Defensive Line Coach Jacques Cesaire (10.4.24)
Hey, Duce (Staley) just told us he was an average player with a cool name. Is that a fair scouting report?
“No, no. Duce was a heck of a player, a really good just change of pace back, catch passes out the backfield. I mean, he can just… He was a hard runner and the same tenacity that he brought as a player, he brings as a coach. So he’s a heck of a coach, so don’t let him fool you, okay? Duce was a real good player.”
How do you evaluate your room after four weeks going back?
“So, four weeks right now, what you’re seeing is the guys are starting to really just understand what we’re asking them to do. Sometimes they try to do too much, but for the most part, the guys are doing a good job of coming off the ball. They’re doing a good job of knocking people back. It’s nice to see Dalvin (Tomlinson) and Shelby (Harris) in there doing their thing. Myles (Garrett) obviously has been Myles and just rushing his butt off and making plays for us when we need it the most. And it’s just really good to just see some of the young guys that we have in Isaiah McGuire, just some of those guys just coming out and just playing really good football for us.”
What kind of step up was Alex Wright taking this year? I know you noted in mini-camp, I think it was, that he and Isaiah were targeted as two guys that you thought were really going to pop this year. So how was Alex coming along and what kind of a blow is it to be without him?
“Yeah, obviously, Alex, he’s done a great job for us. A guy that just plays multiple positions for us, a great interior rusher, does a good job for us as a defensive end and just being physical in there and just bringing a physical presence in his rush. Obviously, I don’t obviously talk about injuries. I know things have been put out there, but for the most part, not having him is a tremendous blow. But also, it gives great opportunities for other guys, like an Isaiah McGuire, to really step up and play a little bit more because he’s been playing some really good football for us as well.”
So many players and coach say the defensive line is the engine of the entire defense. With Dalvin Thomlison, how does he kind of set the tone for the run defense specifically and everything kind of flowing from there?
“Yeah, just working with a guy like Dalvin, the first thing that people don’t know about Dalvin, he’s just probably one of the best pros I’ve ever been around. I mean, he’s a great team leader, a great leader in the room for us, and just the approach that he brings every day, I really appreciate the type of person that he is. Now as a player, he’s an immovable object. You see him in there, he’s knocking people back. He sets the tone for us, not only in practice, but in the game. So just having him out there doing his thing has just been really good for us. And I think he’s just really starting to scratch the surface of what he can do in this defense for us.”
You mentioned Isaiah, just from even the Dallas game to now, how has he kind of grown, and where is the biggest strides been made for him?
“A lot of people don’t know; Isaiah is a heck of a pass rusher. He’s slippery, he does his thing. He hasn’t had as many opportunities this year to do that. We got some older guys in there, Za’Darius (Smith), Ogbo (Okoronkwo), Myles. But he’s starting to really… I’m starting to get him in the lineup a little bit more. He had a great play for us the other day on that short yardage play where he caused the fumble. Just doing his job. So, with Isaiah, he’s continually growing. He’s continually developing, always staying after practice, getting a little extra work, coming to me, asking for film, such as so he knows exactly what he needs to do in the game. So, I’m really excited about his development and what he can do for us in the near future.”
I know Jacques, even in the spring you had kind of singled him out as a guy who was doing a lot through that offseason program. What did you even see back then, and how has it translated through these opportunities he’s gotten so far?
“Yeah. The main thing I saw from Isaiah was he was hungry, and that’s what you really need. You need guys that are just hungry to play, hungry to win, just hungry to go out there and ball out. And I just saw that every day. He just brought just a tenacity to the field every single day. And you could just see it all the way back to OTAs. Like, ‘Man, this guy, we let this guy… we cut him loose, he’s going to be really good for us’. So, it’s nice to see that development from OTAs to now and seeing him have success. And like I said, he’s going to get a lot more opportunities coming up.”
Is there a different message when you face a quarterback like (Jayden) Daniels, when you’re talking to your D-linemen about keeping him in the pocket or how you deal with a guy with that kind of running ability?
“Yeah, I mean, it seems nowadays that every NFL quarterback has that type of ability. But obviously the rookie (Daniels), he’s done a tremendous job just doing what they’re asking him to do and obviously using his physical tools that he has. He’s always a threat to run. He has a great arm and he’s very accurate. So, we just have to do a good job as a defensive front of just doing what we do. Collapse the pocket, rush the edge, be disciplined in our rush and just get him down when we need to get him down. I know the O-line coach over there, Bobby Johnson, he does a great job with all his units and those guys up front are really gelling together and playing really good football right now. So, it’s going to be a great challenge for us. It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to showcase our skills and I’m excited for this game this weekend.”
What about the challenges of trying to manage Myles when he’s not feeling all that great with the Achilles and the thigh and the foot injury?
“Yeah. So, again, I don’t really talk about guys stuff, but Myles is a professional and he knows how to take care of his body. He knows the things that he needs to do to get ready to play on Sunday. He’s done a great job as a leader, first of all, and he’s just done a good job of just managing everything that comes along with being Myles Garrett. So, I think he’s doing a good job right now fighting through whatever is going on and I really appreciate him. And clearly hasn’t slowed him down too much. There’s not many people that can block him in this league.”
Jim (Schwartz) was talking about the run defense yesterday and Myles, after the game, mentioned it feels like teams are attacking the edges. So, what do you guys have to do better to be better against the run than you were last week?
“Yeah, I mean, some teams have been doing some things that you normally see that teams do against attack fronts, and we just have to play disciplined, sound football. We have to just obviously set the edge. And it’s all three levels have to set an edge at one point or another. Corners have to set the edge on numbers, the alley player has to set the edge and the defensive line has to set the edge with the tackles and the tight ends. So, we just have to just have guys in there that are going to just do their job. I know a lot of guys want to make plays and this defense is designed for our eleven guys to go make plays, but we got to shore up our tackling and just guys just doing their job and I think we’ll be just fine in the run department.”
You guys are close to getting Mike Hall back. How have you seen him handle this time away and kind of prepare himself for finally getting on the field?
“Yeah, Mike has done a great job. I haven’t gotten a lot of time as far as being able to coach him because obviously he’s had to deal with what he has to do. But beforehand, we got really close. That’s another guy that’s extremely hungry and that works extremely hard and works at his craft. So, I can’t wait till that day comes when he can get back on the field with us and start working because I know he is extremely hungry and ready to go.”