Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is not overlooking New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer heading into their matchup on Sunday.
Lafleur is familiar with Hoyer, as the coach’s brother, Mike LaFleur, coached Hoyer in San Francisco. He was also a coaching intern for the Cleveland Browns in 2014, when Hoyer was on the team. That year, the quarterback passed for 3,326 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 242 completions and 438 attempts that year remain career-highs for him.
Hoyer might have a chance to add to his career statistics, if he gets the opportunity to man New England’s quarterback ship following the injury to Mac Jones.
Matt Lafleur doesn’t plan on approaching the Patriots offense any differently, regardless of who is under center.
“Brian Hoyer is a guy I’ve got a lot of respect for,” said LaFleur, per NESN’s Mike Cole. “My brother was on that staff in Cleveland when he was a starter, and they had him again when he was in San Francisco as well. I remember watching a lot of the cut-ups from the ’14 season, and you could make the case and take all his great plays he made, and you would have thought he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
“He’s been doing it for a really long time, and he’s going to know their system inside and out. That always presents some challenges when you have a veteran versus a more inexperienced player. Although I don’t wanna take anything away from Mac. Mac has been unbelievable, obviously, having a Pro Bowl season last year and doing some great things this year, as well. Whoever’s out there, you just gotta adjust and adapt.”
New England could look to Hoyer to provide some stability at the quarterback position, as the organization tries to figure out what to do with Jones’ injury.
This would be Hoyer’s first start since Week 4 of the 2020 season against the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, he will look to put the Patriots back on the winning track.
At the very least, the Green Bay Packers will be ready for whatever the New England offense throws at them. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots plan for a powerhouse Packers team.
