Jaquan Brisker Talks Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, Tyler Warren and Luck In Football

Jaquan Brisker missed 12 games last season due to a concussion, but has been cleared to practice and is optimistic about getting his career back on track in 2025.

The fourth-year safety spoke in-depth about his journey with Casino Beats, and also took time out to talk about new Bears coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams, ex-Penn State teammate Tyler Warren, the CeeDee Lamb beef, Mike Tomlin and more.

Question: Have you met Ben Johnson? If so, what were your impressions?

Jaquan Brisker: “Yes, I actually did meet him. I met him in the offseason when I was working out up there. The first day or two it was tough to get him, because he was moving around, but the second or third day I got to meet him. And to be honest, I really thought it was going to be, like, a five-minute conversation, and it turned to, like, maybe an hour-thirty, two-hour conversation. And it was about ball, about life. He was very easy to talk to. You could tell he’s a great person, great man. He fits right in. It was a great conversation.”

Q: Everybody talks about what he can do from a schematic standpoint and how smart he is, but as a person, too, how important is that relationship?

Jaquan Brisker: “It’s important, especially player to coach, coach to player. That’s important to have that connection, that communication. I feel like it’s super important, and that’s what you need. You need a coach you can always go to or talk to. I thought it was gonna be five to 10, just a little quick, you know, what’s up? He told me to sit down and the conversation ended up going and going. We talked about so many different things. So I’m like, yeah, that connection is there. It was easy from there.”

Q: Dennis Allen is coming in for the defense. What do you know about his scheme? I’m not sure if you’ve met him or not, but what are your expectations looking at what he brings defensively?

Jaquan Brisker: “Yes, I also met with him. I met with all the coaches in the building when I was working out. Great conversation. Love all the coaches we have. And what I think about the scheme is it’s DB friendly. It looks like the defensive backs are going make a lot of plays and fly around. Sometimes he’s aggressive, sometimes he’s not. He’s changing it up. And then I just know he’s been top-five over a couple years. His defenses have been great.”

Q:  Do you know any defensive backs that have played in the scheme? I’m wondering if you’ve talked to anybody about how it’s gone for them, or do you just have more of a big picture overview?

Jaquan Brisker: “Just a big picture overview. I mean, obviously I know Tyrann (Mathieu) played there the last couple years. J.T. Gray. That’s just the Saints players that I watched (in the scheme). When we were in the draft, Dennis Allen and I met at the combine and they told me at 49 they were going to take me. They were going to pick me and I was like one pick away. So there was that connection always there. They had signed Tyrann, so I was going to come in to play next to him.”

Q: Did Dennis Allen say anything now that he finally landed you, maybe a few years later than he hoped? Did you bring it up?

Jaquan Brisker: “Yeah, we both kind of brought it up. He’s like, finally, we get to connect. And, you know, you get to coach me, I can play for you. So it was a great moment, because at the combine, I had a great interview with them, and I love Coach Allen. I still remember what he was trying to teach me at the Combine and said that to him, and he was laughing.”

Q: You have a pretty diverse skill-set, can get after that quarterback. Do you think your role will be similar to what you’ve done in the past?

Jaquan Brisker: “Well, last year, we ended up playing left and right, so I got the best of both worlds. I played free safety and strong safety. So me and Kevin Byard are looking to do the same thing, move around and fly around. And, you know, obviously, they’re probably gonna blitz me and things like that, do different things. So I’m definitely excited to see what’s gonna happen with positions I’m gonna play, especially on third down or whatever. It’s gonna be very exciting, especially since it’s DB-friendly. I watched their film, and I saw that sometimes they have seven DBs in there, eight DBs. I could tell he loved his DBs.”

Q: I wanted to talk to you a little bit about the Bears overall. Caleb Williams, everybody’s excited to see what he can do in his second year. What have been your impressions of Caleb?

Jaquan Brisker: “He’s a hard worker, he’s very locked in, he’s detailed. And he’s got that X-factor. I feel like he will take that next step. I feel like he has a chip on the shoulder from last season, especially the way it ended for us. We knew what the season was supposed to be, but it didn’t go that way. And I feel like he’s gonna have a chip on his shoulder to dominate the league. 

“And, yeah, he’s great. He’s a great teammate, great person. Just puts his head down and works, and I’m sure he’s working behind closed doors without posting. So it’s gonna be scary, because I know he has that attitude to where he wants to get back at people. And I like that. I know he’s gonna take over this league. Ben, him and Caleb paired up, it’s going to be amazing. That’s who Caleb wanted in the offseason. It’s going to be amazing seeing Caleb grow, and he’s ready.”

Q: Looking at the DB group – you talked about how DB friendly the new scheme is, and just how talented is that group of of players?

