Brandon Cisse: "The Goal is to Be Perfect"
NC State cornerback Brandon Cisse met with the media ahead of the Wolfpack's upcoming matchup versus Northern Illinois.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Cisse’s interview.
On the Huskies...
They’re a great, physical football team. They’re going to come in here, and obviously they're coming off a tough loss versus Buffalo. It’s an extremely great team that went on a road and beat Notre Dame. Every week is going to be a competition for us, and I'm not expecting a slouch or anything like that. I'm expecting a great team to come here and fight with pride. I know they've got a great rushing attack. They can throw the ball, too, with some great play action and things like that, so we've got to play with great eyes and great discipline. Overall, they’re a really good football team. They’re very capable of coming in here and making good plays.
On the competition in practice…
I think it's been more physical. We obviously know about our tackling issues, missed run fits, and things like that, but it’s definitely been physical. You can definitely see an eagerness to get [rid of] the bad stuff that we put on tape. We're not proud of that. That’s not the defense Coach [Tony Gibson] has put on tape or that we've had here. We're obviously excited to get it off tape. That's why we come in here for practice, and we’re excited for the challenge.
On balancing leaving the past behind them and learning from the missteps…
The whole defense, you've got to have a short-term memory. It's not just playing corner. There are going to be times where you're in great position, yet you give up a catch. That just comes with the game, but you’ve got to keep lining up, ready to come back at it and make a play. That’s the biggest thing. Obviously, we can't take last week’s [performance] and roll into this week because that'll just make a bad showing on Saturday. We’ve got to have a great attitude and get ready to play.
On the younger players he’s seen step up…
All the young guys are doing a really good job. Obviously, it’s great to see C.J. [Bailey], K.C. [Concepcion], Keenan [Jackson], Terrell [Anderson] and all those guys. Everybody we go against in practice can put on a great show. Everybody's trying to be the best version of themselves because, at the end of the day, it benefits everyone.
On the young players on the defensive side of the ball…
The D-linemen, the young D-linemen, are going to be really, really good. I think Justin Terrell is doing a really good job. It's good to see him out there, getting a little bit more playing. We'll see where it goes, but I'm excited to see the young D-linemen.
If he prefers playing outside cornerback…
That's a tough question. Personally, I don't know if I like that or the slot more. I'm comfortable playing both. It's something I'm used to. I definitely do enjoy being back out there. There's a lot of different scenes. Obviously, we use me in a lot of different roles, so I'm excited for wherever that takes me. If we need me to play nickel one week, and that's what we've got to do, and if I need to play corner, so be it. It really doesn't matter.
On what allows him to play anywhere in the secondary…
I'd probably say just my IQ, knowing what Coach Gibby wants. I talk with him all the time. Coach [Brian] Mitchell does a really good job with me and developing me, not just being a corner. I can talk to any secondary coach, and they'd probably be comfortable with me playing any role because I have knowledge of the game. I study so much of the game and what other people do. I want to know every single tendency. My size probably helps with that, too, being long-armed and being able to run.
On taking the mistakes versus Clemson personally.
I take those things very personally. I take every game personally. I evaluate my bad clips before I look at anything I did well because there are always things I need to clean up. I want to know every flaw. Obviously, the goal is to be perfect, so we’re trying to strive for that. You're obviously going to make mistakes, but that’s why we’re here to learn from it, and that’s we go out there on the practice field: so we can get that stuff off the tape.