Brian Hoyer

Brian Hoyer

Hoyer at a game in Denver on October 11, 2009
No. 8     New England Patriots
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: October 13, 1985 (1985-10-13)
Place of birth: North Olmsted, Ohio
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Weight: 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College: Michigan State
Undrafted in 2009
Debuted in 2009 for the New England Patriots
Career history
New England Patriots (2009–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2007)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2011
Pass attempts	42
Pass completions	26
Percentage	61.9
TD–INT	1–1
Passing yards	264
QB Rating	77.9
Stats at NFL.com

Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Michigan State.

Early years

Hoyer attended Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, the same high school that Brian Dowling, another Patriots quarterback, attended. In addition to playing football, Hoyer was a baseball pitcher, infielder and outfielder. In 2002, he compiled an 8-1 record with a 1.99 ERA as a sophomore. He was the winning pitcher in the 2002 Ohio Division I state championship game allowing 2 earned runs in 6 innings pitched.

Hoyer compiled a 16-7 record (.696) as a two-year starter for Coach Chuck Kyle. In 2002, he completed 131 of 263 passes (.498) for 2,130 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In 2003, he completed 258-of-412 passes for 5,570 yards, 45 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while leading his team to a 11-1 record. He was named USA Today Prep Player of the Week for his performance against Shaker Heights High School. Hoyer was an Associated Press Division I all-state selection as a senior. Hoyer participated in the 2004 Ohio All-Star Classic and the July 24 Ohio-Pennsylvania Big 33 All-Star Game.

College career

Brian Hoyer (#7) during his tenure at Michigan State.

Hoyer was redshirted by Michigan State University in 2004, where he earned Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week honors twice. In 2005, he saw action in 5 games, where he completed 15 of 23 passes (.652) for 167 yards and two touchdowns. In a game against Illinois, he combined with Drew Stanton to throw seven touchdown passes, which tied the Big Ten single-game record. In 2006, he played in eight games and completed 82 of 144 passes for 863 yards, had four touchdowns and three interceptions. In 2007, Hoyer was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. He completed 223 of 376 throws (.593) for 2,725 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He had six 200-yard passing games. He was listed among 26 preseason candidates for the 2008 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top senior quarterback.

Professional career

New England Patriots

2009 season

Despite being invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, Hoyer was not selected in the 2009 NFL Draft. He signed immediately after the draft with the New England Patriots.

Hoyer debuted in the Patriots' preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 11 of 19 passes for 112 yards. In the preseason finale against the New York Giants, Hoyer played at quarterback the entire game, leading the team on a comeback after trailing 21–0 in the first quarter to a 38–27 win, completing 18 of 25 passes for 242 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions.

Hoyer finished the preseason 29-44 for 354 yards, including 1 touchdown, with a 98.1 passer rating, which ranked 30th among quarterbacks.

Of the four quarterbacks behind Tom Brady during training camp, the Patriots released Matt Gutierrez, Kevin O'Connell, and Andrew Walter, leaving Hoyer as Brady's only backup when the Patriots made their final cutdowns on September 5.

He made his professional debut on October 18, in the second half of game against the Tennessee Titans. On his first drive, he was 5/5 for 35 yards, concluding it with a 1-yard rushing touchdown, which set a franchise record for points scored in the Patriots' 59-0 win.

2010 season

Hoyer entered the 2010 preseason as Brady's only backup. During the preseason, Hoyer completed 32 of 57 passes for 471 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception and four sacks. He saw his first action of the regular season late in a 34–14 loss to the Cleveland Browns, throwing his first career interception. In Week 17, against the Miami Dolphins, he threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Tate, the first touchdown of Hoyer's NFL career.

2011 season

Although the Patriots drafted quarterback Ryan Mallett in the draft over the summer, Hoyer retained his role as Brady's primary backup. In the preseason, Hoyer threw for 296 yards on 25 of 42 passes with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Hoyer saw only limited action during the 2011 season; his only pass attempt was the Patriots' final attempt of the 2011 regular season. The pass, which head coach Bill Belichick asked offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien to call, was a 22-yard pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski to give Gronkowski the NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end.

Statistics

Year	Team	G	GS	Passing								Rushing				Sacked		Fumbles
				Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Sack	Yds	Fum	Lost
2009	NE	5	0	27	19	70.4	142	5.3	0	0	82.6	10	25	2.5	1	2	18	0	0
2010	NE	5	0	15	7	46.7	122	8.1	1	1	69.3	10	-8	-0.8	0	0	0	0	0
2011	NE	3	0	1	1	100.0	22	22.0	0	0	118.8	4	-3	-0.8	0	0	0	0	0
Total		13	0	43	27	62.8	286	6.65	1	1	80.2	24	14	0.6	1	2	18	0	0

External links

• New England Patriots bio
• Michigan State Spartans bio

References

Preceded by Drew Stanton

Michigan State Spartans Starting Quarterbacks 2007 – 2008

Succeeded by Kirk Cousins