Among the major topics surrounding the Indianapolis Colts this offseason comes at the quarterback position, which is a storyline that has been following the team for the last few offseasons.
Following the retirement of Philip Rivers, the Colts are once again searching for a quarterback to take over the reins of Frank Reich’s offense. It could be a veteran free agent. It could be a rookie in the 2021 NFL draft. And even though we don’t like to think about it, it could very well be Jacoby Brissett.
While most Colts fans and analysts saw Brissett isn’t starting material, Stephen A. Smith said on “First Take” believes he deserves another shot at the starting role.
“I happen to believe that Jacoby Brissett can play. I don’t think he’s a scrub,” Smith said. “We know it was Philip Rivers’ team—they gave him $25 million for one year—but the bottom line is this, Jacoby Brissett the year before, although it was a 7-8 record in the 15 games he played, threw for nearly 3,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He’s got some motor, he’s not a stationary target, and I don’t think that Sam Darnold can be viewed as a significant upgrade to Jacoby Brissett at this particular moment in time and because of that, it would not shock me at all if Indy ended up keeping Jacoby Brissett and giving him an opportunity now that he’s been in Indy with Frank Reich.”
Brissett’s 2019 season as the starter was the epitome of a tale of two halves. The Colts were 5-2 through the first seven games and Brissett’s efficiency numbers were off the charts. In that span, Brissett was completing 64.5% of his passes for 1,590 yards, 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He had a 6.1% touchdown rate, which is a very high number. The league average hovers around 4%.
Of course, it all came crashing down during the second half of the season. In the eight games following, Brissett completed 56.9% of his passes for 1,352 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. It was a colossal regression that doomed Indy’s chances of making the playoffs that season.
Some like to blame it on the knee injury Brissett suffered in the Week 9 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That likely had a part. But defenses also realized that Brissett doesn’t throw downfield. His processing skills proved to be lacking, and he rarely took shots to move the offense.
The Colts know what they have in Brissett. He’s a solid backup quarterback but he’s proven he won’t be a game-changer if he’s a starter.
The Colts do love Brissett, though. They love what he represents in the locker room and in the community.
So while we may want the Colts to go in another direction, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he wound up returning for another season if Chris Ballard can’t find a significant upgrade.
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