How Jacoby Brissett Was ‘Annoying As Hell’ With Patriots

Tom Brady will go toe-to-toe with one of his former understudies Sunday when the Buccaneers return to game action.

Tampa Bay will try to extend its win streak to three at FirstEnergy Stadium, where Brady and company will square off with the Browns for a Week 11 matchup. Cleveland will be quarterbacked by Jacoby Brissett, who spent the first season of his NFL career backing up the seven-time Super Bowl champion in New England.

While Brissett only was with the Patriots for a single campaign, it appears his time in Foxboro had a lasting impact. As the seventh-year pro explained to the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling, he went out of his way to learn everything he could from the greatest quarterback of all time.

“I was that kid that was annoying as hell and kind of just, wherever he went I tried to follow, the places that I could go, and just trying to get as much information,” Brissett told Easterling. “And even during games just talking to him about stuff that he saw about certain things. Obviously not all the time cause the game’s a little different, but I was one of those guys that kind of tried to be a sponge.”

Given the shared New England roots, Sunday’s game might mean a little extra to Brissett. The Week 11 tilt also will give the 29-year-old one last opportunity to make a statement this season, as Deshaun Watson is eligible to return from suspension next weekend.