Jacoby Brissett did not see a single snap in last week's preseason game with the Lions, but there should be no shortage of work available for him on Thursday night. It could be his opportunity to finish what has been a rocky summer on a positive note.
The second-year signal-caller out of North Carolina State has seen very little in terms of practice repetitions behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, and the repetitions he has received have not always been pretty. Though his strong arm has been on display consistently, it has at times gotten him into trouble as throws sailed high and hard for their intended targets early in camp.
In the two preseason games in which he played, he expressed some frustration when judging his own play. He told CSNNE.com that he wished he was able to get into a rhythm more quickly, and he explained that he wasn't seeing the field as clearly as he would have liked.
"I think I'm throwing the ball good," he said. "I don't think that's the issue. I think it's more so just my eyes and the timing of everything. I don't think it's throwing -- actually throwing. I think it's the mechanics of playing the game."
There were some signs of progress for Brissett between the preseason opener to the exhibition in Houston earlier this month. Whereas the Patriots offense had trouble moving the football late against the Jaguars with Brissett behind center, he was able to put his team in position to take the lead late in the fourth quarter against the Texans. Under pressure for 12 of the 29 snaps he saw at NRG stadium, Brissett made a handful of throws that were inches away -- either because a toe didn't come down in bounds, or because drops or an issue -- from changing the overall outlook of his night.
Instead, he finished the game by fumbling out of the back of the Texans end zone.
"I felt like I was getting my rhythm," Brissett said. "But you can't really remember all that stuff when the last play happens like that. It's the last one."
Brissett went on to say after the game that he wasn't sure how the coaching staff reviewed his progress to this point in his second year. It may be difficult for Brissett to prove how far he has come in his development against what is expected to be a bevy of backups for the Giants, but here are some of the things the former third-round pick can do Thursday to show he's a better quarterback than he was when camp opened.
REIN IT IN
Belichick has said in the past that quarterbacking comes down to good decision-making and accuracy. The second piece to that has been an issue at times for Brissett this preseason, but Brissett said following the Texans game that he felt as though his mechanics were not part of the problem. He'll have a chance to prove it Thursday.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
When Brissett is presented with options, not only will he be expected to make the right choice, he'll be expected to do it with pace. During the preseason, there have been times when it has appeared as though Brissett held onto the football longer than necessary. Is he trying to decipher where his teammates -- many of them new this season -- will be? Is he simply hesitant to pull the trigger? If Brissett can get the football out of his hands quickly by making the correct pre- and post-snap reads, that could go a long way in terms of helping him feel as though he's into the rhythm of the game more quickly.
FEELING THE RHYTHM
This was something we touched upon before the Lions game as it related to Tom Brady. The future Hall of Famer wanted to get into a rhythm in Detroit before coming out. How long that might take was uncertain. Brissett will have plenty of time to get into rhythm against the Giants, but how long that takes will be worth watching. How well is he moving in and out of the Patriots huddle? How well is he handling the clock? Are his teammates lined up correctly? How is Brissett handling the calls at the line of scrimmage? Does he seem to be in control? None of these things will show up on the stat sheet, but they could be indicators of whether or not the quarterback is comfortable.
I am of the belief that Brissett will be on the Patriots 53-man roster when cuts are made this weekend. The position he plays is too valuable. Depth there is too valuable -- particularly when the starter is 40 and his backup is in the final year of his rookie deal. Still, even if Brissett's spot looking safe from this angle, a good performance against the Giants this week couldn't hurt for a quarterback who feels as though he's improving and wants to prove it.