With Ben Johnson leading a new coaching staff for the Chicago Bears, this summer’s minicamp and training camp are particularly important as the team installs a new system and both players and staff get to know each other.
For safety Jaquan Brisker, he’s not only learning a new system, but also getting his feet back under him after his season ended in Week 5 from what was eventually diagnosed as a vestibular concussion on a tackle, which can require a longer recovery time due to symptoms like vertigo. That was the case for Brisker, who did not suit up again for the Bears last season despite his desire to be back on the field.
Brisker was cleared by the Bears prior to the team’s offseason program beginning, and this summer he’ll be shaking off rust and looking to put his full talents on display for the new coaching staff. After a scary head injury, however, it was fair to wonder if the hard-hitting safety would have a different mindset heading into his fourth season in the league.
Brisker spoke with reporters this week for the first time since his injury, and while he called his absence from the game “sad and depressing” at times, noted that he’s in a better place mentally.
“I am just focused on playing ball,” he said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’m really clear of mind, you know. I’m really good.”
Brisker tallied more than 100 tackles in both of his first two years and became known as an aggressive, downhill hitter, but he sn’t planning on changing anything.
“When I’m out there, I make plays,” he said. “I go attack the ball, and I come down and hit. I come down and tackle, and I’m a leader. So I really just have to be out there.”
Brisker punctuated his comments by noting “I want to hit right now” and seems eager to put his year on the sidelines behind him. The former Penn State star will get his wish later this summer when the pads go on in camp and they go live.