Tom E. Curran weighs in on the value that Jacoby Brissett’s experience and communication brought to the Patriots win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
For now, Jacoby Brissett has silenced the faction of New England Patriots fans clamoring for Drake Maye to be the team's starting quarterback.
Brissett led the Patriots to a 16-10 upset victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. The veteran signal-caller didn't do anything special, passing for only 121 yards with zero touchdowns, but he succeeded in protecting the football and added value that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.
On Monday's Early Edition, NBC Sports Boston's Patriots insider Tom E. Curran explained how Brissett brings an "invaluable" element to the Patriots offense.
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"When (head coach Jerod) Mayo was talking about the decision that he made, it stretches back to the entirety of since April what we've seen," Curran said. "What's the toolbox look like? What's Jacoby able to do at the line of scrimmage? There was an interesting aspect to the postgame yesterday, I think it was (running back Rhamondre) Stevenson said that he went to Jacoby Brissett and said, 'We've got to run some gap runs, start getting up the middle a little bit more.' Jacoby Brissett went to (offensive coordinator Alex) Van Pelt and said that.
"Look, I'm sure that Drake Maye could have done the same thing and transferred the knowledge, but Drake Maye's not ready to sit under center for 60 snaps either. So to me, it was invaluable to have a co-offensive coordinator on the field."
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Brissett begins his second stint in New England with eight years of NFL experience. The 31-year-old journeyman has played in 80 games (49 starts) during his career, including 11 starts in 2022 for the Alex Van Pelt-led Cleveland Browns offense. Maye might 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 Seattle Seahawks next Sunday. Kickoff for that matchup is set for 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
