While Patriots head coach Bill Belichick repeatedly said on Wednesday that quarterback Mac Jones is getting better “day by day,” it seems as if Brian Hoyer will be behind center when New England takes on Green Bay this weekend.
But Packers head coach Matt LaFleur isn’t taking anything for granted in potentially facing the backup QB.
On Wednesday, LaFleur said in his press conference he wouldn’t expect the Patriots to attack the Packers’ defense much differently with Hoyer as opposed to Jones. And LaFleur sees Hoyer as a fully capable quarterback.
“My brother was on that staff in Cleveland when [Hoyer] was the starter there, and they had him when he was in San Francisco, as well,” LaFleur said, via Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. “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 that he made, and you [would have] thought he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
“So [Hoyer]’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.”
Hoyer was 7-6 as a starter for the Browns in 2014. He completed 55 percent of his passes for 3,326 yards with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions — though he did lead the league with 13.7 yards per completion that year.
Jones did not practice on Wednesday and is reportedly not practicing on Thursday either.