Now that the final roster has taken shape for the Arizona Cardinals, leading up to the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, the new offense is either taking shape or it isn’t. Most of the offense has been together for training camp, several preseason games, OTAs and minicamps.
Except for quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
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Brissett is the undisputed starting quarterback. This is in spite of the fact that both Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck have gotten
all of the tutelage of the new offense in all of the offseason activities.
New head coach Mike LaFleur was brought in to jump-start the offensive side of the ball. This came with a plan. Because LaFleur came from the coaching tree of both Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, it was his duty to install a new offense.
But installing a new offense is intricate and complex. It isn’t something that Cliff Notes will completely educate each of the players whose job it is to learn it. Meetings are helpful, and, of course, playbook study. Then the main tutelage has to come during practice sessions. You can’t cook a meal without turning on the stove first.
Which circles back to Brissett. As quarterback, he must command the huddle and become the undisputed leader. That also comes with the responsibility of knowing what the hell he is doing. He can’t call plays and then question what comes next, or what everybody on the field, for that matter, should be doing.
Other players only need to know what they are doing on each play and where they should end up. But not the quarterback. He has to know everyone’s responsibility on each play called. But didn’t Brissett miss all of the offseason in an effort to bolster his bank account? And while that was a success, what about the reason he is here in the first place? Getting down this new offense, remember?
When Brissett finally came back to the team, he was pretty far behind the learning curve. Just exactly how is he supposed to cram for the exam? Wearing those multi-page wrist cuffs?
Well, Brissett has a tool. Well, call it more of an asset. He has aligned himself with QB coach Matt Schaub.
Ever since Brissett inked his new deal, he has been working overtime to get to know all of the nuances of this new offense. Both LaFleur and Schaub didn’t start with the basics with Brissett, mainly because he is an 11-year veteran who has played in multiple systems and is known as a quick-learning student. This is fortunate for both the player and the coaching staff.
Schaub has been Brissett’s shadow since he showed up. The first step was to learn the new verbiage instead of calling plays by what things were called last season. This process didn’t happen overnight, but along with the new offense, it has its own terminology that must be adhered to by all so that everyone is on the same page. A new same page, that is.
Since Schaub has been in similar situations during his 16-year career, having played under five systems himself and having to adjust to many different offensive coordinators, he has become an excellent tutor for Brissett. Both are smart guys. And since Schaub is a former quarterback, he has real-life experiences that he is able to pass along. The two are also able to discuss schemes that only quarterbacks can understand and absorb.
With Schaub’s help, Brissett is getting the terminology down and is learning the offense. Getting comfortable with everyone’s role is still a difficult ask. With Schaub’s continued assistance, running and operating as a very good offense is the ultimate goal.
The coaches haven’t held back with Brissett, and he has responded. He has been in extra meetings, extra walk-throughs, and endless discussions and countless questions. The chats are different than the ones Schaub has with the other two quarterbacks, especially the rookie Beck. The discussions aren’t as detailed or bogged down with wordy structures that may muddle the young talent.
This Cardinals team may or may not flourish this season. It will come down to the offensive line, which has added three new members to the starting rotation. But let it be known, this offense is absolutely stacked with talent.
For Brissett, repetitions on the field have been the key to learning this new offense. He has been going through the play calls in his head, having physical walk-throughs, and finally actual practice reps. From his footwork to progressions, Schaub is right there to offer a suggestion or to simply tell him about issues that he is seeing that need a tweak or an alteration.
The two signalcallers are working longer hours than anyone else, and hopefully it will pay off. Will Brissett have everything down when Week 1 rolls around? Probably not. But he won’t be viewed as a work in progress either.
He will be more of a man and his shadow.
