Curran: Brissett brings ‘invaluable’ element to Patriots’ offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
For now, Jacoby Brissett silenced the faction of New England Patriots fans are demanding Drake Maye to be the team’s starting quarterback.
Brissett led the Patriots to a surprise 16-10 victory during the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. The veteran signal-caller didn’t do anything special, passing for just 121 yards and zero touchdowns, but he did a good job of protecting the ball and adding value that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
Monday Early EditionNBC Sports Boston Patriots insider Tom E. Curran explained how Brissett brings an “invaluable” element to the Patriots’ offense.
“When (head coach Jerod) Mayo was talking about the decision he made, it extended to everything we’ve seen since April,” Curran said. “What does the toolbox look like? What can Jacoby do at the line of scrimmage? There was an interesting thing in the postgame yesterday, I think it was (running back Rhamondre) Stevenson saying he went to Jacoby Brissett and said, ‘We’ve got to run in the gaps, start moving up the middle a little bit more.’ Jacoby Brissett went to (offensive coordinator Alex) Van Pelt and said that.
“I’m sure Drake Maye could have done the same thing and passed on his knowledge, but Drake Maye is also not ready to sit behind center for 60 snaps. So for me, it was invaluable to have an offensive coordinator on the field.”
Brissett begins his second stint in New England with eight years of NFL experience. The 31-year-old journeyman has played 80 games (49 starts) in his career, including 11 starts in 2022 for the team led by Alex Van Pelt The Cleveland Browns attack. Maye may be the more talented quarterback, but Brissett’s football IQ makes him the more sensible option until the rookie first-round pick is ready to take over.
Brissett and the Patriots will look to improve to 2-0 after hosting the The Seattle Seahawks Next Sunday. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
