The Pittsburgh Steelers might be expecting to see Johnny Manziel take the field on Sunday, but the Cleveland Browns are not. Brian Hoyer is the team's starter for Week 1 and head coach Mike Pettine has every intention of keeping him on the field as long as possible. The Browns intend on keeping Hoyer on the field as long as possible until he gives them a reason to take him off.
There will be no quarterback rotation on Sunday no matter what Browns' fans want. Pettine told the media on Wednesday that there will no "quick hook" in regards to Hoyer as the team fully supports him over as the starter despite the pressure to put Manziel on the field. Hoyer is grateful for the support, noting it does a lot for his mental state entering the game.
"[Pettine] said, 'Look I just want you to go out and be yourself and play and not worry about anything else.' I think for me that's the way my personality is regardless," Hoyer said, via ESPN.com. "Had he said it or not, I think my mentality would be the same."
Pettine did stress that the NFL is a production business and while they support Hoyer as the starter, he must adhere to that idea. If he is not producing enough to get the team a win, Manziel will be placed on the field and given a chance.
"Quarterback's the one position where you can't be as quick on that trigger,'' said Pettine. "(But) there's no better motivator than competition. Anytime you feel secure and comfortable in a spot, you're not going to perform as well. If you're not performing well because there's competition, then you probably don't have the makeup to be in the NFL to begin with. But Brian's a guy that I had that good conversation with him and he knows it's not going to be a quick hook, but he also knows in the long run this is a production business."
Hoyer certainly has his work cut out for him. The quarterback does not have the greatest cast of receivers which could spell big things for the team's running backs. Both Ben Tate and Terrance West have shown progress during the preseason and will see their share of touches come Sunday. Tate is likely the starter given his experience in the league, but West is certainly no slouch and could be used heavily in the offense
