The Browns name their starting quarterback
The one time Patriots backup has now found himself living out his dream....in Cleveland.
Hoyer has been named the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. This after leading the Browns to three straight wins last season as a starter, before tearing his ACL.
ClevelandBrowns.com:
Brian Hoyer has been named the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback, coach Mike Pettine announced this morning.
Hoyer, who started in both of the Browns’ preseason games, won the competition against rookie Johnny Manziel
It's great news for Hoyer, who always impressed as a backup in New England in his limited preseason and garbage time playing time. Originally an undrafted free agent, he was released by the Patriots a year after the team drafted quarterback Ryan Mallett. The reason did not have as much to do with his play, as much as a saving of around $1 million.
It has all worked out for Hoyer though. After bouncing around between the Cardinals and Steelers, the QB finally landed on the Browns. He was given the chance to start last season, but as mentioned above, suffered an ACL tear.
Many thought that could be the end of the Cinderella story for Hoyer, originally from Cleveland. That seemed especially true when the Browns drafted star quarterback Johnny "Football" Manziel in the first round of this year's draft. For now at least, Hoyer holds onto that starting job.
“He was the clear leader from the beginning,” Pettine said. “We’ve maintained all along that if it was close, I would prefer to go with the more experienced player. Brian has done a great job in the meeting rooms and with his teammates on the practice field and in the locker room.”
Manziel giving the finger to the Redskins bench in the team's last preseason game could not have helped either. Still, it'd be ridiculous to think that was the sole driver of the decision for a position as important as quarterback.
