The Implications of the Patriots - Colts Brissett Trade

By guest writer Alex Norwood

Some time ago, speaking about the American football transfer scene, one of the analysts said that Jacoby Brissett is actually one of the players to keep an eye on.  He showcased a lot of athleticism and toughness for the Patriots last season, even as a rookie. But it was predicted that what he gave was just below what he could give. The pundit went ahead to talk about the situations of Tom Brady and the backup named Jimmy Garoppolo.  But he ended the conversation with a poser, and that is, whether the patriots will be able to hold onto their no.3.

But the news that hit the American football world was that the Indianapolis Colts have done a coup. This time, they got the highly rated quarterback from the New England Patriots. The deal which happened on Saturday, involved handing the Patriots the wide receiver named Phillip Dorsett.

Talking about the player who the rookie will replace, Jim Irsay, who owns the club, raised some doubts. He said that it is looking more likely that the quarterback won’t feature in their first game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams.

The rookie was picked during the third quarter of the 2016 season by the patriots to replace Tom Brady who was suspended. The Brady suspension was for four games, and it came because he took part in the Deflategate.  Brissett was given the nod to start two games last season because Jimmy Garoppolo, who normally backed Tom as the 2nd pick for the Patriots, was out. He picked up an injury in the game against Miami Dolphins in the second week.

With Julian Edelman tearing his ACL during the Aug, 5 preseason game against Detroit Lions, the wide receiver position became a worry for the patriots. That explains why they went for Dorsett who was the first round pick for the colts in 2015. During the period he stayed with the colts after transferring from the Miami team, he recorded 753 yards plus 3 touchdowns in a total of 51 receptions. The Colts seem to be skeptical about the recovery of Andrew Luck, their number one quarterback, hence, the acquisition of QB Jacoby Brissett.

Implications of the Brisset - Dorsett Trade

Following the trade of Brissett for Dorsett, many people have predicted different outcomes. For the pundits, the arrival of Dorsett signals a very important burner to the offense of the patriots. Working with receiver Brandin Cooks, they are expected to make great things happen. 51 receptions in 753 yards plus three touchdowns is the record the patriots are capitalizing on to release Brissett who is conversant with the team’s system and is of a relatively high value. This is to say that they are now left with Garoppolo who will become a free agent after the season to replace Tom Brady. The favorite is that they will work hard to make Garoppolo stay, even though many clubs are jumping in to snatch him as his rookie contract expires. The Patriots will need a quarterback that knows the system, and there will be no other after Brady. So, they are expected to give him an extension or use the unorthodox move of franchise method.

People may not see the significance of the deal for the Colts because they may still regard Brissett as a third string quarterback. But this assumption is wrong, as it will impact the 2017/2018 season greatly.

The Indianapolis club made Luck’s injury a mystery by not being forthcoming about it. Apart from Jim Irsay’s statement that Luck is not expected to feature in their first game against the Rams, nothing much is known about the injury. While many people are speculating that his case may be worse than expected, as he is now on the physically unable to perform list, others see it as a sort of precaution. They believe it is good not to rush him back to action and probably get him injured again. For them, allowing him to heal properly before throwing the ball is the best.

All in all, it gives Brissett the chance to start in week 1 . This seems very likely. But it has happened before. Just in three games last season, he completed 34 passes out of the 55 passes in 400 yards. In his two starts of the season, he finished 1-1.

By guest writer Alex Norwood

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