Ths San Francisco 49ers passing offense ranked last in the league in 2016. First-year head coach Kyle Shanahan hand picked quarterback Brian Hoyer to be the man to run his complex offense in an effort to improve upon that ranking. That is a lot of pressure for Hoyer, who came to San Francisco in March as the undisputed starting quarterback.
The fact that he would be the starter for the 49ers from day one, along with the prospect of playing for Shanahan, drove Hoyer's decision to pick San Francisco over the Buffalo Bills. On Wednesday morning, Hoyer joined the "Murph & Mac" show on KNBR and discussed what it was like joining his seventh team as he enters the ninth year of his NFL career. He was asked how this year with San Francisco has been different from those previous experiences.
"The one thing that's been the big difference for me is that I came in and I was the starter day one and I've been able to really take ownership over not only the offense but being a leader from day one," Hoyer answered. "Not worrying about stepping on people's toes or anything like that. I think being more of a veteran and having played, I think people are more willing to see that being from the quarterback position but also just going out there and showing them that I know what I'm doing and I put the work in. I think that's been the biggest difference. Not having to worry about anything other than just playing football."
There is a lot of youth on the 49ers. Over half of the players on the active roster have three or fewer years of NFL experience. Only four 49ers players have more NFL experience than Hoyer, who was immediately thrust into a leadership role upon his signing. He was asked if he feels like he has won over the roster as a leader on the team.
"I think, with the quarterback position, that's a natural leadership position and, for me, it's something I feel comes pretty naturally," Hoyer said. "I think I've done enough to earn the respect at this point now. It's always a work in progress. I think you've got to go out there and prove it on Sundays when it really matters. I think that's when you earn the most respect. That will be a continual work in progress as the season goes on.
"But I have a great feeling for those guys and I think they have a great understanding of who I am and I think we're all really excited to go out and see what we can do. I think we've practiced really well. The preseason, it is what it is, but we went out against Minnesota and had some good drives and put some things together. Basically, how we've been practicing and I think we just continue to keep doing that and see where it takes us."
Hoyer and the 49ers will have their first opportunity to go out and prove critics wrong when San Francisco hosts the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium. As of Wednesday morning, the Panthers are 5-point favorites over the 49ers, according to Yahoo! Sports.
You can listen to the entire KNBR interview with Hoyer below.