Most 49ers first practiced the nuts and bolts of Kyle Shanahan's offense last week in organized team activities. One quarterback, however, already is on the inside track toward comfortability in the new Bay Area coach's scheme.
Veteran gunslinger Brian Hoyer was reunited with his former playcaller when he signed a two-year deal this offseason with San Francisco. Shanahan was Hoyer's offensive coordinator in Cleveland back in 2014. Hoyer thinks the prior experience gives him a leg up compared to his first go-round.
"It's definitely easier for me to call the plays this time around," Hoyer said, via ESPN. "I remember last time kind of having to think about it, whereas now I find myself knowing that when Kyle starts to call a play I can kind of put it together. Just hearing it the second time around has helped, and knowing the plays, there are a lot of words; I think calling the play is half the battle, and it's something I really don't think about anymore. It comes naturally to me."
Back in 2014, Hoyer threw for 3,326 yards to go along with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The quarterback surged to a strong start, accumulating a 90.4 passer rating over the team's first nine games, with the Browns going 6-3 over that stretch. He then regressed, and it allowed Johnny Manziel to take over.
Following stops in Houston and Chicago, the journeyman was one of the pieces added by general manager John Lynch to revamp the Niners' firepower on offense. The new weapons not only have to worry about developing chemistry with Hoyer, but most also have to learn the intricacies of Shanahan's offense. Hoyer hopes the unit can gel over the next few months despite some players facing different starting points within the scheme than others.
"For me, thankfully, this is my second go around, but [for] everybody else this is really their first except a few other guys," Hoyer said. "Even for me, being that this is my second time, there's still things I'm always learning about the offense. Why Kyle is calling the play the way that he is, who he is trying to affect on the defense, and I think when we all get to that point and see it the way he sees it, the better it will be for us."
