PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK JACOBY BRISSETT
PRESS CONFERENCE
September 25, 2024
Q: How do you feel coming out of the weekend after what happened Thursday and the bonus practice on Monday? How do you feel about where you're at and where your team is at?
JB: Refreshed, excited for this opportunity. We've got a good week of preparation coming up; obviously, it starts with today. Like I said, we had the bonus day, but definitely excited about this week and this opportunity that we have.
Q: Jerod mentioned self-scouting I think one of the last times we talked with him. I don't know, with just time and space to kind of look back at your three games so far, anything you've learned looking at either yourself or your offense that maybe you didn't last time we chatted with you?
JB: I mean, obviously, I'm not going to give you the details of it because I'm sure somebody from San Fran is watching. But it was a good time to really reflect on the things that we do well as an offense, I guess honing in on the details to do those better. A lot of the other things that we're obviously trying to work on, either don't do them, or work on that in practice to get them better so that when it comes to the game, we're honestly better at it. But really honing in on the things that we're good at.
Q: Jacoby, you were quoted as saying after the Jets game – I think you were sacked five times and hit 10 times. You said, 'I always get up.' How do you guard against the situation you're in right now? Do you have to take a fresh mental approach? Do you have to remind yourself of that going into each game? You are getting hit a lot. So, how do you prepare for that, or is it the same as always?
JB: Yeah, I just keep getting up.
Q: When it comes to some of the things that you guys feel like you're doing well, how do you feel about your play-action passing game right now?
JB: Yeah, it's getting better. In the last game, we hit Pop [DeMario Douglas] on a big play on the play-action. We're going to run the ball. We run the ball really well. So, obviously, teams are going to react to our run-actions and stuff like that. So, it's the fourth game, so we're still getting better at it and still honing in on details as far as what concepts and stuff that we like off our run-actions and what runs that we are trying to give the defense the illusion that we're running. So, I think over the last couple days we've done a good job with the quote-unquote 'self-scout' to be able to say, 'Hey, these are the runs that we're good at, and these are the ones that teams know that we're good at that we're going to try and sell plays off of.'
Q: As a quarterback, can you feel when the defense is really trying to stop the run and when maybe it's a good time to call play-action to catch them off guard?
JB: I think it's all part of the flow of the game, but yeah.
Q: Outside of being able to get extra rest on a Thursday night game, what are some of the benefits of being able to have some extra time as you get ready for this game on Sunday?
JB: Yeah, extra rest. I think that's the main thing, is just extra rest and new energy, I would say. Yeah, I think those are the two main things.
Q: Can you watch film more, though? Does it allow you to watch things maybe a little differently, some added film?
JB: Not differently, but I guess you get more time to watch film, yeah.
Q: I know it's a small sample size through three games, but Rhamondre's [Stevenson] three fumbles early in the season. What's your confidence level in your running back at this point?
JB: Unwavering. I pronounced that right, right? Unwavering? Yeah, for sure. He's one of the best running backs in the league. I mean, I'm not too worried about that.
Q: Do you think you're closer, or where do you think you need to be as an offense? Have you found your identity yet, or is it still kind of a work in progress as you go game to game?
JB: Yeah, exactly. It's a work in progress as you go game-to-game. It's like the whole thing. You're closer than you think, but you also are farther than you believe, too, you know what I mean? It's about that balance of being in between those two. Like I said, I guess the four days, three days, or whatever we had off, it was time to, I guess, kind of get closer in a mindset of, 'Hey, what are we trying to become, and what can we do well?' At least push that part that we do well up a little bit more so that we get a little bit closer, so that other things start to fall in line and become better.
Q: Is that a sense of urgency that you think needs to be added, or is it just part of the process?
JB: Yeah, it's part of the process. I think it's part of the process. Like you said, it's early in the season. It's Week 4 of the season, then you go week-to-week. It's early, but we're definitely trending in the right direction.
Q: Jacoby, this 49ers defense, just what are your general impressions? What sticks out the most about them?
JB: I mean, it's talent all around the field. A group that has been together – not in this system – but together for a long time. A lot of good players. The system, they play it well. They run fast. They get to the ball. They've got All-Pro, Pro Bowl players at all three levels of the defense. They know it. They play with, I guess, the confidence about themselves that it's not a play on the field that they can't make, which, to their credit, is somewhat true. A lot of team speed, a lot of physical play, so it's going to definitely be a hard-hat game for us for sure.
Q: Jacoby, David Andrews was just talking about how there's been moving pieces on the offensive line. What's your message to that group with some of the issues they've this season?
JB: Just keep battling. Keep battling. It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's coming. It's about going out there, keep battling, put your best foot forward, and trust in the process that when it clicks, it clicks. Like the question with the running back, my confidence doesn't change with the O-line. The plays are going to come. They're going to settle in. It's week-to-week each week, and if we put our best foot forward, we'll be alright.
Q: How much has your past NFL experience helped you when it comes to dealing with the adversity?
JB: I think over these last three days, I think for one of the more times in my career, I actually reflected on a lot of situations and times that I've been in my career. Only playing, not playing, different seasons of how things have gone. I think over these last couple days, I really reflected. It puts a lot of things in perspective from a holistic viewpoint, but also from a day-to-day. It was funny that I actually did reflect. I'm not BS-ing, but I actually did reflect.
Q: What were some of the memories that came to mind when you did that?
JB: You talk about getting hit. My first year in Indy [Indianapolis], I got hit a lot. But you still keep getting up. Just that aspect. Plays and situational parts in the game, plays that I like and plays that I don't like. You go to watch plays that played off a certain play. The league is kind of in a cycle, you know what I mean? These plays were working 25 years ago; we were all running the same plays. Just being able to look back on certain plays and certain situations as far as situational football and seasons of NFL life, just stuff like that.
Q: Do you reflect with these guys at all about your experience? When it comes to saying, 'Guys, keep doing this, keep doing that, it'll come, trust me?' Are you vocal, or do you get angry at them, saying, 'Let's go. We've got to get it together?
JB: I wouldn't say I'm an angry person – anymore. Not today yet, at least. You share those experiences because there's a lot of players on our team that haven't played that much football in the league. We sit at a table, and we hang out a lot in the cafeteria and stuff. Either I'm telling a story, or David [Andrews] is telling a story, Hunter [Henry] is telling a story, K.J. [Osborn] is telling a story. We have a lot of guys that do have a lot of experience in the league, so just sharing those experiences. The cool part about it is we've all kind of went through similar situations, but we all took different routes to get on the other side of it. I think that's the cool part about being in the locker room.
Q: Dating back to the idea of learning about that process, I think there was a game in Indy where you were sacked 10 times. Do you remember how you responded to that game?
JB: Kept getting up.
Q: The reflecting. Are you on a couch? Are you walking along the beach?
JB: There ain't no beaches up here that I go to. I guess sitting on my couch. I'm not going to tell you if I'm sitting on my bed. That would be a little different.
