“Bring him. Let’s go,” Hoyer told the Web site. “He’s a great player. He’s probably the most well known football player, at least in my time, if not ever. I think he’s a great athlete. I think he’s a great competitor. I actually got a chance to meet him here the other day. He was a great guy. Everything you see is what I think you get with him. It would be great to compete against him.”
Hoyer was signed by the Patriots last year as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State. In training camp last fall, the former Michigan State Spartan battled Andrew Walter, an established veteran, for the backup quarterback spot. To the surprise of many, Hoyer beat out Walter and earned the honor of being Tom Brady‘s backup.
Hoyer sees the potential addition of Tebow in this year’s draft as another opportunity to battle against the best.
“There is always going to be competition,” Hoyer said. “No matter what you do, you’re going to have to compete against someone. If anything, it pushes me to work harder right now in the weight room, in the [practice] bubble running, and throwing and doing the little extra things.”
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Hoyer is only a year removed from the pre-draft process, having to prove himself against quarterback prospects including Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford. Ultimately, Hoyer proved his worth and understands exactly what Tebow is going through less than a month before the NFL draft.
“He’s probably over-scrutinized. You almost feel bad for [him],” Hoyer said. “But everyone wants to have an opinion, whether it’s his throwing motion or what position he’s going to play. That’s really not fair to him. For as successful a quarterback as he was in college football, I feel like he deserves his chance and not to be so scrutinized.”
Tebow may be scrutinized heavily in the weeks leading up to the draft, but at the very least, he got a North End dinner out of it. And next season, he may get the chance to compete with Hoyer for the backup quarterback spot in New England.
