Jacoby Brissett isn’t new to being a spot starter for bigger-name quarterbacks; he’s true to this. His media obligations have risen, since he will fill in for beleaguered Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson during his 11-game suspension. However, his media training has some holes in its game.
While being grilled during a recent media obligation about whether he feels any pressure to to emulate Deshaun Watson, Brissett gave them an answer worthy of a Jay-Z-level double entendre.
“It’s very easy for me not to be Deshaun. Trust me,” Brissett said.
Reporter: "Is it hard not to try to be Deshaun [Watson] when you're out there?"
Browns QB Jacoby Brissett: "Oh, it is very easy for me not to be Deshaun. Trust me." pic.twitter.com/HCoicFiEJE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 25, 2022
Is Brissett talking football or personal conduct and alleged predatory habits? That is the question left lingering in the media room and now the NFL universe.
If he’s talking football, then Brissett is a veteran fill-in QB. As a rookie in 2016, Brissett filled in for injured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, starting two games. He also started for Tom Brady when he was suspended for four games during his tenure with the New England Patriots’ deflate-gate scandal. Also, in 2017, Brissett took over 15 games for Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts while he was injured, and that was ahead of 2019, where he filled in for the entire season when Andrew Luck retired.
Brissett also helped Tua Tagovailoa last year, starting five games for the Miami Dolphins while the starter was injured. Basically, Brissett is a gamer who has no problem placing his ego to the side in the fight for the greater good of an NFL team. In this case, Watson’s personal conduct placed the Browns in a precarious position, and Brissett is here to pick up the pieces.
Jacoby Brissett: https://t.co/7ovGBXASKa pic.twitter.com/rtjodiPTbc
— brother rock. (@JayDubya_) August 24, 2022
Brissett, an N.C. State product, was praised for his leadership and commitment to building relationships with his teammates. He immediately showed it during his first year enrolled a the school, when he couldn’t play for the Wolfpack due to NCAA transfer rules. However, making the almost nine-hour drive from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Tallahassee, Florida, to stand on the sidelines when N.C. State played Florida State in 2013 showed his dedication to the team.
Additionally, Brissett split his time with two different collegiate programs. He spent his first two years at Florida, primarily as a backup but played in seven games, and his final two years were at NC State. Brissett passed for 2,606 yards, 23 touchdowns, and had only five interceptions as a redshirt in his junior year. He followed that up with 2,662 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions as a senior.
Brissett left the question open-ended about his ultimate intentions when answering the question about mimicking Watson on the field. As a guy who has always been the ultimate number two, he knows that No. 1 comes with a different level of pressure and expectations. Brissett has been solid as a teammate and outwardly in his personal life, and if he impresses during the first 11 games of the Browns’ season, then he proves his worth as a backup QB.
Is he being low-key snide? Probably, but that is because he has earned it as the ultimate untarnished QB wing man.
