Brian Hoyer looked better than ever last Thursday night in the Patriots preseason opener in Detroit. Though Jarrett Stidham drew much of the attention after his solid performance, Hoyer did more than hold his own. The 33-year-old veteran picked apart the Lions' defense completing 12 of his 14 passing attempts for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
"The guys did a good job. I didn't get touched all night," Hoyer said. "The O-line did a good job. The receivers made some great plays. It makes it easy for the quarterback when everyone is doing their job."
This is just the second preseason for Hoyer since his return to New England in 2017. After spending the first three years of his NFL career with the Patriots, Hoyer played for six different teams before coming back to Foxbourough. Despite the turnover on the roster and coaching staff during his seven seasons outside of New England, when Hoyer returned he felt right at home
"I always thought it was kind of ironic when I came back," Hoyer said. "When I was here it was the Matt Light's, the Jerod Mayo's, and the Kevin Faulk's. Then I come back and it's the guys that I came in with, the Julian Edelman's, the Matt Slaters, the McCourty's, the Hightower's. They kind of took over those roles. Those guys learned from the guys before them, and they keep that going."
It's hard to look past the strong culture in the Patriots locker room, and each individual plays a role in sustaining that culture each year.
"The one thing I love about playing here is that everyone is willing to work hard and get better," Hoyer said. From one to 90, whoever it is, everyone has the right attitude. They come out here every day and they are working their butts' off out here.
