The Indianapolis Colts may have been blindsided by Andrew Luck's retirement last weekend, but the time has come for the Colts to come to grips with reality: Luck is no longer there, and Jacoby Brissett is stepping in.
This isn't the first time Brissett will start a season under center for Indianapolis.
Remember: back in 2017, Luck missed the entire year as a result of shoulder surgery, and Brissett started 15 of the 16 games, throwing for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 58.8 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 81.7.
So, fortunately for Indy, this isn't Brissett's first rodeo.
Anyway, here are three things to watch from Brissett in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers next week.
3. His Precision
Brissett has thrown 528 passes in his NFL career, and he has completed 312 of them. That's good for 59.1 percent, which is not what you want to see from your starting quarterback, especially a franchise quarterback
Not saying that how Brissett plays in Week 1 will be how he plays for the entire season, but it would certainly be nice to see him come out and complete a good portion of his throws, maybe around 65 percent.
The good news is that he has more weapons in 2019 than he had in 2017, as it's not just T.Y. Hilton and a bunch of no-names. The Colts signed Devin Funchess this offseason, and they also have a couple of really good tight ends in Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle.
Brissett should be able to be a bit more efficient this season, and we might be able to get an indication right off the bat of just how precise he will be with his throws throughout the year.
2. Communication with His Receivers
Obviously, the Colts went through training camp and part of the preseason thinking Luck would be their quarterback, but Luck was hurt throughout most of the summer, so Brissett was getting most of the reps.
As a result, Indianapolis' receivers should be somewhat accustomed to Brissett, as they were able to work with him during the offseason, but Brissett only threw four passes in 2018, so it might take some time for them to truly get acclimated to him as their full-time quarterback.
This could ultimately be the key to Brissett's success.
If he and his receivers aren't on the same page, it's not going to matter how well Brissett throws the football; it just isn't going to work.
But if Brissett and his pass-catchers communicate well, it can help mitigate mistakes and will make things much easier for the young quarterback going forward.
1. His Poise
It's one thing to get a lot of work in training camp and preseason; it's another thing to unexpectedly get told two weeks before the start of the regular season that you are the starting quarterback.
That is the position in which Brissett currently finds himself, as he certainly did not anticipate that he would be under center for the season opener.
As a result, the 26-year-old may have some jitters in Week 1, and if he does, they will probably be visible on his first couple of drives. It's just a matter of Brissett settling in, getting comfortable and realizing that this is his job now. Not just for one or two games, but for good.
If Brissett is poised and confident, then everything else should fall into place.
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