Getty The New England Patriots' leading receiver spoke out about Jacoby Brissett after losing to the San Francisco 49ers.
Jerod Mayo isn’t the only one who thinks the New England Patriots don’t need to bench starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The team’s leading receiver, tight end Hunter Henry, also believes veteran Brissett should continue as QB1, even after a rough outing during the 30-13 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4.
Henry, who caught two of Brissett’s passes for 12 yards in a losing cause, believes “Jacoby’s just a warrior, standing back there and continuing to take hits and continuing to battle. I love playing with Jacoby,” per Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Hunter Henry on Jacoby Brissett: “Jacoby’s just a warrior, standing back there and continuing to take hits and continuing to battle. I love playing with Jacoby.”
That’s quite a vote of confidence after Brissett threw a pick-six and took six sacks at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, September 29. Brissett was the fall guy for a third-straight defeat, only increasing the calls for the Patriots to hand the keys to the offense to third-overall pick Drake Maye ahead of schedule.
Mayo responded by quickly doubling down on Brissett after another tough loss, saying, “At this point, Jacoby is our starting quarterback. Haven’t watched the film yet. … We’re always evaluating every single position, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
Patriots HC Jerod Mayo on a potential QB switch: “At this point, Jacoby is our starting quarterback. Haven’t watched the film yet. … We’re always evaluating every single position.”
So far, Mayo is resisting the calls for change, and the first-year head coach’s stance at least has the support of a key veteran.
Hunter Henry Vote of Confidence Timely for Jacoby Brissett
Brissett will appreciate Henry’s words because they represent a show of faith when the journeyman passer needs it most. The status of New England’s starting quarterback has become a weekly question for Mayo and Brissett to parry.
Support from an established player like Henry can only help. The 29-year-old wasn’t involved much in the Bay Area, but he still took his season tallies to 21 catches and 148 yards.
Those being team-leading numbers sum up what’s wrong with the Brissett-led offense. The Patriots are playing small-ball through the air.
Not all of it is because Brissett’s struggling. He’s also under siege behind a sieve-like offensive line that “allowed 6 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 7 TFLs” against the 49ers, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Mason.
Patriots have allowed 6 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 7 TFLs.
Brissett has now taken 15 sacks through four games. While he’s gamely absorbing punishment and battling back, all the hits are naturally impacting Brissett’s decision-making process.
The problem showed up in the worse way in San Francisco.
Jacoby Brissett Explains Pick-Six
Brissett’s ill-advised pass to All-Pro middle linebacker Fred Warner put the Patriots in a hole early. The signal-caller attempted to explain his gaffe by crediting Warner’s instincts, according to Barth: “We had an in-cut coming open behind the backers. Hats off to Fred [Warner], he made a great play. But I put a bad ball out there, I think a better throw would have picked up the first down.”
A closer look at how the play unfolded, via Patriots.com staff writer Evan Lazar, shows Warner wasn’t fooled by the design. Intermediate crossing routes by Henry (85) and rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk (1) were supposed to draw Warner’s attention and leave room for Brissett to fit the ball behind the linebacker.
Dots on the Warner pick-six. The inside crossers were there to bait Warner out of the passing lane to Tyquan. But Warner read Brissett’s eyes and fall underneath Thornton’s route.
This was a failure of both concept and execution. That’s a double whammy for the Patriots and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, yet Brissett could have helped.
He might have looked off Warner before uncorking his pass. It’s what top quarterbacks often do to manipulate coverage, but Brissett is a solid citizen, not a dynamic game-winner at football’s most important position.
It’s the best reason for the Patriots to give Maye and his superior arm talent the chance to unleash Henry, Polk and Co. more often.
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Patriots Leading Receiver Has Strong Words for Jacoby Brissett After Week 4