The Browns pulled the plug on quarterback Brian Hoyer during Sunday’s loss to the Bills when they opted to go with Johnny Manziel while trailing 20-3 with 12 minutes left to play.
The decision came after Hoyer threw his second interception of the day (and fifth in the last two weeks) and ended his day with 18 completions in 30 attempts for 192 yards. Not all of the offensive issues were Hoyer’s fault, which might have been why he said he was shocked to find himself on the bench as the game came to an end.
“Yeah, no doubt. This is my team, I’ve always felt that way. We’ll see what happens,” Hoyer said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
It’s tough to feel that surprised from the outside, however. The Browns weren’t moving the ball at all on Sunday and Hoyer’s now turned in three straight poor performances as the Browns have gone 1-2 to damage their chances of making it to the postseason. Under most circumstances, that leads to questions about quarterback changes. When you have a first-round pick on the bench, it forces the issue because the other option is a viable and appealing one.
It’s a tough stretch of games to end the season for Cleveland and throwing a rookie into the fire might not produce the results they need to make the playoffs. The last few games suggest sticking with Hoyer won’t do it either, however, and that makes it a lot less likely that the Browns will remain his team now or in the future.
