What could make a new team, new training camp, and a new city a smooth transition for a veteran NFL quarterback? Well, for Pierre Garçon, it's familiarity.
At the start of the training camp, Hoyer will enter his ninth season with his sixth NFL team. But this time around, the quarterback doesn't feel like he's starting from scratch.
This is the first time Hoyer has entered camp as his team's presumed starter since 2014 with the Cleveland Browns. Take it a step further: The Browns offensive coordinator that year? Kyle Shanahan.
"You don't have to deal with the unknown a little bit when it comes to that," Hoyer said. "You can tell yourself not to worry about things as much as you want to, but you know those thoughts creep up in your mind. So now just to be able to go out and focus and take control and know this is my team, this is my offense. It kind of eliminates that and you can just focus on the football side of it." The quarterback spent a portion of his summer break building chemistry with some of his teammates. Hoyer and members of the 49ers receiving corps held a three-day "refresher" workout in Dallas. Along with fellow quarterbacks Matt Barkley and C.J. Beathard, the group spent a few days perfecting installs, running routes and bonded over a round of golf.
"Obviously, you get a ton of reps in the offseason. We had that break so it was good to kind of keep that fresh in my mind with those guys and then when we get back out there (Friday) you just try to pick up where you left off," Hoyer said. "You never want to digress, so hopefully that timing comes back pretty quickly."
Hoyer started 14 games under Shanahan in 2014 and threw for a career-high 3,326 yards and 12 touchdowns. The coach-quarterback combination hope their success in Cleveland carries over to their reunion in the Bay Area.
"Going into your ninth training camp, you know what to expect going in - having an understanding of the offensive system, having a full offseason with the guys out there," Hoyer added. "Even though it is a new team, a new training camp, I think there is a comfortability knowing what to expect as a veteran."
