Late for Work: Bill Parcells Discusses His Close…

Perhaps no one knows what the Ravens are getting in veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett better than Hall-of-Fame head coach Bill Parcells.

The two-time Super Bowl champion coach and Brissett forged a relationship when the latter was playing at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., where Parcells owns a home, and they have remained close for two decades.

Parcells met Brissett when the school’s football coach invited him to watch practice. The young quarterback impressed Parcells.

“I’d be over there once in a while and I got to know Jacoby personally, and, you know, he was interested,” Parcells said on “Glenn Clark Radio.” “We got to know each other and be friends. I don’t want to say I was a guidance counselor, because I really wasn’t, but we talked about where he was going to go to school and what the opportunities would be and that kind of thing, and it just went on from there and we’ve been friends for all these years now.

“So, it’s been a good relationship and it’s been nice to see him go on and make a nice career for himself in pro football. Obviously, we consulted on those matters all the way through. He’s just my friend. Really, he’s more than that. He’s like a son to me and we’re very close.”

On Wednesday, Brissett took the field for the first time since being traded to the Ravens last week, and he’ll start against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Parcells expects Brissett to hit the ground running.

“He knows what he has to do and I’m certain that he’ll approach it the way he’s always approached everything,” Parcells said. “He’s very diligent. He’s very conscientious. He wants to be well-prepared and he will be because he knows what it takes to be successful in the league now. … He will not be overwhelmed.”

Parcells, who coached the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles, said he is “a Giant at heart,” but he’ll be pulling for the Ravens.

“Wherever Jacoby is, that’s who I’m rooting for,” Parcells said.

ESPN’s Football Power Index Gives Ravens Less Than 3% Chance of Making Playoffs

ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters took stock of the team they cover at the midway point of the season and framed what’s to come in the season’s second half.

The Ravens (4-5) are ranked No. 22 in ESPN’s Football Power Index, which gives them a 2.9% chance of making the playoffs and 0.1% chance of winning the AFC North.

“The Ravens are trying to avoid missing out on the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2016-17, which are the years before Baltimore drafted Lamar Jackson,” Jamison Hensley wrote. “It’s a formidable challenge for first-year coach Jesse Minter to get Baltimore in the postseason. The Ravens’ remaining strength of schedule ranks as the 10th most difficult in the NFL.”

Ravens Receive B- for Trade Deadline Performance

With the trade deadline passed, Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker assessed how every team fared. The Ravens got a B- grade.

“Despite sitting at 4-5, the Ravens chose to buy in an effort to salvage what’s been a thoroughly disappointing season,” Locker wrote. “Adding Jacoby Brissett (69.2 PFF passing grade) for a fourth-round pick feels like a stabilizing move given Joe Fagnano’s performance (31.1), with the veteran hoping to bridge the gap to a Lamar Jackson return.

“However, the trade for [center] Cam Jurgens looks a bit overly aggressive considering his career-worst 43.9 overall PFF grade this season. Adding in Ryan Neuzil as depth reinforces the interior of the team’s interior offensive line, where General Manager Eric DeCosta has continued throwing darts to overcome injuries.”

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