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INDIANAPOLIS – Since May, the Colts have had 29 practices in which their starting offense has matched up against their starting defense.
In every single one of those practices, it’s been Jacoby Brissett leading the starting offense.
While there’s some positive evidence of an improving Andrew Luck, we are still far away from a guarantee that No. 12 will be under center Week One.
For many teams around the NFL, such uncertainty around their franchise quarterback would lead to mass chaos.
But not the Colts.
They continue to remain very confident in what Brissett brings to the position.
Chris Ballard has turned down trade offers before on Brissett, wanting that security behind Luck.
During Training Camp, Ballard explained to Yahoo! Sports’ Terez Paylor how impressed the GM became in Brissett following the 2017 season to forget.
“We put him in a tough situation and let me tell you this, he didn’t flinch,” Ballard said to Yahoo!. “He didn’t make an excuse, all he did was prepare and perform. Jacoby’s a legitimate guy.”
Brissett’s numbers from that 4-12 season weren’t eye popping:
276-of-469 (58.8 percent), 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, 7 interceptions.
But he was thrown into a horrible situation behind a terrible offensive line.
Watching Brissett from afar during that 2017 season is why Frank Reich is such a fan of the QB’s toughness.
Since then, Reich believes Brissett has grown in important areas of accelerated vision and accuracy.
Reich expands on that, while also mentioning the handling of pass protection responsibilities as somewhere Brissett has made needed strides.
“The quarterback and the center really have to have complete control over that,” Reich says. “I think Jacoby has made major – he was good last year, I really think he’s made major strides to get really good in that area.
“And then just generally speaking, getting the ball out quick with rhythm, with timing. Jacoby has got that big arm, he can get the ball down the field. But we still (are) always working for rhythm and timing in the pass game and then still taking advantage of his big arm when we can.”
The Colts needing to rely on Brissett for those things could (hopefully?) be coming to an end soon.
And Reich wants to have a regular season decision on the quarterback position, whether Luck is healthy enough or if Brissett needs to continue to fulfill this 2019 role a little bit longer.
“By the end of the third preseason game I think you just have to know something,” Reich said of the decision coming this weekend. “You’ve got to be able to make a call, a move, and move from there. Whether we’re full speed with Andrew after that third preseason game or at that point are we going to go with Jacoby? So we’ll make that decision when that time comes.”
