Jacoby Brissett has been in Owings Mills for barely a week, and every minute of it has gone toward one goal: being ready to run the Ravens' offense on Monday Night Football.
So when he was asked Thursday what his crash course actually looks like, from late nights at the facility to calling out plays at home, the 33-year-old quarterback answered with a grin.
"Let's just say this right now is messing up the crash course right now," Brissett said.
It was a light moment in what has otherwise been a whirlwind. Seven days after Baltimore finalized its trade with the Arizona Cardinals, Brissett met the Baltimore media for the first time, four days before he becomes the Ravens' third starting quarterback in three games when the Los Angeles Chargers visit M&T Bank Stadium.
From Benched in Arizona to Starting in Baltimore
The emotional swing was sharp. Brissett started for the Cardinals against Dallas the Sunday before last, was pulled in the second half and dropped down Arizona's depth chart, and within a day or two learned he was headed east.
"It was obviously a tough situation," Brissett said. "Then you get the news like the next day or two, or whatever it is, and then you kind of have to get your mind wrapped around another situation. So, it's kind of all over the place, but having those extra days kind of helped me settle my emotions down and then obviously refocusing and figuring out what the next steps were."
The timing worked in his favor in one respect. Baltimore's Thursday night loss to Jacksonville was followed by a mini-bye, giving Brissett more than a week, rather than a few days, to learn a new system before his first snap.
Brissett has been in midseason situations before, but he admitted this one is different. Asked whether it feels more like a crash course than his previous stops, he didn't hesitate.
"Oh, it's definitely a crash course. [There is] no question."
Seven Teams, One Approach: Keep It Simple
Baltimore is Brissett's seventh NFL team in 11 seasons, a résumé he credits for his ability to absorb a new offense quickly.
"You are around a lot of different people, a lot of different systems, different situations, every year," he said. "So just being able to be flexible, that's what's kept me in this league for so long, and this is no different."
He wasn't interested in making predictions about what he'll bring. "I think that it's hard for me to say what type of impact until it shows," Brissett said. "[I want to] really just come out, try to do my job to the best of my ability, be a good teammate, kind of keep things simple [and] try not to overcomplicate this thing right now and just take it one day at a time."
Asked what it takes to succeed when dropped into a difficult quarterback situation, he offered something closer to a philosophy than a scouting report.
"I think you have to have grace for yourself, obviously, and then confidence that you wouldn't be in that position if the organization, the team, the coaches, the players didn't think that you can handle it," Brissett said. "I think you slow the time down while everybody else is moving fast around you. You try to take it day by day and Monday will get here when Monday gets here."
Familiar Faces on the Coaching Staff
Brissett isn't learning the Ravens' offense from strangers. Quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork coached him in Arizona, and pass game coordinator Marcus Brady worked with him in Indianapolis.
"When I knew I was coming here and I obviously knew they were here, I felt very confident that the people that were going to be teaching me the stuff were the right people for it," Brissett said.
He also praised offensive coordinator Declan Doyle for how openly he communicates. "He's been very receptive to information from me and getting to know each other, whether that's on the field and off the field and trying to bridge the gap over a relationship that you kind of have to fast-track before Monday," Brissett said. "What he's thinking as far as the play structure and then obviously how we're attacking the defense, he's very vocal about it. I think that cleans up the communication. I know what he's thinking."
That relationship runs both ways. Doyle said Thursday he plans to build the game plan around what Brissett trusts rather than forcing him into calls he's uncomfortable with. "If we go out there and execute it in practice and he says, 'I don't see this,' or, 'I don't like it,' it would be kind of dumb of me to call that in the game if he's not a believer in it," Doyle said.
Doyle also acknowledged the unusual nature of game planning without any shared history. "Everything is kind of a first right now, and it kind of forces you to go back to the building blocks," he said.
Doyle didn't undersell what the position means, calling quarterback "probably the No. 1 correlating position to winning in all of football." With Brissett set to become Baltimore's third starting quarterback in three games, he said the veteran has already brought some calm. "I've been super impressed by him, just being able to work with him as he's picking up our offense very quickly and also being able to provide a little bit of stability to the situation," Doyle said.
Where does Brissett feel he is with the playbook? "I feel confident," he said. "I don't think my preparation is stopping today, but I think I have the right coaches that are helping me along the way. Obviously, the players are helping me when I'm in the huddle and things of that nature."