Jaquan Brisker: “Oh, my God, dangerous group. We call ourselves the Avengers. It’s definitely a great group, on and off the field. Last year, we were just getting comfortable. There were no touchdowns over our head. We were flying around. We got the chemistry, like we had chemistry that we played for 10 years. So just imagine it is gonna be like that next year too. So it’s gonna be great playing with Tyrique (Stevenson), Kyler (Gordon), KB (Byard), Jaylon (Johnson). It’s going to be amazing for us to bring it back again this year and show what we really could do.”

Q: The last three seasons haven’t been super fun from a team standpoint. Are you optimistic about the trajectory of the team? What is the key for the Bears to take the next step?

Jaquan Brisker: “I feel like we’re in a great spot. The key for us to take the next step is to put our head down every single day and just work. We already had that chemistry together. We’re very close. We trust each other. Now it’s just time to work, change the culture, drive the culture the way we want it. Do you everything the coach tells us do. Follow his philosophies. 

“We make great moves every year and now it’s time to get off the paper and get down to it. Because on paper you could say, this team could have gone 12-5. Oh, last year’s team could have went 11-6. During OTAs, we have to put our heads down. We have to do everything right. Not say too much. Because every year it feels great, but we need to work.”

Q: Is it almost like a no excuses thing at this point? Like, okay, we might have said it the past couple years and it didn’t turn out. We need to do this.

Jaquan Brisker: “It’s a very important year for the whole team. I feel like we have so much to prove, to the league, to ourselves. We feel like these last two years should have been playoff teams, easily playoff teams, and they haven’t. And we got to continue to find out that answer. We know what we’ve got to do, and that’s really to change our culture. We need a different culture. We’ve got the people, but we’ve got to put it together. Offense, defense, special teams, coaching staff, upstairs. It could be dangerous.

“Coach Ben, he’s the right coach, and we’re in the right situation. So I feel like there’s a lot of things that are going to turn, but it’s gonna come with hard work. It’s not gonna be easy.”

Q: I wanted to ask you about Tyler Warren, who’s potentially a top-10 pick. You overlapped with him a couple years at Penn State. Do you remember him?

Jaquan Brisker: “For sure. He was already showing potential. I mean, obviously I was locking him up, but you could definitely tell in practices, running routes, blocking. My last year he was the Wildcat quarterback for us. He used to play quarterback in high school. So he used to be diving over the piles. We gave him a couple jump balls (in games). I thought he should have got the ball a lot more, but, yeah, I think he’s amazing.

“I feel like he’s gonna be a top-five, top-10 pick. Like I said on Twitter not too long ago, him and (Cole) Kmet would be crazy. I love Tyler. He’s capable of a lot of things. And we all knew that. If you didn’t know that, then you weren’t paying attention. He’s a great player.”

Q:  Would you match up with him a decent amount in practice?

Jaquan Brisker: “We were doing one on ones so there was plenty of time with him, blocking instruction. He wasn’t on the scout team, but we played ones against ones, ones against twos. We got to see each other plenty of times. And then Coach Franklin used to throw us in the fire. You know, Tyler Warren versus Brisker.

Q: You guys have pick number 10 overall?

Jaquan Brisker: “Yep.”

Q: OK, so that could happen. I mean, it’s not unrealistic, if he’s still there.

Jaquan Brisker: “It’s definitely not unrealistic, especially with Coach’s scheme. He likes two tight ends. The Rob Gronkowski pairing, or whoever you want to name, it would be that type of duo.”

Q: I read a bit about your friendship with Miles Sanders, who is from your same area in Pittsburgh. Have you spoken with him this offseason? It feels like Dallas is a pretty good opportunity as far as playing time, being in an offense with some playmakers. Can he bounce back?

Jaquan Brisker: “Yeah, I talk to him here and there. We have little conversations sometimes. And really, I think for him, it’s gonna be a great fit in Dallas, especially, like you said, they have playmakers everywhere. They have a great line to where he’s gonna be able to run the ball and do what he wants to do. I feel like he fits their scheme. Miles is a very balanced runner, but he can run routes, and then he’ll block on third down. So I feel like he’s an amazing football player, and I feel like Dallas is going to use his talent to his abilities, which is good. So I feel like he’s in a great spot. I feel like he could become the starter too. He has that type of potential to start. He’s very smooth. It felt like it was the right opportunity. He’s gonna be in great hands. So I felt he made the right decision to go to Dallas.”

Q:  You’re never shy to speak your mind on social, and when CeeDee Lamb was talking down about the 2024 Bears, you were quick to back up your team.

Jaquan Brisker: “For sure. I’m always going to back up my team.”

Q: Have you talked to CeeDee personally since then?

Jaquan Brisker: “No, definitely not personally. Nope.”

Q: Are you looking forward to that game? You think it’ll add a little bit of motivation on each side?

