In his nine seasons prior to joining the San Francisco 49ers, quarterback Brian Hoyer has never played against the Seattle Seahawks or been to CenturyLink Field. He'll get his first opportunity on Sunday. As of Thursday evening, the Seahawks are 15-point favorites over the 49ers, which is the largest point spread of Week 2.
Hoyer will have the daunting task of going up against a Seahawks defense that features players like Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor at the two safety positions and Richard Sherman as the team's top cornerback. The 49ers quarterback joined "The Damon Bruce Show" on 95.7 The Game Thursday and discussed going up against players like Thomas.
"I think Earl, obviously, commands a lot of attention," Hoyer said. "I mean, my first few years in New England, it seemed like we always played the Ravens and that's when Ed Reed was there. And I remember Tom Brady going over the plays saying, 'I've just got to know where Reed is on this play.' And that's how I feel about Earl. You just have to know where he is and know that he's going to read your eyes and make plays off of it. He's done it for a long time and he makes it tough.
"So, you've got to find out where he is and, obviously, you go down the line. Their defensive front, their backers, their corners, Kam Chancellor. They have a lot of great players and a great scheme which is what makes them so great. You've just got to try and figure out what they're doing and read and react."
On Wednesday, Hoyer spoke to the media about what he expects from one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL and one of the most difficult places for an opposing team to play.
"I just expect what everybody says here who's played there," Hoyer said. "It's loud. Obviously, it's what it's known for. The bigger task is their defense. Obviously, the crowd has a lot to do with it, but when you just line up and look at their defense and their scheme, it's a tough thing to go against. That's just a little thing we have to be able to handle. Handle the environment and still go out and execute and do our jobs."
Against Carolina, Hoyer completed 24 of his 35 passes for 193 yards, an interception, and was sacked four times.