Next Man Up:

All Not Lost with Jacoby Brissett

By: Michael A. Chase Jr.

8/27/2019

         With the sudden and unfortunate news of Andrew Luck’s retirement this past Saturday the Colts championship aspirations are now in question. Many fans are already sentencing the Colts to a losing season. Along with worrying about the present and future standing of the Indianapolis Colts franchise. All hope should not be lost for the Colts because of the quarterback they have in place to take the reigns. This young man is Jacoby Brissett and many fans both inside and outside of Indy’s fanbase I believe will soon find out how solid of an option at QB he is. This piece will look to elaborate on the career and skillset of Brissett. While describing the different parts of his game that are strong and need improvement for him to prove he is a viable starting quarterback

            In terms of Brisset’s career this now 26-year-old quarterback was drafted 91st overall by the New England Patriots in the 3rd round of the 2016 draft. He played in 3 regular season games with New England including starting a week 3 game against the Houston Texans. In that game he went 11-19 for 103 yards, along with 8 rushes for 48 yards including a 27-yard touchdown run in a 27-0 win. Brissett had to have thumb surgery later in the year, but he clearly displayed his potential. Brissett then got his first extended opportunity to be a starter in the NFL when he was traded to the Colts September 2nd, 2017. It was with this trade Brissett’s first true opportunity as a starter had been presented and the production needed to follow.

            Brissett made his Colts starting debut in Week 2 of the 2017 year. Brissett had several flashes during the season, displaying the potential he had as a solid starting quarterback. He finished the 2017 year with a stat line of 3,098 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, while completing 58.8% of his passes. He also rushed for 260 yards and 4 touchdowns on 63 attempts. These numbers are not eye-popping among the quarterback world, but he had his moments where he flashed the talents he possessed. The first came in a Week 3 31-28 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Brissett completed 17-24 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown, while accumulating two rushing touchdowns to lead the Colts to their first victory of 2017. The second occurred in a 26-23 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. This game Brissett threw for 314 yards and one interception, while rushing for another 14 with a touchdown. This would be one of Brissett’s two 300-yard passing games this season. The other came against division rival Houston Texans in a 20-13 Week 9 win. As Brissett threw for 308 and 2 touchdowns while completing 66.7 % of his passes. These stat lines showed Brissett is capable of highly effective play at the Quarterback position in the NFL.

            Overall in a 4-12 campaign Brissett had his ups and downs, though to put up some of the performances he did with such little help around him is to be acknowledged. Again, the numbers do not jump out at you, but there is clearly something there to work with to mold a very capable starter. Brissett gained valuable experience during the 2017 year that will help him be far more prepared to take the reigns in 2019.

            Now as far as his game overall, he has his strengths and weaknesses at the position. The good thing is the parts of his game that need to improve should come with more consistent reps. At his 6’4” 238 lbs. he has good size at the Quarterback position allowing him to stand tall in the pocket. This frame makes him far tougher than other QB’s to bring down because he can use his strength to shed tacklers. He has a strong arm, as well as, the athleticism to utilize his legs to extend plays and be used as a runner. Plus, he has shown good leadership skills and a confidence in Frank Reich’s offense that should give the team around him confidence in him. It especially helps him now that he has a much better supporting cast around him then he did in 2017. With now plenty of talented targets at receiver and tight end. Along with a strong running game, and one of the best offensive lines in football he has now plenty of help on offense to make his job easier. Add in a strong defense and the Colts have everything in place for Brissett to succeed. Brissett has all the physical tools to be a quality starting quarterback it is some of nuances of the position he must now master to reach his full potential.

            The main parts of his game that he must improve are his reading of defenses, his ball security, and an uptick in accuracy. As far as his reading of defenses this will improve with more reps this coming season as he will take from his 2017 experiences. While also continuing to learn the holes in coverages and how to identify and set protections during the year. Being a smart individual, along with having a great offensive mind like Frank Reich as his coach Brissett should further develop the mental side of his game. With that comes smarter and quicker decision making which in football always leads to positive results. The improvement of this aspect of his game will then aid him in bettering his ball security. As Brissett in his NFL career has thrown 7 interceptions while losing 5 fumbles. The main issue he has is with fumbles as he has put the ball on the ground 14 times in 23 career appearances. He needs to clean up this issue and this will occur with growing pocket awareness which will come with reps. Brissett needs to more consistently maneuver in the pocket to better protect the ball. He already shows the ability to make multiple reads efficiently, just needs to improve his decision making. He has shown development in this department this preseason which is a great sign. Brissett’s accuracy while not an issue in my eyes does need to increase. As with him completing 58.8% of his passes in his one full year of starting is not impressive. He does have a quick release and good repeatable throwing motion that is conducive to becoming a consistent passer. He does not have a huge wind up and ball placement is quality in most cases. He just needs to be more consistent on his deep ball to utilize his speed threats at receiver down the field. Plus, if his decisiveness improves to where he trusts his reads more then the ball will usually get to where it needs to be. Overall these are just minor tweaks that with time and further live reps can be corrected and then you have a strong starting QB.

            In the end while it is sad for the Colts and their fanbase such a great talent like Andrew Luck had to retire so suddenly. They do have a pretty good contingency plan in place with Jacoby Brissett. He may not be a sexy name, but with a full year of starting in 2017 under his belt he is more prepared now for this opportunity. He is going into his second year in Frank Reich’s offense so familiarity in the system also exists. Plus, with the great team around him he will have plenty of help to make his job manageable. The Colts fans must now pivot and put their faith in Brissett this season. With the team around him and his own skillset and experience, if he plays solidly the Colts still have a chance to be a playoff team in the AFC.