Jacoby Brissett contract: Arizona Cardinals players enthused deal is done

The contract signed by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett Sunday made clear how the team views the position’s hierarchy, despite many outside opinions that trashed him because the team was 1-11 with him as the starter last season.

Head coach Mike LaFleur made clear prior to Sunday’s practice that Brissett would work with the ones Tuesday after Monday’s day off.

He added, “(We) want to still get him up to speed in terms of not just schematically — I’m not even worried about that with him because of what I’ve always told you guys. He doesn’t need to learn defenses, doesn’t need to learn the speed of the game, doesn’t even really need to learn our players per se, but practice is still very important and getting him (acclimated) with the routes on air, stuff like that. Giving him one more day off in terms of tomorrow with the whole team and then getting him integrated with the first team and getting rolling.

“He wasn’t here for OTAs, so just getting him caught up with some other aspects of it, too. So, every day matters. Every day there’s a sense of urgency amongst our guys. This was a bonus (four-day) block in some aspects. We still don’t have the pads on. We finally get to put the pads on in two days and go play some football.”

Asked if that means Brissett will be the opening week starter, LaFleur said. “He’ll be with our ones two days from now. How about that? And the plan is to get this offense as good as we can be and peaking at the right time for him to be the starter on September 13. Yes.”

As for the pads coming on Tuesday, he said, “It’s going to be fun and there’s going to be a lot of runs in two days. This has been a passing camp since May and that will switch quickly.”

Noting how Brissett’s skill set fits the scheme, LaFleur said, “He has the ability to throw it at all three levels. If we need to push it down the field on the third level, I think he’s got that. Obviously the intermediate ball, whether he has to take a little off it, layer it, check it down, do all those kind of things. I feel like as I’ve watched him and I’m excited to get working with him all the way up until September 13th, just his rhythm back there. There’s just a consistency when I watch him when he takes a snap with his drops, with his eyes.”

Comparing Brissett to Joe Flacco, LaFleur talked about the success he’s had and explained, “He was always consistent, always just felt very steady and that was part of Joe’s demeanor. I see a lot of that in Jacoby. Different people no doubt, but similar characteristics in terms of when they’re back there and just that that consistency with how they approach the game.”

LaFleur concluded, “He’s pretty calm and cool and collected. I think you guys can probably see that too. I’ve always known of Jacoby, kind of knew Jacoby in some aspects, not like some other guys because I never coached him obviously, but everything that I’ve seen from afar and heard from him and in the short time that I’ve been with him, you see he’s just a steady dude. He’s got a good presence about himself. I doubt he has many enemies in this world because of how he conducts himself with our nutrition staff, with our strength staff, with the medical team. He’s a good dude.”

Most important is the support Brissett receives from teammates. The team learned of the signing as they were preparing for Sunday’s practice.

Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. said, “Everybody here was happy to see that. I found it online like everybody else in the hot tub back there. So, it was cool to send it around to the guys who were just trickling into the locker room. Everybody was hyped that he’s back full-time.”

Johnson spoke about “the leadership in the huddle that he has as a quarterback. It’s something that’s a very small thing, but you’re able to notice it on game day. It’s the composure. I think that’s the point of leadership. I think leadership isn’t, ‘Hey, guys, get in tight. Get in tight.’ Like OK, I can say that right now. But it’s the composure (on the field) and the way he came off the field and the way he was able to take the field after.

“You notice that he kept his energy the same. It wasn’t ebbs and flows of energy. I feel like he controlled his emotions and the controllables well, and I think guys in the huddle were able to notice that.”

Wide receiver Michael Wilson, who blossomed last season with Brissett at quarterback, said, “It’s super dope, honestly (that he’s back). When Jacoby first came here, I got a chance to really get to know the person and that just told me everything I needed to know on what type of player he was going to be. And he’s been nothing but great since he stepped foot in that building.

“I feel like his future is ahead of him and I can’t wait to see how successful he’ll be this season.”

Facing the media Sunday after practice, Brissett admitted, “My head’s still all over the place right now,” and when asked if it’s a relief to have the contract done, he said, “For sure. I’m pretty sure I’ll probably sleep more than three hours tonight. We got an off day tomorrow, so I’ll sleep in a little bit.”

He was honest when asked if he’s fully up to speed with the offense, saying, “Hell no. I think we just ran all Day-1 plays out there for me today. So I got a long way to go, but again, like I said, I’m willing to put the work in. Obviously, after this night of sleep that I do get, I’ll go back to three hours of sleep for work purposes now. But it’s training camp. We’re all learning. It’s first time in this offense. So, I’m not naive to understand that it’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Finally, Brissett expressed gratitude for how teammates feel about him.

“That’s the ultimate reward in this game is your respect for your teammates,” he said. “That’s what I pride myself on and really that’s the only thing I really value. Contracts come and go, but you know your teammates and the people that you go to work with and the ones that want to go to bat for you; I think that’s what matters the most.

“The currency is the respect of your teammates. Obviously, some of these guys here don’t know me from last year. But a lot of guys that were here with me last year and being able to come up to me and obviously their excitement for me, that meant more to me than the actual contract getting done to be honest with you.”

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Jacoby Brissett contract: Arizona Cardinals players enthused deal is done