Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Jacoby Brissett 'tough as nails,' but NFL-high 47 sacks will take a toll

INDIANAPOLIS -- The soreness is there. That’s expected after Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett has taken hit after hit this season. He has been sacked an NFL-high 47 times and been a part of a quarterback group that’s been hit 100 times, also an NFL high.

And as tough as it has been physically on Brissett this season, the mental aspect of still learning the offense while knowing there’s a good possibility that he’ll take a high number of hits can be just as taxing.

“I hate getting hit regardless, but it’s part of the job,” said Brissett, who was acquired from New England on Sept. 2. “That’s what makes the game fun for me is getting those hits and getting back up.”

What?

“I don’t know, some people think I’m weird, but it’s fun,” he repeated. “It’s part of the game that gets overlooked at that position.”

This isn’t just talk from Brissett. He’s determined to not let the sacks and the hits deter him. He knows how he performs in place of the injured Andrew Luck will have a significant effect on his future as a starting quarterback in this league. The Colts tried but were denied in taking Brissett out of the game during 27-0 loss to Jacksonville in Week 7 in which he ended up being sacked 10 times and hit an additional eight times. He played every offensive snap of that game.

“It’s a mindset that I have,” Brissett said. “And that mindset is [that] as long as I can walk, I’m going to try my hardest to be out there.”

That approach quickly earned the respect of many of Brissett’s teammates inside the locker room. Some have even been surprised at his ability to get up after some of the hits he has taken this season.

"He’s tough as f---," veteran running back Frank Gore said. "I forget sometimes that he’s so young, because for him to come in and do what he did and stay focused and his mind stays strong ... I can tell he’s happy to be in this situation. To be the man even though he’s been taking a beating this season, he’s happy he’s gotten this opportunity to play and to show he can be a starting quarterback in this league.”

Brissett is far from the NFL all-time leader in being sacked in a season. David Carr was sacked 76 times while with the Houston Texans in 2002. Brissett’s 47 sacks (in just 11 starts) is tied for 70th in all-time sacks in a season with four games remaining.

Brissett is tied for the most sacks through the first 12 games since Jon Kitna was sacked 48 times in that same time span in 2007, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Brissett is on pace to be sacked 62 times this season, which would be the most for a Colts quarterback since that stat started being tracked in 1963, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Getting hit might be fun for Brissett, but at some point you have to wonder if it all will take a physical and mental toll on the second-year quarterback, who is trying to have stay in the league a while.

“I think he’s wired the right way and he’s a mentally tough kid,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “He doesn’t let that stuff affect him. Physically, it’ll take its toll. Eventually, they add up. He’s tough as nails. You don’t want your quarterback to get hit, period.”

Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski is aware of the number of times Brissett gets hit throughout a game. He tries to put his quarterback in a position to get rid of the ball quicker, but as Pagano likes to say, it takes all 11 players -- not just Brissett and the offensive line -- to get the job done. Players have to execute the blocking scheme and receivers have to win their matchups. Obvious passing downs makes it easier for teams to rush the quarterback because there’s no need to defend the run.

All those factors have contributed to Brissett being sacked eight more times than any other quarterback in the NFL this season.

“It’s a tough position to play, and until those guys go through it and understand what it takes week in and week out to prepare and be ready, and from a physical standpoint being able to recover, and being ready for the next game from a mental-toughness standpoint, it’s something you don’t know until you go through it,” Chudzinski said. “Jacoby is as mentally tough as you’ll find. Those types of guys, they’re going to grow and they’re going to get better from experience they have.”

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