Brian Hoyer is entering the last year of his contract, he was an undrafted free agent. Ryan Mallett was a third round pick this year.
Hoyer showed over the past two years he's a little more willing to scramble, and he's not bad per se, just a far cry from Brady's abilities. Apparently, during the lockout, he was leading team exercise sessions at a local gym facility. Good teammate, average player.
Mallett, on the other hand, looks like he's trying to copy Brady. Looks like him standing the pocket, although taller, drops back in similar fashion, stands and bounces a bit while waiting to pass, looked almost exactly like him for a moment. He has the arm range, I think the accuracy is there, he just needs to get a feel for how players have to adjust their routes. As a teammate, he's an unknown quantity.
My impression is that Mallett, given a couple years, will become a much better QB than Hoyer can attain. When we're done with Hoyer, he might be somebody else's backup, but I don't see another Cassel in him. Mallett might be.