Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer eager to get back to work, correct his mistakes
By
Aaron Wilson on September 15, 2015 8:41 PM
Although Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer joked about using his best poker face Tuesday while fielding questions about his status, he behaved like a man who’s still the starter.
Two days removed from a season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs where he had an interception, a lost fumble and was sacked four times before being replaced by backup Ryan Mallett, Hoyer appeared to be in a good mood during a Texans stats challenge math event at Claughton Middle School.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Monday he won’t announce a starter, but already knows who he wants to go with. Several sources not authorized to speak publicly said they would be at least mildly surprised if O’Brien gave up on Hoyer after one game and didn’t start him Sunday against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
“Regardless of the situation, I’m always going to prepare like I’m the starter, whether I am or not,” said Hoyer, who declined comment when asked directly if he’s been told if he’s still the starter. “That’s the only way you can approach your job, especially when you’re an NFL quarterback. You never know what’s going to happen. You always have to be prepared for any scenario.”
After competing last year with former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, Hoyer is accustomed to competitions extending beyond training camp even after being declared the starter.
“That’s part of the job,” he said. “It’s something I’ve dealt with and will continue to deal with. You put your best foot forward and you always be ready no matter where you are on the depth chart.”
After reviewing the game tape, Hoyer came away more encouraged than discouraged. He was downcast Sunday and apologized to teammates in the locker room and publicly said he thought he’d let the entire organization down after completing 18 of 34 passes for 236 yards and a 72.7 passer rating with both of his turnovers leading to Chiefs touchdowns.
Hoyer said he can’t wait to get back to work Wednesday when the Texans will resume preparations for the Panthers.
“It’s nothing that’s not correctable,” Hoyer said. “It wasn’t one of those things where we just couldn’t get it done. Actually, when you look at the film, some really good plays, too. You want to build on those, learn from your mistakes, correct them and really move on towards Carolina and get a good feel for what you do.
“The good thing is you get to play a new game every week. The bad thing is they’re seven days apart. Sometimes you wish they would come a little sooner.”
As frustrated and disappointed as Hoyer was Sunday, he seemed recharged Tuesday. Hoyer said he spent Sunday night with his wife and kids following the 27-20 loss.
“That’s usually the best way to do it, whether it’s a win or a loss,” Hoyer said. “I kind of just pulled back a little bit and just kind of put things in perspective.”
Hoyer is aware of the concerns surrounding the Texans after dropping to 0-1.
“First game of the year, you want to come out and put your best foot forward,” Hoyer said. “There’s disappointment all around. You find out what you did wrong, fix those mistakes and get ready for the next week. We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing Carolina, who was a playoff team, on the road. That’s going to be a great challenge.”
Hoyer said he enjoys applying math principles to his job, including the analytics that tells him what percentage of coverages defenses use at particular down and distances.
“In football, there are so many numbers that are out there,” he said. “Like I said to these kids, you’ve got to know the down and distance, you’ve got to know the personnel groupings, which we use numbers for. How many defensive lineman are in the game? How many linebackers? What’s the coverage? In football, it’s applied all the time even though we’re not always thinking about it as math.”
