Tag: LB Frankie Luvu

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?

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“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.

The Commanders defense will look drastically different in Week 1

Washington’s defense will look drastically different on Sunday.

The Commanders wanted and needed a much different defense in 2024.

GM Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. are only starting three players at the same position this season. Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are again at defensive tackle, while Benjamin St-Juste is again starting at corner.

If the Commanders start three corners against the Bucs, it will be St-Juste, Mike Sainristill, and Emmanuel Forbes. Forbes started six games in 2023, but Kendall Fuller started 15 and is now a Miami Dolphin.

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At safety, Kam Curl and Percy Butler have been replaced with Jeremy Chinn and Quan Martin. Martin has been moved from a nickel back to safety, and Butler is now a backup.

Last year’s linebackers, Cody Barton and Jamin Davis (13 starts each), have been replaced with new starters Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner. Dante Fowler has been listed as a 12th starter at outside linebacker/edge rusher.

Montez Sweat and Chase Young were traded for draft choices, and this year’s starters at defensive end are Clelin Ferrell and Dorance Armstrong.

Peters in that introductory press conference said when asked about the roster (after a pause) “…We have a lot of work to do.” Peters only had so many draft choices, so he made a couple of trades, signed many free agents, and most to one-year deals. The man has been industrious because he realized he needed to be.

The defense is thus undergoing a major remodel, mostly a remake, a revamp. But more importantly, it had to be upgraded. Considering they gave up the most passing touchdowns and the most points in the league last year, this defense needed to be overhauled and rehabilitated.

Peters has done the work on paper. What Quinn and Whitt have accomplished on the practice field and in the meeting rooms remains to be seen.

Here’s hoping that on Sunday, the restored and reassembled defense gets off to a good start.

PFF commends Commanders draft and roster overhaul

A mostly positive and realistic preview of the Commanders’ 2024 season.

Pro Football Focus provided their season preview Friday, of the Washington Commanders.

Sam Monson and Dalton Wasserman of PFF gave their evaluations. Here we go:

Monson began unfairly calling Dan Quinn “a retread head coach” and noted a “huge proportion of the roster was overhauled.” Quinn once won the NFC; how is he merely a retread?

Wasserman began much more optimistically. He thinks, “Dan Quinn is going to come in there and change things quickly. And for me, this was a monster draft class. This was actually my favorite draft class in the whole league…These are players all over the place who are really good college players…There’s probably no one in our building who hypes up Jayden Daniels more than I do.”

Not being shy about Daniels, Wasserman continued, “I look at him and go, that could be a down-the-line MVP caliber player…He, to me, is the full package. If Caleb (Williams) wasn’t sitting there, he would have been the number one pick pretty easily…I think he is every bit in the Rookie of the Year race as Caleb Williams or anybody else is.”

“I find Washington a really difficult team to project forward,” countered Monson. He pointed to the massive turnover on the entire roster and referred to the NFC East as “that weird division,” noting that no one has won the division in consecutive years in two decades.

“Overall I think you are right, Jayden Daniels could be really, really good. Their offensive line is still a bit of a concern for me. They still don’t have a great-looking one on paper.”

“I don’t think they will be where the Cowboys or Eagles are, but I think this could be a close division, maybe tighter than people are expecting it to be.”

Dalton echoed Monson regarding the offensive line, “I don’t think it is the worst line in the league. It could certainly be a concern, and offensive tackle especially is a spot where that could be a sore spot.”

Dalton likes Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu’s additions at linebacker but sees questions at defensive end and cornerback.

“If they hit on Johnny Newton and Mike Sainristil, you’ve got a seriously better base to work with.

So both guys see things looking up for the Commanders with the new staff and new overhauled roster.

Nothing has come easy for Commanders’ linebacker Frankie Luvu

Frankie Luvu’s path to Washington wasn’t an easy one.

Most undrafted players signing up for an NFL training camp don’t make it.

Joe Jacoby was undrafted in the class of 1981. Jacoby might still be voted into the Hall of Fame someday.

How about this current Commanders team? Did you know linebacker Frankie Luvu played at Washington State but went undrafted?

Yes, sometimes those undrafted players are driven. Their discipline carries them to places the experts felt they would never reach.

Luvu was signed by the Jets, undrafted in 2018. If that’s not enough, He was waived, then re-signed to the Jets practice squad and the active roster. Following the 2018 season, the Jets re-signed Luvu to another one-year deal, then once again waived him. But he played well enough in 2019 to get another one-year deal.

In 2020, the Jets offered a third consecutive one-year contract. Yet, when the season ended, the Jets did not offer Luvu a deal for a fourth season.

The Panthers signed him to a (you guessed it) one-year deal for 2021. Finally, the next season, Luvu was offered a two-year deal, playing again for the Panthers in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Enter Adam Peters and the Commanders. Peters offered Luvu a three-year deal to the 27-year-old veteran linebacker. Luvu is glad to be in Washington.

Luvu spoke Thursday with the media about the veterans really holding each other to a standard on the practice field. He feels like he and fellow linebacker Bobby Wagner are already communicating very well together.

Luvu likes what he sees from linebacker Jordan Magee a fifth-round choice (Temple). “He is picking it up real quick. He’s coming on a long way real quick, for a rookie. (He is) taking everything in early in camp. He’s just been a sponge, trying to pick our minds, me and Bobby. Looking forward to work with him the rest of the camp.”

Luvu has had to work for each contract. Nothing has come easy. He could be just what Jordan Magee needs to learn as a linebacker and a rookie trying to make it long-term in the NFL.

