The Cleveland Browns' quarterback drama just took another dramatic turn. All season long, the team has remained extremely committed to veteran Brian Hoyer despite having media darling Johnny Manziel on the roster. That has worked for the most part, but a recent slump has changes being made. On Sunday, head coach Mike Pettine opted to bench Hoyer in favor of Manziel during a loss to the Buffalo Bills and now that move might become permanent.
Pettine gave hoyer every chance possible to keep the starting job in Cleveland. In his last four games, he has thrown one touchdown to six interceptions. In his last two, he has had zero touchdowns and five interceptions. He completed just 18 of 30 passes against the Bulls before Pettine opted to put Manziel in and the move paid off at least with a touchdown.
The Manziel era in Cleveland could officially be beginning.Upon entering the game with about just 12 minutes left to play, the rookie led an 80-yard scoring play that included a 10-yard touchdown run by Manziel himself. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 54 yards while giving Cleveland their only score. Is that enough to keep the rookie in for the rest of the season?
"The door is definitely open for a change at the quarterback position," Pettine said, via ESPN.com. "It's not like we're just going to go back to Brian (Hoyer). This has been a cumulative thing where discussions about a change at quarterback have been more and more lively. We'll evaluate both quarterbacks and have a decision soon."
According to Pettine, he intends to evaluate everyone's performance this week before making a decision on Week 14, but he did note that the business of football is to move the team down the field and Manziel did that well. However, Hoyer has the resume being 7-5 as the Cleveland starter. He still believes the Browns' are his team to lead.
"This is my team, and I've always felt that way, so we'll see what happens," Hoyer said.
For Hoyer, this could be his final year in Cleveland if Manziel gets the nod again as starter. The veteran quarterback's contract is expiring and he only intends on remaining with Cleveland if he can be a starter. With Manziel on the roster, that might not be possible. With Cleveland unlikely to trade Manziel in the offseason, the better move might end up being letting Hoyer go in free agent. Several teams have already expressed interest in the veteran. The next couple weeks of quarterback competition could decide a lot.
