FOXBORO, Mass. — Jimmy Garoppolo looked solid for the New England Patriots in training camp this summer, but it’s tough to look great when you’re throwing next to Tom Brady.
Brian Hoyer, who signed with the Chicago Bears this offseason and was Brady’s backup quarterback in New England from 2009 to 2011, knows that well. Hoyer said Brady will offer advice to his backups, but the best way to learn from him is to observe.
“You just gotta sit there and watch,” Hoyer said Wednesday after joint practice with the Patriots. “That’s the biggest thing. He’s also a guy who goes out of his way to help.
“I think, for me, I remember those years just trying to sit back and watch and soak up everything, whether it was in the meeting room, on the field, training, whatever it might be. He’s such an intense competitor. If you can just soak it all up, you just kind of gain it by being around him.”
But how can you try to replicate one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history when you’re a young player? By asking questions.
“At some point you have to say, ‘Well, how are you seeing this?’ or ‘How did you know that?’ ” Hoyer said. “I remember asking, ‘How did you know this was going to be the coverage?’ And he’s just going, ‘I’ve seen it years and years and years.’ There’s definitely time you have to stop and ask him and be like, ‘How are you even knowing to take the ball here or check this play?’ But a lot of it was just seeing him operate. The intensity, demanding so much out of his teammates, that type of thing.”
Brady and Hoyer remain close, even though Hoyer was released by the Patriots nearly four years ago. The two spent time catching up on the field during this week’s joint practices.
“Tom, from Day 1 when he came in, he was always just like, ‘Hey, I’m Tom.’ And I knew that already, but that’s just kind of the way he is,” Hoyer said. “He’s so humble and a great guy, and to be able to stay in touch. … He’s always been one of the first guys to text me after a game, whether it was good, bad or ugly, or whatever it was. So, it’s a friendship that I have really cherished over the years.”
Brady and Garoppolo are in a slightly different situation this summer than Hoyer ever was with the Patriots starter. Brady, 39, is suspended for the first four games of the season, and Garoppolo, 24, will start in his place. Garoppolo was a second-round draft pick and is the first backup who looks like a legit heir apparent to Brady, while Hoyer came to the Patriots as an undrafted free agent.
Thumbnail photo via Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports Images
