaps, a season high. The previous high was 11 vs. the Giants last week. Daniels was 7-16 in those situations. Three sacks.”

“An absolute dime from Wilson to Williams. Yes, Washington could have used Lattimore today.”

“Washington proved it can hang, but man they left too much out there. Some definite missed chances on O. The miss to McCaffrey was huge.”

“No magical ending. No moral victories. But this team is right there. And reinforcements soon.”

Dan Quinn

“The missed opportunities sting the most.”

“I said that this is a 24 hour rule and so we got 24 hours. By the time we get in for tomorrow afternoon, we’ve got to clear it and we’ve got to go. And so we hadn’t talked a lot about next week the previous week. They know what’s ahead and we’ll be prepared for that.”

“I said I love what they stand for, for one another. And I don’t know if I learned that, but it was confirmed again, and so I was hurting for them. That locker room’s hurting, but there’s also these lessons that we have to apply to know that we do have to learn from them and go on and this just happens to be that lesson comes back quickly, as we get into our next game.”

“I would hope that the missed opportunities are the lesson to apply because I thought it was just maybe a little uncharacteristic. I thought maybe a few drops, maybe a few plays that weren’t quite like us. I love that we are in this kind of fight. These are the kind of ones that you need to build some resilience and some resolve, but we are establishing that kind of toughness and identity that we want to be about.”

Sam Cosmi

“I have so much faith in this team…There’s nothing more that I want to do than to beat Philly,[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media] so they’re going to have a pretty pissed team on their hands.”

Craig Hoffman

“That play is why you trade for Lattimore. In a must-have man-to-man situation, they know they needed better guys in coverage. Unfortunately he’s not ready yet. Mike Williams, PIT’s addition, was.”

Mike Tomlin

“Man, be real slow comparing people to Lamar Jackson. That’s a multi-time MVP. That’s Mr. Jackson. We’ll see Mr. Jackson in a few days.”

What does Commanders’ Whitt think of the team’s cornerback play?

Commanders DC Joe Whitt Jr. reveals his thoughts on the team’s cornerback play.

The Commanders were ahead 34-6 early in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns and began substituting several players.

Several on both the offense and the defense were given some opportunities, which, of course, provided rest for those usually starting. But did you notice the corners? These guys continued to play with very little substitution for them.

Even though it was a blowout (final 34-13), starting corners Benjamin St-Juste, Mike Sainristil, and Noah Igbinoghene played 94%, 90%, and 87%, respectively.

During his press conference, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr was asked about the corners Thursday.

Regarding Sainristil:

“Mikey, we’ve moved him inside and out,” Whitt said. “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.”

Whitt expressed how Igbinoghene has grown from last season in Dallas”

“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.”

When asked about 2023 first-round choice, Emmanuel Forbes. Whitt was succinct and direct:

“That’s the 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.”

For interested readers regarding the cornerbacks, Forbes and Michael Davis each received four defensive snaps. Kevon Seymour was active for his first game this season. He didn’t play any defensive snaps, but he did play seven special teams snaps.

Commanders DC Joe Whitt Jr. is still not satisfied with his defense

Commanders DC Joe Whitt Jr. wants more from his defense.

Commnaders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. liked the progress he saw Sunday in the 42-14 win over the Cardinals. But he is certainly not happy with his defense thus far.

Whitt didn’t praise his guys for long, choosing to criticize them as well.

“I thought Benjamin St-Juste did a good job of covering even when we were in some of our man looks and spinning out the cover two…So, they were stickier. And we just have to continue that. Our completion percentage against us is higher than I’m used to, so we have to get that down.”

Asked specifically about CB Emmanuel Forbes’ performance against the Cardinals, Whitt didn’t criticize Forbes. But he didn’t exactly praise him either.

“I thought he was in that same group with Mike and Noah. And like I said, Forbes, they all played about the same. They had about the same number of snaps or he might have had more, I don’t know, I think he had 33 snaps in the game.”

At this moment, Whitt suddenly began to defend his decisions regarding playing time, though he was not challenged. “So each week, we’re gonna put the guys out there that give us the best chance. So, we’re looking at that, working through that right now, and then on Sunday, we’ll deploy the men that gives us the best chance to win.”

Last week, after the win over the Bengals, Whitt volunteered that he was waiting for a couple of corners to step up and be the guy that players and coaches could depend upon weekly.

Thursday, Whitt was asked if this week a corner had stepped up to be that guy. “No, not yet,” replied Whitt.

“I think we’ve played solid at points. I need a consistent flow throughout the game. Get up there and challenge and send the ball where we wanna send it consistently. We’ve had opportunities at some interceptions that where we just knocked it down and we didn’t go aggressively to go get it. So they’re a group of talented young men at the corner position, okay, but talent doesn’t mean that we’re playing at the level that we want to play at.”

