How Jacoby Brissett can create ‘stability’ as Pats starting QB

How Jacoby Brissett can create ‘stability’ as Pats starting QB originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston

When the New England Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett With a one-year contract in March, their plan for the veteran quarterback was clear.

With Mac Jones traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Brissett was brought in to fill the void for the franchise’s next QB. The Patriots expect the signal-caller to be their third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye.

Although coach Jerod Mayo considered the idea of ​​Maye starting week 1Brissett gives the Patriots the luxury of putting their prized rookie into action.

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“I don’t think there’s any doubt that Jacoby is the starting quarterback right now,” Mayo said on Tuesday. “We can look at these other defenders in the squad, at the same time, it is a question of competition. When we take to the field this summer, with the pads on, we’ll see how it all plays out. spring, I think it’s clear that Jacoby is the most professional guy we have.

So what will Brissett bring to New England this season? Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi joined NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran on Tuesday Early Edition to discuss.

“One of the things that stood out today is David Andrews calling him ‘tough as shit.’ He has the ability to stand there and take hits and, frankly, he’s probably going to have to take some hits until the offensive line situation gets sorted out,” Giardi said. “But he’s going to drive the ball down the field. He’s smart. He’s obviously a good leader. … Players are attracted to him. I think you could see that already during the spring when we were able to watch him play.”

“But there’s a limitation to what he is. I think he tends to – the longer he’s exposed to it, the more you realize there’s a reason why this has only gone so far with him and hasn’t gotten to the next level that maybe the Colts thought they were going to reach a point when they signed him to that nice bridge contract.

Curran believes Brissett will bring something the Patriots haven’t had since the Tom Brady era.

“I think he can bring stability,” he said. “And that’s something that the Patriots maybe had the illusion of having at the end of 2021, but it really wasn’t stable. I mean, we saw Mac Jones kind of plummet towards the end of that year. a good playoff game, but 2022 was a disaster and there was no stability there last year. It was probably the worst quarterback room in the NFL by a fair amount with all the guys that came through. any.

“So to me, we’re five years away from stability on this team. I think the guys on the offensive line can turn around and look and say, ‘He knows what he’s supposed to do and he’s not going to pee on his leg.'”

The Patriots originally selected Brissett in the third round of the 2016 draft. The 31-year-old spent a year in New England before being traded to the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent four seasons. His last three years were spent with the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders.

Curran doesn’t believe in the Maye vs. Maye competition. Brissett it will be like Jones vs. Cam Newton in 2021, but there will still be competition. It will begin on Wednesday when the Patriots take the field behind Gillette Stadium for their first practice.