Brian Hoyer Weighs in on Potential Platoon System for Patriots' QBs
On Wednesday the idea of a platoon system at quarterback for the New England Patriots gained some traction when head coach Bill Belichick was asked if that was an option and said "I would certainly consider that."
Brian Hoyer was asked Thursday about a potential platoon system for the quarterbacks in New England. Here's what he had to say:
"Like Coach Belichick says, he's always going to do what he thinks is best for the team, and I have a lot of trust in him and the coaching staff," Hoyer said during a video conference with the media. "It's something that I played with a little bit in Cleveland with Johnny Manziel, so it's not something that I haven't dealt with before, and it's all about - look, at practice we're constantly rotating through - the quarterbacks - so it prepares you to go in, find out what the situation is, and execute the play the best you can in that situation.
"It's something that is out of my control, I don't really concern myself with it until I'm told by a coach, but it's something I have experience with, and, look, for me I realize I can only control what I can control. So if I'm playing in a game and I get taken out on second down and come back in on third down, I just gotta go execute in that situation regardless of what happened before that."
When the Patriots brought in Cam Newton this summer, they brought in a quarterback will a skill set that was very different from what we've seen at that position in New England over the past two decades. Tom Brady is strictly a pocket passer, so when the team brought in options behind Brady, that player typically had a similar athletic makeup, because that's what the offensive scheme was built around.
However, the team took a different approach this year, mainly because they don't know who their starting quarterback will be. Newton joins a depth chart that includes Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer and Brian Lewerke. None of the three latter quarterbacks have the same athletic ability or skill set as Newton, but that may be the very reason why the six-time Super Bowl champions should consider a platoon system.
Newton has the dual-threat capability and likes to throw to bigger-bodied receivers, so putting him out on the field with skill players that fit his abilities would be one phase of the platoon system. Then have Jarrett Stidham or Brian Hoyer come out onto the field, and have their pocket-passer presence surrounded with players that fit their skill sets.
“The beautiful thing is, look, we’re all different,” Hoyer said. “We all bring different things to the table and we can appreciate those things about each other and get to know each other well and help each other and push each other. I think that’s a great thing. And that’s what when you have a so-called quarterback competition, I mean, look, we’re not all in there not talking to each other. We’re all learning from each other. We’re watching when one person goes and learning from their rep and vice versa. And it’s been awesome.”
While it is undoubtedly an unorthodox approach - especially when quarterbacks typically need to get in a rhythm in order to find success, which is hard to do when they are being subbed in and out of a game - if there is one person in the NFL that would consider and likely have success with a unique, unorthodox approach like a platoon system, it's Bill Belichick.
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