Nevius: Brian Hoyer will be at center of debate this 49ers season

By October we will all be in Brian Hoyer’s head.

That’s just how it works.

We never seem to psychoanalyze the offensive left tackle. But we are always ready to speculate on the deep inner thoughts of the quarterback.

It won’t be long before we’re having conversations about whether Hoyer looks tentative … or composed? Does he have the acumen to read pass coverages or does he throw immediately to the first read, failing to see the lurking safety? And did you notice he pats the ball before he throws? (Nods meaningfully.)

At least at the start of the season, Hoyer will be the face of the franchise among players. It’s pretty standard - after the game the media go to the quarterback for a quote. Hoyer sounds as if he can handle that with ease.

He was on the NFL Live podcast last week and could have been one of the regulars. It was the last day that Washington could have signed their QB Kirk Cousins to a long-term deal. They didn’t, feeding the frenzy that Cousins will be with the 49ers next year.

So was it a coincidence that Hoyer was on the air that day? Not likely.

He must have figured he’d have to answer questions about Cousins anyhow, so why not do it coast to coast?

His answer was appropriately genial and vague.

He made an unexpected Michigan State reference - “Good to see two Spartans up there” (reminding us that he and Cousins both played at MSU) - then pointed out that for the foreseeable future Cousins is in Washington and he’s in San Francisco.

Which, I think, we knew.

However, on the question of reliably providing sound bites for the media - check.

Of course, a lot depends on this season. If there’s a glimmer of hope - and surely winning more than last season’s total of two games is not too tall a hill to climb - Hoyer will be seen as gritty when he runs over tacklers and “surgical” when he cuts up defenses with quick, short throws.

And if the team tanks, Hoyer will be seen as taking fool-hardly risks and settling for checkdowns. (I give us until the second regular-season game before we start the “he can’t throw long” lament.)

Still, in a profession that strangles self-confidence like kudzu, Hoyer has shown a remarkable stick-to-it-ness. Bouncing around the league - this is his sixth team - in your 30s is the mark of a head-down grinder. You’ve got to like that.

Cut after two seasons with New England at the start of his career, Hoyer famously called his high school coach to ask if he could throw some passes to the kids. And did.

So there’s that. And he doesn’t throw interceptions. In five games last year with the Bears he threw 200 passes without a pick. Then he broke his arm … so.

However, the lack of interceptions brings back the old Alex Smith conundrum - sure, he’s completing passes and avoiding turnovers, but they are dinks and dunks that don’t take the team anywhere.

And there’s some of that in Hoyer’s clippings. His best yards-per-attempt average was 7.6 in 2014, when his coach was (foreshadowing alert) Kyle Shanahan. Tom Brady’s was 8.6 last year, just for reference. (And yes, Colin Kaepernick’s career number is 7.3, but he’s gone 7.0, 6.6 and 6.8 in the past three years.)

Is it possible that Hoyer finds happiness with the 49ers, gets off to a great start and carves out the kind of storybook season that causes fans to name their firstborn after him? Sure. Let’s all hope that happens.

What’s more likely is the team improves a little and Hoyer does his best as a “bridge” quarterback.

That will make for a frustrating year. Unless there’s a miracle, we’re going to be watching a journeyman quarterback direct a rebuilding team. It sounds like a yawn.

What you want to see is a comet of talent streaking across the sky. You want to see an Aaron Rodgers at his peak, throwing long, crazy-accurate bombs to the back of the end zone.

When the Raiders drafted Derek Carr in 2014, a co-worker watched him avidly all exhibition season and decided that Carr should start immediately. With my wealth of gridiron experience and knowledge, I explained to him how difficult and nuanced the position is, and how starting a rookie QB is always a disaster.

That night I went home and watched Carr in one of the final preseason games. At the end of the first half I texted my friend: “I have changed my mind.”

The 49ers will be back when they have a quarterback like that.

Contact C.W. Nevius at cwnevius@pressdemocrat.com. Twitter: @cwnevius.