“So when we do, I’ll tell you, but we’re not right now. And it’s not because of a lack of ability or anything like that. They have the ability. I just have to do a better job of getting them to do it, and we will.”

Commanders’ DC Joe Whitt waiting for a couple of cornerbacks to stand up

Whitt seems happy with safety play, but not cornerback.

“Once we get everybody healthy, then we can see where we are going to put Mikey (Sainristil).”

That was Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., talking with the media on Thursday.

The Commanders’ corners have struggled in coverage in their three games. They have the worst third-down defense (61.4%) and are tied for second worst in red zone defense when it comes to giving up touchdowns.

Whitt referred to Emmanuel Forbes’ thumb injury and their moving Sainristil outside for Forbes. With Forbes possibly playing Sunday, might Whitt move Sainristil back inside of corners Benjamin St-Juste and Forbes?

Then, he dropped this revelation. “It’s fluid. Nobody’s really said, ‘Hey, this is where I am going to be’. We’re waiting for a couple of guys to do that. Once that happens, it will solidify what we are going to do.”

Whitt was saying, he has played five corners and he hasn’t been satisfied with any of them. He is tired of this and he wants a couple of guys to step up, be agents of change and set the pace by being reliable and dependable.

When asked if he expects Forbes to play a significant role, Whitt did not respond in the affirmative. He expressed, “I expect each week it is going to be different people…I do expect whoever goes out there to play winning football. I do expect that.”

A second time, Whitt was asked about Forbes in particular. A second time, he replied about every corner. Whitt didn’t want to talk about Forbes. It’s his prerogative, and even more, no one knows that defense and their personnel better than Joe Whitt Jr.

Whitt then made a very important distinction. “I’ve been pleased with the safety group, their range and the way they have been playing.” He then complimented Quan Martin, Jeremy Chinn and Percy Butler. He made clear he also likes Darrick Forrest

Once again, the question was raised about the corners, and Whitt offered how they had disappointed.

“We haven’t found the group that is going to go out there. I’m still waiting on a couple of guys to say, ‘Hey, I am the guy that is going to do this each weekend.”

Whitt then emphatically added, “And I don’t care who it is.”

It sounds like Adam Peters will be looking for a couple of new corners in the next offseason.

 

Which four Commanders fit DC Joe Whitt’s playing style?

Which four Commanders have stood out to DC Joe Whitt Jr?

“Last week was still not “the play style” that we are desiring.”

That was how Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr began very early in his Friday time with the press.

Whitt did counter that the Week 2 game against the Giants was better than the opener against the Bucs.

“Give credit to both teams we have played, but a lot of our third-down ills are mistakes that we are making on different levels.” He said some were corrected in the second week, but some were still not, and the Commanders will correct them.

Whitt acknowledges his defense has made some positive plays but is frustrated with the reality that the defense is not getting off the field enough. “We’re causing some negative plays on first and second downs, but we get to third downs and for one reason or another (pause). We’ve had five penalties on defense, all five have come on third down. That’s something that can’t happen.”

Whitt made it clear he is concerned about Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase, comparing him to Davonte Adams and alluding to a game in which Chase beat two double teams against the Cowboys.

It is no secret the cornerbacks have struggled. Whitt confirmed this Friday, saying, “We’re looking for the combination that’s going to give us the best chance…It will be a week-to-week deal throughout the defense of we think is going to give us the best opportunity to win the game we are about to face.”

When asked about Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne’s play, Whitt talked of rushing as a collective unit, staying in one’s rush lane being essential for all the defensive line.

Whitt later returned to “the play style,” pointing out Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu, Ben (St-Juste) and Quan (Martin), “Those four men have been playing the play style.”

He also praised safety Percy Butler for making some nice open-field tackles that were difficult.

Commanders DC Joe Whitt: ‘I got to do a better job’

Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. breaks down what all went wrong in Week 1, with an emphasis on one thing in particular.

Listening to Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., Thursday, you could hear the frustration of dealing with all that went wrong with the Commanders’ defense Sunday in Tampa.

The primary concern for Whitt on Thursday was how weak the Commanders’ defense was on third downs. On nine of thirteen third downs, the Commanders could not force a Buccaneer fourth down.

“”The inability to get off the field on third downs” is how Whitt succinctly summarized what lost the game. There are three major reasons that happened. “Losing leverage in certain situations. Times we did get to the quarterback, we didn’t get them down, and we had some communication issues.”

Then Whitt turned the forward direction on himself. “It’s my responsibility to make sure they don’t happen…It’s our job as coaches to make sure that the players are not thinking they are playing fast and that we are on the same page.”

