Patriots fans are still buzzing about the fact that the Patriots took quarterback Jacoby Brissett with the 91st pick in the third round of last weekend’s draft. Many pundits felt the Patriots were going to take a quarterback at some point in this draft but no one thought Bill Belichick would take a quarterback on day two and no one thought that it would be Brissett.
When watching Brissett on film, there’s a lot to love about his game. He’s tall and strong in the pocket. He can maneuver around the pocket and extend plays. He’s smart. You can tell by watching Brissett that he can absorb multiple reads, even though he played in a system that called for him to get the ball out in two reads.
There are also things Brissett needs to work on. He has a tendency to take sacks because he’ll stick a read and lock onto one receiver. While he has plus arm strength, his accuracy suffers when things break down and he has to throw on the move. While Brissett is technically sound but he is far from a finished product. Josh McDaniels will need to go back to the fundamentals in mini-camp and refine Brissett’s mechanics.
That is why it is imperative that the Patriots keep it simple early on with Brissett, especially in the passing game. Simple, high percentage concepts are going to be key if the Patriots want Brissett to develop. Obviously running the football effectively will help Brissett’s development but here are five simple passing game concepts that play to Brissett’s strengths.
3-Step: Brissett has a quick, compact delivery which allows him to get the ball out quick in the three step passing game. Brissett was in an empty a fair amount at N.C State so he’s comfortable with calling out the protections and identifying the hot read. The Patriots run a variety of empty formations and they like to run either three step passing plays or perimeter screens out of empty. A simple stick, slant concept like this would allow Brissett to make a pre-snap read, pick a side and get the ball out quick. I don’t care what level we’re talking about. There is no better way to get a quarterback into rhythm early in a game than calling a three step drop passing play.
Sprint Out: Brissett moves well out of the pocket laterally. Teams in the NFL don’t sprint out often unless its a red zone situation. I don’t think its a bad idea to move the pocket for Brissett early on to help him get comfortable playing in the offense.
Simple 5 and 7 Step Concepts: The five and seven step passing game can be complex, especially for young quarterbacks who are coming out of a spread offense in college. Five step concepts in the spread are simple. Most spread teams run five or six five step concepts and that’s all they do. The Patriots will install all of their concepts in mini-camp and training camp but it would help Brissett’s development if the Patriots called simple five step concepts in the pre-season. Brissett does have a tendency to hold the ball. Josh McDaniels needs to call pass plays that will make the reads clear for Brissett and get the ball out of hands. On this play, the read is simple for Brissett. If he gets a zone coverage look, he goes back side to the curl flat. If he gets a blitz look or man to man coverage, he throws front side to the corner, double in cuts.
Perimeter Screens: No team in all of football executes perimeter screens like the Patriots do. Whether they are smoke screens to loose coverage or play action slip screens, the Patriots run a very of perimeter screens that are designed to get their play makers the ball in space. Perimeter screens are an extension of the running game and they can be a young quarterback’s best friend. As I said earlier, perimeter screens are like T.V dinners. They are quick and easy.
Boot-Legs: Boot legs are another easy way to get a quarterback into rhythm, especially on run downs. Brissett moves well enough out of the pocket that plays like this can be effective on 1st+10, 2nd+ short, 2nd + medium, 3rd + short and 3rd + medium. Here, he looks at the tight end in the flat as his number one read.