Jacoby Brissett excelling for Colts as replacement for Andrew Luck

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Imagine you’ve been thought of as a backup quarterback for an entire offseason and much of training camp. Then suddenly, something changes and you’re the starter for Week 1.

That’s what happened to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr can relate.

When Carr was drafted in 2014, he expected to sit and learn as a rookie behind quarterback Matt Schuab. But just before the season began, that changed.

“Going into Week 1, I still was like, ‘Oh cool, I’ll play someday,’” Carr said. “Then all of a sudden, I come in there (and they say), ‘Hey, you’re starting.’”

Of course, the situations are not completely the same. Brissett is not a rookie and started 15 games for the Colts after they acquired him at the beginning of the 2017 season. But Andrew Luck’s retirement sent shock waves through the NFL. Colts coach Frank Reich says a strong core of players is why his club that had Super Bowl aspirations with Luck is still 2-1 after the first three weeks.

“High-character guys who believe in each other,” Reich said, describing what he sees in these Colts. He said that group provides “strong leadership that can take something like that and not flinch.”

Another difference in Brissett’s situation entering 2019 is practice time. With Luck on the mend throughout the offseason and training camp, Brissett was essentially Indianapolis’ starting quarterback since April. Reich said through that process Brissett took somewhere between 1,200 to 1,400 reps.

“Normally in an NFL season, you play 16 games, that’s normally about 1,100 plays, 1,200 plays, somewhere around there. So he took a whole seasons worth of reps in the offseason and in training camp,” Reich said. “I think that was very valuable.”

That’s proven to be the case through three games. Brissett has completed 72 percent of his passes for 646 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. In last week’s 27-24 victory over the Falcons, Brissett completed his first 16 passes, finishing with 310 yards and two touchdowns.

“Really, he’s been good all three weeks — obviously, last week being his best week,” Reich said. “Really strong leader. Just playing really good football.”

Reich admitted the Colts did have to adjust with the quarterback switch. But Reich, who was a backup NFL quarterback himself from 1985-1998, brings a unique, relatable perspective to coaching Brissett.

“I’m sure it helps in ways,” Reich said. “But I think it’s a small part of the equation. I think the main part is what he’s doing to prepare and how he’s playing.”

From his perspective, Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Brissett has been doing an excellent job since taking over as the Colts’ starter.

“Not a lot of teams have a superstar quarterback retire and can turn the ball over to a guy like this,” Gruden said. “This guy’s a hell of a player. So I don’t want to underestimate him at all.”

“He can make all the throws. He gets them into good plays,” said Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who coached against Brissett in 2017 when his Bengals played the Colts in a preseason game. “He can scramble some and move around the pocket.”

Even though he was supposed to be a backup this season, Brissett clearly isn’t playing like one.

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Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.