Brian Hoyer played for the Cardinals for a very brief time, less than a month, in the dying days of the Ken Whisenhunt era. He was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh in early December, with Kevin Kolb headed to IR, got in to the next-to-last game at home against the Bears and started the season finale in San Francisco. It wasn't much time to learn the offense.
"Well, it definitely got you to the point where I remember just saying, 'OK, where's Larry?' " Hoyer recounted. "Like, throw to number 11. I remember (Fitz) telling me that in that huddle. He was like, 'Don't worry, just throw it to me.' In the Chicago game, it worked, and then we came up to play San Francisco. They basically just tried to double him the whole game, and I remember Michael Floyd had a pretty big game that game."
(Floyd did, the rookie notching his first 100-yard game -- eight grabs for 166 yards and a TD.)
Hoyer comes back to Arizona Sunday as the starting quarterback of the 49ers. It's been an interesting ride. The Cards gave him his first chance to play after he was locked on the bench in New England behind Tom Brady in his early years. But it got sticky after the season. Hoyer, because of the accrued seasons rule, missed out on being an unrestricted free agent by only a couple of days. The Cards tendered him an offer, even though new coach Bruce Arians was going to likely go in a different QB direction.
Kevin Kolb and John Skelton were cut. Hoyer remained on the roster, while the Cards intially signed Drew Stanton to be the starter in free agency, and then when they traded for Carson Palmer to be the starter. Stanton would be the backup. And Hoyer had to wait before the Cards finally released him, about five weeks after the Palmer trade.
"Getting released by the Cardinals was the best thing that happened to me because I was able to go to Cleveland and play," Hoyer said. "I mean, had I been there, I don't know if I'd have ever seen the field. For me, when Carson (Palmer) was traded, it became pretty apparent that I wasn't a part of their plans.
"I remember (former Cardinals director of player personnel) Jason Licht was the main guy that I spoke to, and I just remember asking him, 'If I don't fit in here, just let me go sooner than later so I can get somewhere.' "
Hoyer was cut. He signed with Cleveland and actually had a winning record with the Browns before getting hurt in 2013. (Hoyer was actually 10-6 in 16 starts with the Browns over two seasons.) Arians said he had been impressed with Hoyer in the brief time he coached him. Hoyer said he'll always have a "soft place in my heart" for the Cards because they gave him a chance to play.
"I was barely there," Hoyer said. "I think about it, I was there for basically three weeks at the end of the season. I came back out, basically up until the draft, and I was there for a few workouts, and then I was gone."
