FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Newly acquired New England Patriots wide receiver Michael Floyd said Thursday he is making progress in learning the team's system, crediting rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett for taking extra time with him since Floyd was claimed on waivers Dec. 15.
"He comes in early for me, or after practice and afternoons. We walk through some stuff. Maybe I had a question from today's practice, or what's going on tomorrow. We're making sure we can get all that we can get in," Floyd said, also mentioning position coach Chad O'Shea for assisting his transition.
The public acknowledgement of Brissett once again highlights how the third-round draft choice out of NC State has earned the respect of many in the Patriots organization in a short time. It also reinforces, in part, why the club felt obliged to use its designated to return/injured reserve option on Brissett even though he is No. 3 on the depth chart behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo and not expected to be active on most game days.
Had the Patriots not activated Brissett off injured reserve, he would have been ineligible to practice.
Brissett won over many in the organization for how he handled a challenging situation in Weeks 2-4 of the regular season, when he was thrust into a starting role when Brady was in the midst of a four-game suspension and Garoppolo injured his shoulder. His performance in a 27-0 victory over the Houston Texans on Sept. 22 was one of his highlights.
Brissett injured the thumb on his right throwing hand in that game, but played through it the following week in a 16-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He then underwent surgery on the thumb, landing on IR.
At the time, receiver Julian Edelman said, "No. 7, he's a tough kid ... had a gutsy performance. I gained a lot of respect for that young man and how poised he was to overcome the obstacles that he had to."
Brissett's work with Floyd could come in handy in Sunday's season finale at Miami, as Floyd could potentially be bumped into the top three on the receiver depth chart with rookie Malcolm Mitchell (knee) not practicing the past two days, putting his status in question.
Asked if that might lead to some nerves, Floyd touted his experience.
"It's not my first time playing," he said. "There won't be any nerves. I got the taste of how it feels last game."