Extra Work With the Receivers
Brissett has been a regular presence after practice this week, throwing extra routes with Baltimore's pass catchers. He described his role in those sessions modestly.
"Just them telling me what they need from me more than I need from them," Brissett said. "They have to do the hard part. I have to do the easy part and find them and put the ball where it's supposed to go. It's just [about] the communication on both sides."
Zay Flowers said those sessions are about compressing weeks of rapport into days. "It's also to catch [Jacoby Brissett] up, because he hasn't really had a lot of practice with us," Flowers said. "So, we're just running extra routes and stuff to get him a feel for it."
What's stood out to Flowers most is timing. "[Jacoby Brissett] plays on time. As soon as you're coming out of your route or soon as you think about looking up, the ball is in your chest, so he plays on time," the receiver said. "He's smart, and I'm excited to get to play with him this week."
Flowers added that Brissett has been giving input well beyond the receiver room. "He's just been connecting with us, telling us how he feels about a route, where we should be [and] talking to 'D-Hen' [Derrick Henry] about certain things coming out of the backfield. So, he's just letting his experience show."
The pass catchers have work to do on their end, too. Doyle, a former tight ends coach, said Mark Andrews would be the first to admit his drops this season have been disappointing, though he credited the veteran's tough contested catches on third down and his work ethic. "I love the way he comes to work. I love being able to work with him, but obviously for all of us, we all kind of have to pick it up," Doyle said.
Calais Campbell: 'This Guy Has a Little Juice'
Few people in the building know Brissett better than Calais Campbell, who played with him in Arizona last season and faced him several times before that. The veteran defensive lineman said the trade gave a beaten-down locker room a lift it badly needed.
"After getting your butt-whooped four straight weeks, you're like, 'We need to get the energy going,'" Campbell said. "That one kind of made it a little easier because you see the belief in him, and knowing what he's capable of doing, and then seeing the way he comes in and he's ripping the ball, giving guys opportunities, and it's like, 'Oh! This guy has a little juice.' So, it was good for the whole team."
Campbell said what impressed him most is how little Brissett has hesitated in a brand-new offense. "Usually when somebody's kind of new, you feel like they're a little bit like – they kind of hesitate before they start throwing balls, especially with a new offense and the way they're doing things," he said. "But no, he's just ripping it and putting it right on the money [with] good rhythm, good throws."
He also sees an opportunity for Brissett, who has bounced between starting and backup roles throughout his career. "All through his career, he's had moments where it's been really, really decent, kind of on the verge of really good," Campbell said. "But for him to come here and be in this situation with us, I feel like it can be really special for at least a few weeks. I'm really rooting for him."
And Campbell made clear the defense knows its part. "No matter what, we're going to try to do our job to make it easier for him by playing really good defense, so he doesn't have to go out there and be Superman," he said.
Kyle Hamilton: 'Seamless Transition'
Safety Kyle Hamilton, who said he's feeling good after the hip injury that knocked him out of the Jacksonville game, called the addition a signal that the Ravens still believe in this season.
"We bring Jacoby [Brissett] in, and he's a vet in this league. [He's] played a ton of games. I've played against him a few times. [I have] a ton of respect for him," Hamilton said. "[He] comes in, [is an] ultra-pro, [and it's been] kind of a seamless transition for him being here so far, so I'm excited to have him."
Hamilton also made a point to credit Joe Fagnano, the undrafted rookie who started against Jacksonville while playing hurt. "I think Joe [Fagnano], obviously, an undrafted rookie, kind of thrown into the fire last week, I think did the most he could just given the situation," he said.
Doyle Explains the Joe Fagnano Game Plans
Part of what makes Brissett's arrival so significant is how little the Ravens could ask of their quarterback over the last two games. Doyle was asked why the offense let Fagnano throw five straight passes when he entered the Buffalo game, then kept him almost entirely to short throws in his start against Jacksonville.
In Buffalo, Doyle said, the rookie's first throw was a deliberate surprise: a double move to tight end Josh Cuevas that went for a big gain while the Bills were expecting a run with the backup in the game. Another explosive play followed, and after a sack left Baltimore facing second-and-16, the situation called for more throws.
Against Jacksonville, with Fagnano playing hurt, the plan was built around Derrick Henry and quick passes designed to create yards after the catch. Doyle also noted that Fagnano had spent the week before the Buffalo game playing Josh Allen on the scout team and hadn't taken competitive snaps in eight weeks.
