Jacoby Brissett – September 22, 2021
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Wednesday, September 22, 2021
QB Jacoby Brissett
(You said you always prepare as a starter and you’re ready for these moments when you get called on. Just kind of your mentality as you led practice today.) – “Yeah, I mean nothing has changed. Obviously I’m taking the bulk of the reps. It’s just my mentality. Like I said, nothing has changed from when I said Sunday that I feel like I’m a starter so I prepare that way. There’s no difference in my preparation this week than there was last week.”
(When did Head Coach Brian Flores give you the final nod that it’s going to be you this week.) – “We talked about it today.”
(So if I told you when you were like 10 years old that at some point in your life, you would start at quarterback for the Dolphins – thinking back to your 10-year-old self, what would you have said or thought?) – “Not a chance in hell that I would probably make it this far. (laughter) Definitely not playing for the Dolphins. Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
(Were you a Dolphins fan growing up?) – “No, I was not a football fan. Yeah. Crazy.”
(I guess you talked about having the rep difference. Obviously now that you’re the guy, what is it like chemistry-wise when you get those reps in a game week versus when you don’t?) – “It makes a tremendous difference because you are getting those reps with the guys and you can talk through things that not only you see but you feel when you’re out there. I think that’s just been the most important thing from today was a lot of those guys, just us getting on the same page not only just from the physical part but the mental part too.”
(You took some hits Sunday and you needed a little time getting up from one of the hits in the game. Physically, how did you come out of Sunday?) – “I’m good. Like I said, I’m still standing with a smile. If I’m laying on the ground for a while it’s just I want to catch my breath. (laughter) It’s nothing too dramatic. I’ll get up next time faster though for you. (laughter)”
(So you weren’t a football fan at age 10. How did that evolution come along and who made you into a football fan?) – “I mean I still played football. I just loved basketball. I had favorite football players obviously growing up. My older brothers played football, so that was just my way to stay connected with them and with our neighborhood friends. My mom made sure I played multiple sports and not just concentrate on basketball. Then I stopped growing, so therefore I needed to take this a little serious. That’s what made me stop liking basketball.”
(You said after the game Sunday that you did not view yourself as a backup, that you viewed yourself as a starter. Is that mentality what kept you going through camp to be prepared for this moment?) – “I think that’s been my mentality since I got in the league. That’s what I just – I’ve been in situations where I honestly didn’t know when my chances and my opportunity was going to come. So I just wanted to make sure when I went out there I put my best foot forward and just stick with that mindset. It’s put me in good situations.”
(Early in the 2019 season, when you were starting, you played very, very well in terms of touchdowns to interception percentage… What are some of the things that you remember were going really well for you at that time, that you’d love to see continue here?) – “It really just comes down to confidence. Obviously that was years ago with a different team. I think this will present some of the same opportunities with the guys and them feeling my confidence in them and also in myself and what we’re doing in our plan against who we’re going against. I think the only thing that really matters is that it’s really about us. If we do what we’re supposed to do to take care of ourselves, that will take care of what we need to take care of.”
(What stands out to you about the Las Vegas defense?) – “They’re playing really well right now, obviously. They’re playing really well. They’ve got a lot of good players. Obviously their front is causing some havoc. They’ve got some good players on the edge covering. Gus (Bradley) is doing a good job with those guys.”
(Do you remember watching how the Dolphins were able to win their game in Las Vegas last year and what was your reaction to that game?) – “(laughter) Well when I was in Indy, I think we needed the Dolphins to win for us to go to the playoffs. We definitely stayed up a little too late for that game. Yeah, I remember ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and Mack (Hollins) make that play. Hopefully it doesn’t come down to that.”
(Left-handed quarterback versus right-handed quarterback, how much do things change for the other guys on the offense – whether it’s the offensive line or the receivers, the way the ball spins?) – “I think you’d have to ask them that because I don’t catch the ball from a left-handed person. (laughter)”
(Inaudible) – “No, not yet. I’m about to go re-watch film and say how were my right-handed throws compared to the left-handeds. (laughter)”
(How would you describe the leadership approach that you are planning to take throughout this week and especially on game day?) – “Really just being myself and the guy that has gotten me to this point. I don’t think it changes because your role changes, because I think that’s fake and I try not to do that – not try, I know I’m not going to do that. Really just go out there and by myself. I think that will suit me well. They’ll feel the authenticity of that from me. They’ll feel my confidence and then we’ll go from there.”
(You were smiling Sunday when you were speaking. You’re smiling now. You obviously have this gregarious personality. How much do you think that alone rubs off on other guys? When you have a positive attitude towards something, that obviously has to help the people around you.) – “I hope so. Look, it was the second game of the season. We’ve got a long season to go ahead. The mindset is just we’re still finding things to get better at and still trying to find our identity and still trying to go and continue our foundation and our bricks that are going to build this offense and this team. We can’t abandon those just because one thing happens and one game looks like that, because you’re going to have those along the way. You hope that once you go back and watch the film, you correct them and you grow from that.”
(I asked LB Jerome Baker a little bit ago about what stands out about you and he mentioned the experience, the fact that you’ve seen a lot of things and defenses. What can your experience add to this team with a young offense and a young offensive line.) – “I don’t necessarily think about it more as experience but just me being who I am, hopefully that just adds a little bit of difference. Look, it’s not my offense or Tua (Tagovailoa’s) offense. It’s the team. We’re going to go as the team goes, not as the quarterback position goes or whatever position goes. We’re going to go as we go. That’s what I relay to the guys. That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about who is starting at quarterback. It’s about us understanding the objective that week and it’s about us every week. We’ve got to go take care of our business.”
(Obviously you had a run with the Colts as the guy there. What did you learn maybe from your time there that you can maybe take here?) – “That it is a long season. Like he alluded to earlier, you have that success early in the year and then we clearly fell off towards the end. But understanding the highs and lows of the season and understanding that it’s a process of still getting better. No matter which week it is and whoever the opponent is, you still have to find ways to get better. Like I said, this is the third game of the season so we’ve got a long way to go.”
(Whenever there is pressure or sacks, fans and sometimes us media folks, we just point a finger right at the offensive line.) – “I know y’all do. It’s terrible. (laughter)”
(So I admit it.) – “It’s terrible. Stop. (laughter)”
(What I’m wondering is, how can you help the offensive line and the offense limit the amount of pressure and/or sacks?) – “I think it just comes down to – like you said, it’s not the o-line, it’s not the quarterback. It’s all of us. It’s the receivers, it’s the running backs, it’s the tight ends. It’s all of us playing a part in it. We’ve just got to find ways to get better at those things and really just understand the broad picture of what we’re trying to accomplish on each play and understanding the timing of each play and when we have a lot of time and when we don’t have a lot of time. Just playing like that. I think once we realize that and understand that, that just puts us in a better position so you guys don’t write these terrible articles about the o-line and they can’t block and (expletive) like that. (laughter)”
