Weis believes in rookie
Thinks ex-pupil able to lead Pats to win
Jacoby Brissett sure didn’t look like a first-timer Sunday afternoon. The third-string quarterback showed tremendous poise coming off the bench to help the Patriots take down the Dolphins.
PATRIOTS BEAT Karen Guregian
With the short turnaround before the Texans arrive Thursday night, it’s just hard imagining Brissett being able to run the offense in the same manner as Tom Brady’s initial fill-in Jimmy Garoppolo, who had it clicking on all cylinders before suffering a shoulder injury.
Should we expect a vanilla offense with Brissett primarily handing off and only throwing occasionally (which is pretty much what he was asked to do after coming on in relief of Garoppolo)?
If you ask former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who recruited, coached and mentored Brissett for a year while at the University of Florida, it would be unwise to underestimate the rookie. In his eyes, Brissett always has been ahead of the curve.
“No one was counting on Jacoby being that starting quarterback this week, but I know one thing,” Weis said when reached yesterday. “The guy who’s probably going to be the most ready out of all of them for Jacoby to count on, is Jacoby. He has a lot of confidence in himself. He’s a hard-working, diligent guy. He’s a team guy. I think he’ll really be looking forward to the opportunity.”
Weis said it would also be unwise to sell Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels short. Just as they did with Garoppolo, they’ll tailor a game plan
‘He has a lot of confidence in himself. He’s a hardworking, diligent guy.’ — CHARLIE WEIS On Jacoby Brissett
that suits Brissett against the Texans. They went heavy with LeGarrette Blount and the run game because the circumstances and score of the game dictated it on Sunday.
Perhaps they’ll want to keep Brissett out of harm’s way — meaning away from the pass rush of J.J. Watt and company — or maybe dial up the short, quick passing game that doomed the Texans last year in a 27-6 Pats win.
“Between that head coach and that offensive coordinator and that staff, they know what Jacoby’s capable of doing at this time,” Weis said. “They’ve got plenty of evidence. The kid played a whole bunch in preseason. He’s got a whole bunch of reps. It’s not like they don’t have any idea what he can do. So they know what he’s capable of, and they’re going to take that and apply that against what they feel will beat the Texans and put them in the best position to win.”
While Weis wanted to make it clear he wasn’t speaking for the Patriots, or pretending to know their plan, he still follows the team. And of course, he has a special attachment to Brissett. He couldn’t help but watch with pride as Brissett helped secure Sunday’s win over Miami.
“I’m a big Jacoby fan. I love the kid. It didn’t surprise me at all that he went in there and had composure,” Weis said. “You can say whatever you want, you’re nervous the first time you go in there as a young guy. But you’d never know by looking at him.”
Yesterday, both Belichick and McDaniels also lauded Brissett for how he managed a difficult situation, and the composure he displayed in the pocket.
Weis especially loved Jacoby’s one-handed snag of a high snap from center and seamless handoff to Blount.
“That play right there was a great play,” Weis said. “He caught it with his right hand and still handed off on a speed sweep. I mean, that was a great play.”
But again, just as there’s a drop from Brady to Garoppolo, there’s also a drop from Garoppolo to Brissett.
That’s why it’s going to be interesting to see how the brain trust tackles the game plan for Brissett. With a short week, Weis couldn’t imagine McDaniels putting in “100,000 new things” just for Jacoby. But they’ll adapt, just the same.
“I’m sure Jacoby is going to do his job for them to win, but more than anything, I think this is a perfect Bill situation,” Weis said. “Bill gets to put pressure on the whole team. Jimmy played well enough in the first game, and was playing great in the second game, so the team wasn’t looking at him like a backup quarterback. The team was looking at him like a starting quarterback. Now with Jacoby coming in, you know how Bill says, ‘do your job,’ well, everyone’s going to feel, I wouldn’t say onus, but everyone needs to know they’ve got to pick it up some to help carry the load.”
Weis thinks the new motto for Thursday might have to be: “do your job a little better.”
“I can bet Dante (Scarnecchia) is all over those offensive linemen right now, how much they have to pick it up, how they have to dominate the line of scrimmage to win that game,” Weis said. “And Ivan (Fears) is telling those running backs the same thing, and (Brian) Daboll is telling the tight ends that. Everyone’s talking about doing their job, and doing it better.”
But for Brissett, it’s unknown what doing his job will mean as a starter — coming in without a 21-0 lead and with little prep time.
“I’ll be excited to watch,” Weis said. “I’m really pulling for the Patriots, but selfishly, I’m pulling for Jacoby. I’d really like to see him do well. He’s a really good kid, and I wish nothing but the best for him. So I’m rooting for him.”