Brissett brings it in finale
Impresses with roster spot maybe on line
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s impressive performance in the preseason finale probably didn’t do too much to change the Patriots’ perception of the thirdstringer.
Their decision to keep him — or, in a seemingly less likely scenario, to part ways — for a second season probably would have been based on a greater philosophical approach about their future at quarterback, more so than Brissett’s production in a game against the Giants that featured backups across the board.
The Patriots have been so overcautiously proactive in the event of an emergency succession plan for Tom Brady that it would conflict with their pattern if they cut bait with Brissett in time for today’s cuts. That’s why they continuously hung up the phone on the Browns during their repeated attempts to pry away Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.
But even with all of that in mind, the Patriots surely had to be encouraged with Brissett in his most extended action of the summer. It was a far different workload than he has grown accustomed to getting, as Brady maintains exclusive command on the starting reps at practice with Garoppolo taking over the backup responsibilities. On days when time is tight, Brissett might only get a period or two to work with the third string.
So for Brissett to complete 28-of-39 passes for 341 yards, four touchdowns and an interception and run four times for 29 yards and a score, the Patriots saw production, some rhythm and a variety of strengths to accentuate and weaknesses to develop with his long-term arc in mind.
For the good, Brissett made a quick read before delivering a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cody Hollister in the first quarter. Hollister instantly established leverage off the snap to get into his fade pattern, and Brissett put the ball on the money for the 7-0 lead.
Brissett also responded from an ugly pick-six that could have derailed his night with a crisp touchdown drive, including fast decisions and accurate throws on his first three attempts (two to Austin Carr, one to James O’Shaughnessy). The scoring toss to Carr was perhaps the simplest of the night.
Maybe the most impressive quality, Brissett never looks to run first even when he is having success with his legs. That’s a bad habit that young, athletic quarterbacks usually fall into, but Brissett keeps his head downfield in the face of the rush, which happened fairly consistently due to the backup offensive line that was tasked to protect him.
He put that on display in the third quarter, first when he evaded a collapsing pocket by moving left and throwing across his body to Devin Lucien for 11 yards. Right after, right tackle Conor McDermott got beat for an instant pressure, and Brissett scrambled for 10 yards. It was the right play, but again, it was out of necessity and Brissett didn’t fall in love with the running game after that.
Speaking of athleticism, Brissett was vulnerable to a blitzing safety, absorbed a hit and made a pinpoint throw to Lucien for a 12-yard touchdown to cap that drive. There was another instance in the fourth quarter when Brissett evaded two rushers to shovel a 6-yard pass to LeShun Daniels, and he also ducked out of a hard takedown prior to Stephen Gostkowski’s go-ahead field goal, drumming up what-ifs with Matt Ryan in Super Bowl LI. And of course, Brissett’s juke move on his 4-yard touchdown run would cause Brian Urlacher to shudder while conjuring up memories of Brady’s infamous anklebreaking shake.
The strength and athleticism are complementary attributes that can be contained if Brissett isn’t a pocket passer. Granted, the speed of the game was slower due to the level of competition on the field, but Brissett delivered impressive tosses to O’Shaughnessy (stepping up in the pocket to fire off a 15-yarder), Jacob Hollister (tight window for a 4-yard touchdown) and Lucien (in stride for 45 yards). Brissett also displayed admirable pocket poise when two offensive linemen got beat off the snap and he shuffled to his third read to hit D.J. Foster for 23 yards on thirdand-10 in the fourth quarter.
There, of course, were misses. McDermott didn’t give Brissett any help by whiffing on Kerry Wynn prior to the interception that Wynn returned for a touchdown. However, Brissett is responsible for the ball and the read, and the blame ultimately fell on him.
Brissett also threw behind Jacob Hollister on a 9-yarder on the opening drive. He got away with it, but that’s the type of misfire that could be more dangerous against steeper competition. And there was a short hop on an incompletion to Tony Washington for a potential 15-yard gain.
On the whole, it was a largely positive performance, and the Patriots should be optimistic with Brissett’s growth this summer. He isn’t ready yet, not that they need him to be, but the arrow is still pointing upward for the 2016 thirdround draft pick.