Jaquan Brisker: “I feel like he just added more motivation to it. He kind of made it worse. I’m already motivated, not because of him, but because of last year, what it could have been. But obviously he added more fuel to fire. When the game comes, I’m going to remember everything he said. People don’t know me, but when people talk smack about my team or myself, it definitely turns me up, man. I look forward to seeing him. I’m not going to say too much, but everybody knows what I like doing on the field. Eventually we’re going to see each other.”

Q: Yep, for sure. Switching gears here. Were you a Steelers fan growing up in Pittsburgh?

Jaquan Brisker: “No, I was a Patriots fan. I was a Tom Brady fan. Tom was my favorite player. Corey Dillon, players like that. Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, , Richard Seymour, Ty Law, Darrelle Revis, Asante Samuel, people like that. Gronk eventually, like, there’s so many players, but really, Tom Brady was my favorite quarterback. 

“I was interested in the Steelers, though. I wasn’t a Steelers fan, but I love Mike Tomlin, especially. He was a mentor to me growing up. We had a lot of great conversations. So I’m definitely a Mike Tomlin fan.”

Q: Was this back in high school when you met in?

Jaquan Brisker: “This was back in fifth grade, sixth grade camps. Winning championships at his camps. Then going to the stadium and meeting with him, talking to him, working out around the facility. I talked to him before the draft. They were trying to get me, they told me. We always had a great connection. I love Mike T, for sure.”

Q: How did it go over when you wore Patriots gear at school in Pittsburgh?

Jaquan Brisker: “People used to be hating. They were mad. The Steelers were good, but the Patriots were just so dominant. People hated Tom Brady. You know how it is. When people win that much, people hate. They wanted to see him lose so bad. Everybody’s like, ‘Why aren’t you a Steelers fan? You live in Pittsburgh.’ But my family on my dad’s side didn’t like the Steelers, and it kind of rubbed off on me.”

Q: Do you go back to Pittsburgh some in the offseason?

Jaquan Brisker: “Yes, I go back in the summer to work out. I used to work out with Aaron Donald all the time, but obviously he’s retired, so now I just work out by myself or with Miles (Sanders), Damar Hamlin, Dane Jackson, Kenny Robinson, Khaleke Hudson, Joey Porter.”

Q: Are you a fan of the game to point where you’re interested if Aaron Rodgers is going to go to the Steelers? Do you focus on some of the big stuff going on in the NFL? 

Jaquan Brisker: “Yes, I’m definitely a fan. I’m a fan of football. Always been a fan. I don’t know what the Steelers are going to do. Probably sign Aaron Rodgers. If not, I feel like they’re going to draft the quarterback – or get Aaron and draft the quarterback anyway. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. They don’t have a quarterback right now, so I know something has to happen.”

Q: Looking at the Bears’ season, you guys lost five games by a field goal or less, which is probably frustrating. You guys do all this game planning, all this training, and then you can kick a field goal at the end of a game, and it misses by six inches. Is there a decent amount of luck involved?

Jaquan Brisker: “I wouldn’t say luck. I’ll say a lot of things could change the game. No, whether that’s turnovers, certain calls being made by the refs, scheme, whatever it may be. It’s crazy because it’s not luck, but it just really how the game goes in the NFL. You see it all the time. It might be close, and then there might be a fumble. It might be close, might be a missed field goal. Might be close, it might be a block field goal, an interception, a great play. So no, I’ll just say it comes with that. It doesn’t come with luck. Nah. You can’t be lucky.”

Q: So it’s more about the game-changing plays, but you think preparation is a bigger part of that than luck.

Jaquan Brisker: “Preparation, scheme. All of that matters, from the walkthroughs to practice to the game. Because that little detail could be a touchdown. All of that is important, and you have to go play regardless of what they’re going to call. You’ve got to maximize it and try to win.”

Q: You played with Justin Fields for a couple of years, and now he’s headed to the Jets. How do you think he’s going to perform there?

Jaquan Brisker: “He’s gonna be a great player. That’s Houdini, man. He’s gonna make things happen. He’s in a great spot.  Get him a couple weapons, an O-line. I feel like he’s gonna be great. I always thought he was great, and he’s an amazing quarterback off the field, which is important. He talks to everyone. He’s a great guy. I feel like the Jets was a perfect fit for him.”

The post Jaquan Brisker Talks Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, Tyler Warren and Luck In Football appeared first on CasinoBeats.

 Jaquan Brisker missed 12 games last season due to a concussion, but has been cleared to practice and is optimistic about getting his career back on track in 2025. The fourth-year safety spoke in-depth about his journey with Casino Beats, and also took time out to talk about new Bears coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb
The post Jaquan Brisker Talks Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, Tyler Warren and Luck In Football appeared first on CasinoBeats.