How much does having Brian Hoyer matter?
It was a question brought up on the Dale, Holley & Keefe Show when discussing how much value Hoyer represented when being included in the trade involving Jimmy Garoppolo. While Dale Arnold suggested the QB's presence was of some importance because of his familiarity with the system, Rich Keefe dug in on the premise that no matter what backup you brought in it wasn't going to make a difference. (Keefe even dropped a Ryan Lindley reference.)
Do you side with @Keefe21 or @DaleEArnold when it comes to the backup QB situation in NE? Listen and be the judge. pic.twitter.com/SGTKLS8kKi
— Dale, Holley & Keefe (@DaleHolleyWEEI) January 7, 2018Now that the Patriots have a clearer picture of who they will be facing in their first playoff game (Tennessee) the conversation can include whether or not a Hoyer-led offense could win against that team. Perhaps he couldn't beat a Pittsburgh, or whichever club might be waiting in the Super Bowl. But the Titans? That would seem to be a legitimate debate.
For what it's worth, against the Titans the 32-year-old has had very good success, winning all three of his appearances while going 53-for-83 with five touchdowns, one interception and a combined 99.4 quarterback rating.
Hoyer, however, was horrific in his only postseason start, finishing with a 15.9 quarterback rating after throwing four interceptions, no touchdowns while going 15-for-34 in a 30-0 loss to Kansas City two years ago.
While a case could be made that the quarterback could perform well enough in the Patriots system, which he has now played in for parts of four seasons, there are too many variables to know for sure how Hoyer might function if starting for the Pats (which he has never done). Offensive line. Offensive weapons. Opposing defense. All of it has to be included along with the signal-caller's ability to function as an NFL QB.
Garoppolo? The answer would seemingly be easy. Hoyer? Not so much.
