To help seal the deal, Weis had one of his star pupils call Brissett’s mother to vouch for Weis and his coaching ability.
“He was like, ‘Let me let you talk to the best quarterback in the NFL,’ ” said Lisa Brown, a special needs teacher and nursing home aide. “So I had the opportunity to speak to Tom Brady. It was very exciting. He was just telling me that Charlie Weis is a very good person, and my son would be in good hands.”
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Florida used a pared-down version of the same playbook the Patriots have used for 16 years. Weis said the verbiage was the same they use in New England.
“It wasn’t all of the playbook, since you don’t have the time to put it all in, but it was the same system,” Weis said. “Same formations and plays, exactly what he learned as a freshman. It will come back to him real quick.”
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Brissett is more of a classic drop-back passer, taking snaps under center as well as shotgun at Dwyer and North Carolina State. Though he completed only about 60 percent of his passes in two years, his coaches rave about his accuracy, and, most notably, his character.
“He’s a Patriot-type guy,” Weis said. “He’s not a leave-the-pocket quarterback. He’s a true drop-back guy. He’s always around, he’s cerebral, he likes to study and work extra. He fits their system very well.”
“I texted Josh [McDaniels] and I texted Tommy, and told them both that I thought he’d be a great fit and they’ll both like him a lot.”
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Parcells laid out the rules for Brissett. You don’t live in Boston or Providence, you live in Foxborough, near the facility. Find a laundromat. Find a restaurant near your home, introduce yourself, and hopefully they can customize your meals for you.
Who better to prepare Brissett for life as a Patriot under Bill Belichick than Parcells?
“I just tell him what to expect and what to be prepared for, that’s all,” Parcells said. “I don’t know everything, that’s for sure, but I’m very happy because I know he’s going to get good coaching and a good opportunity, and that’s all any player can ask for.”
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“You never really know what’s going to happen until the players get under the gun,” Parcells said. “I think he has a good skill level, and he’s very smart, but that doesn’t guarantee success.
“I do think he has some attributes that you can’t see that are going to serve him well, but I don’t know that for a fact. You just have to do your best based on what you’ve seen him do and his commitment and how willing he is to work at it.”
That last part shouldn’t be much of a problem. Brissett and his mother went TV shopping last week so he can watch film at home. Brissett is a prudent spender who has never owned a car, and told his mother that he can catch rides to Gillette Stadium with Joe Thuney, his left tackle at North Carolina State who also was drafted by the Patriots.
“He’s all about football and clean living,” Daniels said. “He’s not a guy that’s going to be doing commercials. He listens to what his coach says, he’s serious, and he’s got the skill set to match all of the personality characteristics. Everybody loves him. He’s such a good kid.”
And Brissett thanks a Hall of Fame coach for putting him in a position to succeed and helping him get adopted into the Patriot family.