"I can't commend Joe enough for what he did, because obviously not everybody is aware of any of the circumstances or any of that stuff, but he's a warrior," Doyle said. "He went in there and gave us everything he had."
What Brissett Changes for the Ravens' Offense
The biggest difference Brissett should make is in how defenses line up against Baltimore. With Fagnano limited to short throws against Jacksonville, opponents crowded the box against Derrick Henry with little fear of being beaten deep. Doyle believes a quarterback who can push the ball vertically changes that equation.
"Anytime you're able to get under center and then stretch the ball down the field and start to attack a little bit more vertically, you start to make that second and third level of the coverage a little bit softer," Doyle said. "So, it's not as one-sided where you're running into loaded boxes. They kind of have to defend every blade of grass, so to speak."
Doyle echoed Flowers' assessment of Brissett's timing. Asked about data showing Brissett has thrown into a lot of tight windows over his career, the coordinator framed it as a strength. "He plays on time. He plays within rhythm. He has great feet [and] he's an anticipation thrower," Doyle said. "When we might not be right, he may be able to make us right because he's a little more comfortable playing into those tight windows."
A Fresh Start on Pre-Snap Penalties
A new quarterback also gives Baltimore a chance to reset its most persistent problem. The Ravens lead the league in pre-snap penalties, which Doyle called "incredibly frustrating for everybody involved," and his message to the offense this week was to "own the things that we can control."
The staff used the mini-bye to search for a common thread, reworking the cadence and simplifying motions and timing. "If we just continue to bang our heads against the wall, I think that we're all in agreement that you're probably going to get a similar result," Doyle said. "So, we've tried to really go back to the drawing board there."
Brissett's arrival made starting from scratch a little easier. On Wednesday, before installing anything specific to the Chargers, the offense ran clap drills and cadence work so the linemen could get comfortable with his voice.
A Familiar Opponent for His Debut
Brissett's first game in purple comes against a team he's already faced this season with Arizona. He wasn't sure that's an advantage.
"I don't know if that's helpful, more so [because] they know me too," Brissett said. "But [it's] definitely helpful that I'm with a lot of familiar faces and having that extra time to kind of get in and learn the offense and things of that nature. I think that helps a lot."
Doyle noted that on film of that game, Brissett hit an early seam route that stretched the Chargers' coverage, the kind of throw Baltimore's offense has been missing.
On Lamar Jackson: 'We Know Each Other Pretty Well'
Brissett's arrival is tied to Lamar Jackson's absence. Jackson is out six to nine weeks with a fractured and dislocated right thumb but has told teammates he plans to return this season. Brissett said the two go back a long way, both being Florida natives, but that he has given Jackson space.
"I've obviously known Lamar [Jackson] for a long time, obviously, [with] us being from Florida," Brissett said. "[I am] obviously understanding [of] his situation and letting him go through his things. But yes, we know each other pretty well."
Asked whether the Ravens have framed his role as keeping the season alive until Jackson returns or as their quarterback for the rest of the year, Brissett said he hasn't asked, and doesn't plan to.
"I'd be a fool to look forward," he said. "I'm trying to learn teammates, players, coaches, plays and get ready for a game. The last thing I'm worried about is something that's going to happen down the road."
Leadership by Listening
Much of the conversation around Brissett's arrival has focused on veteran leadership. His own view of what that means is less about speeches and more about learning the room.
"I think it's more so [to] listen to your teammates. That's how you figure out how to be a leader," Brissett said. "You listen to who they are, what gets them going, what takes them down and things of that nature. Then I think you build your leadership around that, because everybody's different. I can't come in here and say I'm going to be this type of leader if that type of leader is not needed."
For a Ravens team that started 4-1 and has since lost four straight, the stakes on Monday are simple. A win over the Chargers gets Baltimore back to .500. A loss leaves the Ravens chasing from two games under with seven left, and puts Jackson's hoped-for return further out of reach.
For more on this week's preparations, including Baltimore's new kicker, read our Ravens practice notes on Riley Patterson, Harrison Mevis and Anthony Weaver's defense.
Kickoff Information
Matchup: Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens
When: Monday, Nov. 16, 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
TV: ESPN
Projected starter: QB Jacoby Brissett