 

London Fletcher: Bobby Wagner brings Commanders instant credibility

London Fletcher is excited about what Bobby Wagner will bring to the Commanders.

Bobby Wagner is 34 years of age, so how much can he bring to the Commanders?

Just days ago (June 27), Wagner had his 34th birthday. The vast majority of NFL players never make it to age 34. But of course, Wagner has proven to not be the vast majority of NFL players.

“Instant credibility.” That’s what London Fletcher said Wagner brings to the Washington defense. Fletcher was with Michael Jenkins and Fred Smoot discussing the Commanders linebacker position room.

“He still brings playmaking ability even at 34 years old. It reminds me of myself when I made the transition to DC,” added Fletcher.

“You bring him in first and foremost for his leadership. He’s a great leader. He’s been on great defenses. He knows how to run the system Dan Quinn wants.”

“It’s one thing to be a leader; it’s quite another to also be able to make plays, and he’s still a high-level playmaker.”

Jenkins and former Smoot chimed in and gave some very exalted praise for Wagner.

As usual, it’s July, and the free agents your team signed in the offseason will be able to jumpstart your defense and make it one of the better defenses in the NFL.

In this case, will Wagner be able to defy aging, set the tone for your defense, and lead the team?

Yes, it’s odd that the last four seasons, Washington’s head coach and defensive coordinator were both NFL linebackers. Yet the linebacker position group was the team’s weakest.

Yes, it’s fair to believe Wagner and Frankie Luvu will improve the play of the position group and also of the defense overall.

But once again, we see too often fans becoming giddy, only seeing the best-case scenarios and discounting the fact that aging NFL players often break down due to injury.

Is a more realistic expectation to see some defensive improvement, but how much may depend on how many games, your new acquisitions are injury free?

 

Commanders Darrick Forrest enjoying the 2024 offseason

Darrick Forrest thrilled with Washington’s new leadership on and off the field.

Darrick Forrest is thus far enjoying the 2024 offseason.

The Commanders safety, now heading into his fourth NFL season, talked briefly with the Team 980 afternoon host Craig Hoffman after a practice last week.

“It’s been great, getting to know the new coaching staff and learning the new defense”, said Forrest. “Just having fun, getting to know each other.”

To get to know each other, Forrest told Hoffman that they simply got into a room and talked with one another and went over presentations about our lives, and there was boot camp with military coaches, and then as position groups, they also interacted.

“It’s about growing together. If our brotherhood is strong, then I know nothing is going to be able to stop us.”

Hoffman asked Forrest if he could share something he had learned about one of his new teammates. Forrest responded that being around new Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn, has been enjoyable. “Just getting to know his personality, just getting to see his leadership. It’s just great getting to learn from guys that have been able to do it (in the NFL).”

Hoffman asked what Bobby Wagner was like on the field. Forrest responded, “If you could put a gold medal on the field, he’s a gold medal man. He communicates; he sees some things before they happen. And he can get everybody lined up where they need to be. The way he goes about things, they way he gets in here early, the way he takes care of his body, he gets here early in the morning. He goes throughout his day with a routine.”

With new coaches, come new schemes, new emphases. “Now I have a lot more roles, so I am going closer to the line of scrimmage. It’s really about learning the full defense. It’s about knowing how to communicate. I can’t come out here and BS because I know it like the back of my hand. I am still learning things as I am going.”

Forrest also expressed that he is learning from Frankie Luvu. Both Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu were veterans brought in this offseason, and according to everyone, the two linebackers are having a positive effect on the players.

 

Commanders LB Jamin Davis sees a new opportunity

Davis excited about the possibilities of rushing the passer more.

Jamin Davis knows this upcoming season is crucial for him.

Davis spoke with the media, on Wednesday at the OTA in Ashburn.

When asked about the new defense being installed by the new coaching staff, Davis didn’t hesitate in saying, “It’s giving me a chance to just really cut it loose and just go hunt some quarterbacks, honestly.”

The fourth-year linebacker out of Kentucky was surprisingly selected 19th overall by Ron Rivera in the 2021 draft. Davis has had flashes where his athletic ability was observed but he is certainly aware he has not performed near the expectations of a 19th overall selection.

He spoke vaguely of wanting to do something in his past Washington defenses, “but never had an opportunity to do so and I am going to put my best foot forward.”

When asked about this being the final year of his first NFL contract, Davis responded that he doesn’t think about that at all. But then, interestingly offered, “It’s just another chip on your shoulder. You go out there and you try to make some noise as much as possible and hopefully, you do what you can to stay here.”

Davis was thus admitting, he feels he must have his best season thus far, or he will not return in 2025.

Joe Whitt Jr., the Commanders defensive coordinator has Davis’ attention. Davis pointed out that Whitt “comes to work every day and does whatever he needs to do to make this team and defense go in the right direction.” Davis continued, “I don’t think Coach Whitt was BSing around when he said it was a run and hit defense.”

With the Commanders having signed veteran linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, they will likely be starting. What does this mean for Davis’ playing time?

He may be used more as a pass rusher in 2024. He even offered Wednesday, regarding his working some extra with assistant coach Ryan Kerrigan, “He’s been extremely helpful actually. We have been doing things on the side, drills after practice, watching whatever film so I can see what footwork I need to possibly get there a step quicker. Having a guy like that on staff is really beneficial so you can hopefully try to go get his sack number.”

Kerrigan in his ten seasons with Washington accumulated 147 QB Hits in addition to his 95.5 QB sacks. Davis is thinking more about getting after quarterbacks in 2024.