Jack Daniels remembers seeing Jacoby Brissett for the first time as a chubby 6-foot-2 freshman who was more interested in basketball than football.
“That’s why I didn’t even know if he was going to play football. He was a big basketball guy, and that was his No. 1 love,” Daniels, the former Dwyer High football coach told the South Florida Sun Sentinel this week. “The first time I saw him throw, I was like, ‘Man, this kid could be special.’ “
After a journey that saw him lead Dwyer to its first state championship, college at Florida and North Carolina State and 32 NFL starts between the Patriots and Colts, that tall-but-chubby kid will now be the starting quarterback for the Palm Beach Gardens high school’s hometown NFL team when the Miami Dolphins (1-1) take on the Raiders (2-0) in a 4 p.m. kickoff at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
“Not a chance in hell that I would probably make it this far,” said Brissett this past week when asked if his younger self could even fathom being the starting quarterback for the Dolphins, an opportunity brought on due to fellow quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s fractured ribs.
He said it’s not because he wasn’t a Dolphins fan growing up in West Palm Beach that he never envisioned it, but he frankly wasn’t a football fan.
“I still played football. I just loved basketball,” Brissett said. “My older brothers played football, so that was just my way to stay connected with them and with our neighborhood friends. My mom made sure I played multiple sports and not just concentrate on basketball. Then I stopped growing, so therefore I needed to take this a little serious. That’s what made me stop liking basketball.”
When Brissett said, following the Week 2 game against the Bills, that he prepares every week as a starter and views himself as one, he meant it. Many of Brissett’s career opportunities — at every level — have come from a quarterback ahead of him going down.
That freshman year at Dwyer in 2007, he was thrown into action in a regional final at the Orange Bowl against Miami Booker T. Washington because the upperclassman starter got hurt. Quarterback injuries led him to his first college start as a freshman with the Gators in 2011 — against top-ranked LSU, no less.
As a rookie in the NFL with New England in 2016, his first starts came because all-time great Tom Brady was suspended the first four games that year in the “Deflategate” aftermath and second-stringer Jimmy Garoppolo then was knocked out of a game against the Dolphins. With the Colts, he started 15 games in each the 2017 and 2019 seasons — first because of an injury to Andrew Luck and then because of Luck’s abrupt retirement ahead of the 2019 season.
“First of all, he prepares like he’s going to start, which I’m not sure everybody does,” said Daniels, agreeing with Brissett’s sentiment expressed following the 35-0 loss to the Bills. “He’s taking reps mentally as if he was the starter. That’s his mindset all the time.”
Brissett learned he could realistically get thrown into the fire at any moment early on when he faced that fierce Booker T. defense and almost rallied his Panthers back as a high school freshman.
“Jacoby came off the bench like 11 for 11, and I was like, ‘Holy hell, we’ve got something here,’ ” said Daniels, who recently came out of retirement to now coach Cardinal Newman after 234 wins and two state titles in 23 years leading Dwyer.
Daniels was excited when he found out last offseason Brissett was coming home to South Florida. He was on a fishing trip last Sunday when his phone started blowing up with text messages saying his former quarterback was going in. He packed up his rod to get to a TV and watch, but it gets stressful for him.
“I, quite honestly, hope Tua comes back because I can’t watch him get hit like he did last week,” Daniels said laughing. “I hate watching his games to be honest with you. … I don’t like to see him ever mess up. I don’t like to see him get hit.”
Daniels said Brissett has family traveling to Las Vegas to watch the start. He could have a large contingent of friends and family at Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 3 if Brissett remains the starter for another week when the Dolphins return home against the Colts.
Brissett, a capable replacement, will have to lead Miami behind an offensive line that has struggled and could shuffle for Sunday’s game between AFC teams. The Raiders are capable of bringing pressure with their defensive line. Brissett is expected to have speedy wide receiver Will Fuller make his Dolphins debut on Sunday after missing Week 1 due to suspension and Week 2 for personal reasons.
The Dolphins defense will look to stop the Raiders from airing it out as quarterback Derek Carr leads the NFL in passing through two weeks. Preventing big tight end Darren Waller from going off will be critical in that venture in front of what should be a raucous Allegiant Stadium for the new Vegas football venue’s second NFL game with fans in it after the Raiders opened the season on Monday Night Football with a thrilling overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens.
