Colts observations: Jacoby Brissett off to stellar start

Zak Keefer | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Colts Camp Live Aug. 2 Indianapolis Colts training camp continued Aug. 2 and so did Colts Camp Live.

Friday at training camp: Practice is 6:15-8:30 p.m.

WESTFIELD – He was traded for in a pinch, a desperate attempt to save a season that was doomed to sink anyway. He spent the next four months playing catch-up, keeping a bad football team competitive.

Believe it: No Jacoby Brissett last fall, and the Indianapolis Colts might not win a single game.

He was 24 years old, being asked to lead a group of men he’d known for a blink of an eye. They managed nine halftime leads but just four wins. Just how much of a whirlwind was 2017 for Brissett? Think about this: He had to type the Colts’ headquarters into his phone’s GPS each morning before heading to work.

He was swimming upstream the whole way.

Email newsletter: Arrange to get Colts Insider sent to your inbox

More: Doyel: 'Clony' Dungy has a miniature Lucas Oil Stadium in his basement

Nine months later, Brissett is the forgotten man. Training camp this summer is all Andrew Luck, all the time, and with good reason; when The Franchise is back on the field for the first time in 18 months, it’s a big deal. A really big deal. Brissett, meanwhile, has drifted into the background, and become the quarterback everyone hopes never sees a meaningful snap anytime soon.

Pay attention, though, and you’ll notice there’s more than one QB having a stellar start to training camp.

“He’s looked great,” Colts first-year offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said of Brissett. “I’m a big fan of Jacoby.”

So are the Colts, which is why General Manager Chris Ballard scoffed at the trade offers that came across his desk this spring, teams inquiring about Brissett’s availability. Ballard turned them down. A capable backup quarterback is a valuable thing. Ballard learned that the hard way last fall. Brissett is here to stay.

And he’s been noticeably more accurate during training camp this summer, a byproduct of a refined throwing motion he has tweaked with assistant QB coach Marcus Brady, plus an entire offseason in the building.

Like Luck, Brissett’s motion starts with his feet. He’s has focused on using his legs to propel his arm.

“I think (assistant coach) Marcus Brady has done a phenomenal job of getting (Jacoby’s) feet married to the play,” Sirianni noted. “Everything is timed up for him.”

It shows on a daily basis. There hasn’t been much drop-off between Luck and Brissett, outside of the touch Luck has flaunted on deep balls early in camp. There’s a preseason game in a week, and after Luck retires to the sideline after one (or a few) series, it’ll be Brissett’s offense to run.

Asked if the coaches had to make it clear to Brissett that this is, indeed, Luck’s show again, the OC laughed.

“We have the best backup quarterback in the history of football on our staff,” Sirianni said, a nod to head coach Frank Reich. “So I didn’t have to say a thing.

“It’s hard enough in this league to find one (QB) that can do it,” Sirianni explained. “Playing quarterback in my mind is unlike any other position – the mental capacity they have to use, and the physical capacity, and the way they have to deliver the football with a 300-pound man barreling in on them. It’s a hard position to play. That’s why there are only so many of them in the league. And people are dying to get Jacoby, and we have him as a backup.”

Andrew Luck ahead of pace

Even Sirianni had to admit, seven days into training camp, that Andrew Luck’s further along than he expected. The surprise hasn’t come in the throwing load so much as his feel for the game. After some early stumbles, Luck has returned to form quickly.

“The rust has fallen off fast,” Sirianni said. “That’s what is amazing about him. Mentally he’s just unbelievable. Mentally, he just sees it faster than anyone I’ve ever been around. Mentally it’s like he’s never missed a beat. I can’t imagine it can get much better, but I can’t wait until it does.”

What Sirianni is referring to: Luck still has a ways to go. He’s thrown on five of seven practice days thus far, looking more and more comfortable in the pocket with each workout. Make no mistake: There are still very important hurdles Luck must clear. He’ll make his preseason debut next Thursday in Seattle. He’ll ramp up his game snaps in each of the first three preseason games. And he’ll have to continue facing a first-team defense in live action over the following weeks.

In other words: He needs to get hit, and he needs to get back up again.

“Our QB coach Marcus Brady does his best to simulate bodies on him,” Sirianni said. “But they’re still nothing like the guy actually hitting you. That is the next step.”

The Colts open the regular season against Cincinnati in five weeks. Luck has admitted he hasn’t even thought that far ahead.

Hooker, Geathers move to active roster

Ahead of pace, starting safeties Malik Hooker and Clayton Geathers were elevated from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday and moved to the active roster. The two can start practicing with the team as early as Friday, though they're expected to be brought along slowly.

The Colts had anticipated both returning around the middle of August, so this means they are healing ahead of schedule.

Hooker suffered a torn ACL last October. Geathers had an operation on his knee during the offseason, and both missed all of spring workouts. In their stead, Matthias Farley and T.J. Green have been manning the starting safety spots.

After slow start, Tarell Basham settling in

Ask second-year defensive end Tarell Basham about life on the line, and this is how he responds: “It’s lovely. You get to get sacks, get after the quarterback, and make fat guys look bad. So it’s all of the fun stuff.”

And by fat guys, he affectionately means his teammates along the offensive line.

Basham is thrilled to be settling in at his new position this summer, and has openly admitted to his struggles as an outside linebacker last season. To put it succinctly: He felt like a fish out of water. Now, he’s back home, hand in dirt, chasing quarterbacks. Life is simple. Life is good.

So far, he’s split first-team reps at the right defensive end position with veteran John Simon. Jabaal Sheard is entrenched on the left side as the starter. Basham talked Thursday morning of a growing sense of comfort at the position.

“I’m not going to lie, for the first few days, the first four days, I feel like I really didn’t have a solid rush game going,” he said. “The past two or three days? Yeah. I’m twirling those fat guys around.”

Basham admits his pass-rushing repertoire was becoming too predictable, so he added more layers to his attack. Down 21 pounds from last season, he’s chasing speed, agility, “getting around the edge and being able to bend more.” It certainly doesn’t hurt that a guy who knows a thing or two about that – Robert Mathis – is drilling him on a daily basis.

Quote of the Day

“The execution has been OK. There are certainly a lot of errors this point in training camp, and we’re in the process of cleaning that up.”

– defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on his unit’s progress a week into camp.

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.