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No. 2 QB Brian Hoyer questioned for 'Totally Patriots' show
BY LAUREN CARTER FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 9:38 AM EDT
Tom Brady's backup, New England Patriots rookie quarterback Brian Hoyer, takes questions from a group of journalism students from Attleboro High School for a segment on "Totally Patriots" a TV show that airs every Sunday at 10 a.m. on TV38. (New England Patriots)
FOXBORO - A journalism class at Attleboro High School got to test their interviewing skills while tossing out questions to a New England Patriot Tuesday morning.The reporters-in-training gave backup quarterback Brian Hoyer a friendly grilling during a taping of "Totally Patriots," a Patriots-themed show that lets high school-age fans in on the fun. The show airs on WSBK Boston every Sunday at 10 a.m.

Students were seated on the plaza outside the Hall at Patriot Place, where they asked questions in round-robin style before a one-on-one segment with senior Joe Lazzerini.The questions were varied:

"What makes for a good football player?"

"How did you feel when the Patriots called you?"

"What do you eat for breakfast before a game?" (That would be four eggs over medium, oatmeal, grapes and blueberries).

A "Superlatives" section got Hoyer to open up about his teammates."Best Car" goes to defensive tackle Vince Wilfork; his bright orange ride is "like a tractor-trailer without the trailer," Hoyer said. Offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger eats the most. Safety Brandon Meriweather is the most spirited.
Quarterback Tom Brady is the most serious, at least when it comes to winning. And in true Bill Belichick style, when asked who the sorest loser is, Hoyer answered: "No one."

After taping the show, students were able to visit the Pro Shop and roam around the Hall at Patriot Place.High schoolers from Taunton and Franklin also were present Tuesday morning to tape segments."It was fun. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said AHS senior Amber Thomas. "Even people who have been fans for 20 years I don't think ever got the chance to sit down and ask questions. It was really interesting."Senior Katelyn DeLaurier, who hopes to pursue a career in journalism, said the experience taught her the importance of doing background research before an interview."

Being able to interview a Patriots player, I feel like that was a big opportunity for me," DeLaurier said. "I'm not really a big fan of football, but I feel like it gave me a different insight that you need to be able to know what you're talking about. I think I should have studied more before I came here. I could have been more well-prepared, but it was a big learning experience."

For sophomore Courtney Dixon, decked out in a Donte Stallworth jersey, it was her first-ever interview. The verdict?"It was pretty cool," Dixon said. "I learned how to write questions."

Teacher Adeline Bee said she advised her students, who have already covered a unit on conducting interviews, to craft a list of questions that would get the player talking."I asked them to set up a list of 10 questions and make them open-ended questions as much as possible, and something above and beyond football," Bee said. "Yeah, they could do a little bit of football - but above and beyond that, as well." Bee said field studies such as Tuesday's are becoming increasingly difficult to pull off because of budget constraints."For them to be able to partake in something like this, it's very valuable," Bee said.The students will write up their experiences on

The Page, a feature written for students by students in The Sun Chronicle that appears on Tuesdays and online.Because Hoyer is a low-profile rookie, none of the students were starstruck - most said they didn't even recognize him. And it wasn't too weird being on camera, either."They're not gonna like zoom in on you," DeLaurier said. "They're looking at everyone."