Whitt wanted turnovers created by the defense, which is what he preached throughout the preseason. “We didn’t create any turnovers. We had real opportunity at one. We have to make those splash plays when we have them.”

When he took the job, Whitt enthusiastically asserted that the Commanders would be a defense that played with intensity and speed. He mentioned perhaps having as many as 18 people routinely rotating on the defense.

However, on Sunday, Bobby Wagner and Benjamin St-Juste played each defensive snap in that excessive heat and humidity. Mike Sainristil, Quan Martin, and Frankie Luvu were not far behind, playing 95, 92, and 92 percent of all defensive snaps, respectively. Why?

https://twitter.com/IvanLambert18/status/1832912981803376750

“Towards the end of the game, I just didn’t feel the speed that we talked about and that’s our responsibility to make sure we do a great job of rotating. We said we were going to roll with a deep crew, and we have to do that.”

So, look for the Commanders to rotate personnel more often on defense on Sunday.

Commanders’ Quinn ‘We are working hard to develop Forbes’

Dan Quinn remains positive about Emmanuel Forbes and his future.

Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes had a rough 2024 season opener.

Getting beat in coverage several times was bad enough, but then Forbes was called for not one but two penalties on the same play. He was then benched and or injured for the remainder of the game.

Following the game, Forbes had an X-ray, but the word was that it was not serious. Sure enough, Forbes had a splint on his thumb, but he was out there working at practice on Wednesday.

“We’re working really hard to develop him,” expressed Dan Quinn at his presser Wednesday. Would he want some plays back? You bet. But I’d also say this is a young player we’re developing and working with him. He’s improving, and going to improve.”

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1651769851201871877

While Benjamin St-Juste was battling Mike Evans for much of the opener, Forbes continues to play well below the standards of what the 16th overall selection in the draft should be. Rookie Mike Sainristil was also given a rude introduction to the NFL by the Bucs.

It was also surprising Michael Davis, whom the Commanders signed as a veteran free agent, literally saw zero snaps at corner against the Bucs. I thought Davis was going to be spelling Forbes, keeping them both fresh and stronger at the game’s end. But no, Davis only saw special teams action.

This raises a question. Does defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. see Davis as too high a risk to play corner in the game? After seeing how Forbes struggled against the Bucs, might Davis be called upon more this week? Then again, if Forbes’ wrist is giving him problems during the game, does Whitt turn to Davis anyway?

This leads us to Noah Igbinoghene. He played 28 snaps at corner (44%) against Tampa Bay. He also made one of only two plays for the Commanders defense on Sunday where a pass was actually defended. This occurred when he was in very tight coverage and was able to get a hand on a ball, deflecting the pass. St-Juste recorded the only other defended pass. Igninoghene was also with Quinn and Whitt in Dallas for the 2023 season.

Commanders: Some things changed, some things remained the same

The more things change, the more they remain the same — for the Commanders.

The more some things change, the more some things remain the same.

The old saying is still true in various aspects of life, and Sunday revealed it is true regarding the 2024 Commanders as well. What’s changed? The general manager, Adam Peters, is new, and so is head coach Dan Quinn, as well as most of his coaching staff is also new.

It’s also quite new that 30 players are on the active roster that were not Commanders in 2023. What’s also new is the name of the next Washington Commanders kicker, seeing Cade York was released after only one game.

York had come to the Commanders for a conditional seventh-round draft choice. The Browns were going to cut him anyway, as Dustin Hopkins continued to prove to Ron Rivera that he belongs in the NFL and was extended by the Browns. York had to be with the Commanders for two games for the draft choice to become a reality. This was enough motivation for Peters to release York.

What hasn’t changed is that the Commanders surrendered the most passing touchdowns in 2023, and they picked up right where they left off, yielding four more in the Week 1 loss.

Benjamin St-Juste was fighting out there. I will give him that. He even interfered with Mike Evans on one touchdown pass in the second quarter. Mike Sainristil looked like, well, a rookie. He was lost and beaten badly more than once. Emmanuel Forbes? Looked like the same rookie of 2023.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ARteugC4RDU?si=ksJmjH1C7wPCEDJq

You recall back to last year, when Ron Rivera was recorded saying the Commanders were hoping to draft Emmanuel Forbes that night in the first round. Were they actually that determined and hopeful to draft Forbes? Before selecting him, Rivera was telling Commanders Nation how Forbes had great ball skills and had set an NCAA mark for pick-sixes.

Other than the highlights film of Forbes at Mississippi State, how much of the game film did they actually watch? It’s unthinkable to consider this as a possibility. Forbes has gotten beaten so badly, so repeatedly, there had to be college games where his coverage was shown to be inadequate. How did they not see that? How did they not recognize that?

However, at this rate, will Forbes show that Rivera may have gone 0-4 in his four NFL draft first-round picks with Washington?