Quantifying Quarterbacks: Jacoby Brissett, “Superman Syndrome”, and His Play vs. Clemson

WIth more and more college teams going to spread offenses, more and more college quarterbacks look the same. Jacoby Brissett of NC State is quite different- and more entertaining- than many of his fellow 2016 quarterbacks, and that may play into his favor. Brissett’s performance versus Clemson highlighted the good, the bad and the ugly of his exciting skill set.

By: Derrik Klassen

Key:

• ADJ = Adjustment
• DE = Drop w/ effort or defended pass
• DB = Dropped blatantly
• TD = Touchdown
• TO = Turnover (Interception)

Total: 22/39 (56.41%) (“jet/touch/shovel” passes are not counted)

Rush Breakdown:

• 3 Man Rush: 5 Times, 1 Pressure (2/5, 1 DE, 1 DB)

• 4 Man Rush: 17 Times, 1 Pressure (9/17, 3 DE, 2 TD)

• 5 Man Rush: 9 Times, 6 Pressures (6/9, 1 DE, 2 ADJ, 1 Throwaway)
• 6 Man Rush: 7 Times, 4 Pressures (2/7, 1 DE, 1 TD)
• 7 Man Rush: 1 Time, 1 Pressure (0/1)

Passing When Pressured: 8/13 (2 ADJ, 1 Throwaway)

Snap Type:

• Shotgun: 18/34 (6 DE, 1 DB, 1 ADJ, 2 TD, 1 Throwaway)
• Under Center: 4/5 (1 ADJ, 1 TD)

Play Action: 5/6 (1 ADJ, 1 TD)

Rollouts:

• Roll to Field: 1/2 (1 TD)
• Roll to Boundary: 1/1

3rd Downs: 5/10 (1 DE, 1 TD)

Red Zone: 3/7 (2 DE, 1 TD)

Route Break Key:

• S = Screen, Shoot, Swing
• O = Out-breaking
• I = In-breaking
• V = Vertical
• C = Crossing

Target Distribution:

Gunslinger quarterbacks will always be the best breed of passer. For better or for worse, gunslingers give football its most entertaining moments. Their peaks are high and their valleys can be oh-so low, leaving just about everyone entirely unsure about how they feel about them. Interceptions are people’s worst nightmare, it seems, even if the same aggressive play style that leads to the turnovers also leads to touchdowns. Jacoby Brissett, a former Florida cast-off from the Will Muschamp era, sparks this debate every weekend, and this past weekend versus Clemson is no exception.

Brissett knows how to make plays. No, that isn’t what the “it factor” is, but it does make him valuable. No matter how efficient of a passer a quarterback is, they are going to be presented with plenty of 3rd-and-8+ plays and be forced to make a play with their physical talent. This- or in any chaotic situation, manufactured or spontaneous- is where Brissett shines.

Brissett’s ability to make plays feels a lot more like flirting than it feels like anything of substance, though. The football community has come around on this concept with pass rushers by trying to measure at what point not being able to convert pressure into sacks becomes problematic, even if the player racks up countless pressures. With a gunslinger quarterback, the “inability to convert” would be something along the lines of the quarterback evading two defenders and resetting for a throw, but nearly throwing an interception. If that scenario sounds familiar, it should be because Brissett did just that versus Clemson.

Make no mistake, though, Brissett is a natural player that finds ways to win. He dives, ducks, hurdles and sprints all over the field sometimes, trying to create enough time for someone to be open. If nothing else, watching Brissett do his best to save plays like that is fun. He plays with a classic street football, whatever-it-takes type playstyle that can not be taught. Learning to play that way comes only through experience and if a player does not have that demeanor now, they never will. With so few quarterbacks having that air about them, quarterbacks who care about nothing but putting another six points on the board are a valuable asset. The whatever-it-takes demeanor comes with a side of “Superman Syndrome”, though, which Detroit Lion fans have grown well accustomed to.

That is not all bad. Superman Syndrome, or whatever made up name you care to call it, is when quarterbacks refuse to accept that maybe, just maybe, they can not complete a play. Jameis Winston, for instance, was a brilliant passer at Florida State, but he did not care when he was wrong about a read. Winston was going to throw the route he wanted to no matter what and that was that, and it worked. Brissett, on the other hand, harnesses his arrogance as a rushing threat, like Johnny Manziel.

Luckily, Brissett did not do this much against Clemson, but his signature adjustment is to entirely disregard the play call and run the ball. Brissett is essentially audibling to a pseudo quarterback draw out of the blue. If it worked as often as it should, then there would be no qualms with his gambling, but because Brissett is seemingly less athletic than he believes he is, he does not get a positive play out of these draws often enough. This would be a bit more justifiable, too, if Brissett was throwing the ball with more efficiency.

In losing to Clemson, Brissett’s sub-60% of completion is gross. In fairness, the low completion rate is less disheartening when accounting for the fact that Brissett threw a lot of aggressive passes near the end of the game to try to light a spark. Though, even then, there is a much larger issue at hand. In terms of nuance and mechanics, Brissett is raw. It may feel odd comparing him to a player who is only now an NFL rookie, but Brissett is reminiscent of Brett Hundley.

Hundley was late on reads often and it cost him. Brissett is in the same boat. A handful of Brissett’s incompletions against Clemson are rooted in him not being able to fire quickly enough to out-throw the coverage. Granted, Hundley seems to have taken some strides in that area in Green Bay, and Brissett is still a relatively young starting football player, so he may be able to experience the same enlightening. Though, banking on any sort of improvement happening is asking for trouble.

With Brissett, that may be fitting. On every single snap, Brissett plays with the attitude and fight in him that asks for trouble. He is fun, exciting and as pure a football player as can be found, but he may be too lacking in more fundamental areas and he does not have the consistently elite playmaking ability to make up for it. The best thing for Brissett would be for an established team to take him, groom him and flip him for a draft pick in a few years, much like the Packers are going to end up doing with Hundley. Brissett’s naturality as a player is appealing, redeeming even, but he is going to need time to work on all the finer aspects of the position if he wants sustained NFL success.