Everybody loves Jaquan Brisker. The second-year safety has emerged as a leader not only of the Bears’ secondary and the defense, but of the team.
Coach Matt Eberflus, secondary coach Jon Hoke, safeties coach Andre Curtis and veteran teammate Eddie Jackson are among those who have effusively praised the second-round pick from Penn State. But when the best Brisker anecdote/compliment comes from starting center, you know you’ve got a special player who makes an impact on everyone in the building.
“Cody Whitehair had an amazing block on a field goal. He ends up blocking three guys,” center Lucas Patrick said when asked about Brisker’s leadership following his 17-tackle game against the Lions on Sunday. “Cairo [Santos] nails the kick. Brisker turns around in the team meeting room and compliments Cody.
“Brisker loves ball. He is ball — like, everything about him. And he gets the impact plays that ball players get. When somebody does that and they step up and have a game like he did and brings it every play — brings it in practice, you can’t not respect him. I know he’s a second-year player … but he does not act like a second-year player.
“He’s earned the respect of us and he’s tougher than nails. What he does week-in, week-out to get his body right to be the impact player he is is super impressive. So he’s got all my respect in the world. I love having him on the field. He’s a game-changer.”
Brisker has been a leader from Day 1 this season. But with the defense struggling early in the season, even Brisker acknowledged he had not taken the giant leap he appeared to be ready to take after his impressive rookie season.
But in the last several games — coinciding with the addition of defensive end Montez Sweat and the overall uptick of the Bears’ defense — Brisker’s impact has been more and more noticeable. His 17 tackles were the most by a defensive back in the NFL this season. And 12 of them came on plays of five yards or fewer, so it wasn’t like he was only cleaning up for mistakes made by the front seven.
“What Brisker brings is the reason we drafted him,” Eberflus said. “Ryan [Poles] and I always talk about guys we acquire and bring in here. They have to love football. It brings a passion and a juice to everybody else. If we get enough guys like that, which we have a bunch of guys like that, then you can tangibly see that on the field. You can feel that energy, and that’s what he is.”
The “Tez Effect” is one part of it, said Brisker. “But also me just owning [up] to the team and owning [up] to myself. I know what type of player I can be. A couple of weeks before the Vikings game, I told him I want to be able to take over a game and show that I can. [Sunday] wasn’t my perfect game. I had a dropped interception. I probably could have had another interception later in the game to end it all. When I beat the running back, I could’ve have been quicker to get the strip-sack.
“I feel like I’m just there, but I’m not where I want to be. Because I know I can take over a game. That’s not a complete game for me. That’s not it.”
The rise in Brisker’s game not coincidentally mirrors the rise in the Bears’ defense this season, with Eberflus replacing Alan Williams as defensive coordinator and play-caller in Week 2.
“[I was] frustrated because we didn’t have an identity as a defense,” said Brisker, who was limited in practice Wednesday with a groin injury. “We were still trying to find ourselves. Obviously we [had] two different DCs. But it was kind of frustrating how I was playing and how my body was reacting. But I’m getting back in the swing of things. I’m feeling more like myself. I’m definitely peaking at the right time.”
