Sign Up
for the

Cleveland Browns: QB Brian Hoyer Makes Strong Case To Start Over Brandon Weeden


Brian Hoyer

Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

For several years, the Cleveland Browns have struggled to find their franchise quarterback of the future. From Brady Quinn to Derek Anderson, to current starter Brandon Weeden, the team has had a revolving door at the quarterback position. Although the team has said that their starting quarterback will be Weeden in 2013, they should seriously consider having Brian Hoyer be their guy. Here’s why:

First of all, Weeden was a huge disappointment last season. He is not getting any younger, already 30 years old as a sophomore, and he is seemingly as developed as a quarterback as he is going to get.

Hoyer on the other hand, spent time learning under Tom Brady for the New England Patriots.  He is a guy highly regarded for his football IQ and played well in the preseason for the Patriots before Ryan Mallett passed him on the team’s depth chart. Having been an understudy to Brady, he certainly must know something about playing quarterback in the NFL.

If that doesn’t convince you, perhaps his numbers in tonight’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears might.  In the game, Hoyer completed 24-of-35 passes for 307 yards and one TD, although he was picked off twice.

Although things were not perfect, Hoyer looked good tonight, especially in the fourth quarter when he orchestrated a 76-yard touchdown drive to bring the Browns within a point of tying the game.  The touchdown pass was a 14-yard pass to Dan Gronkowski.

Considering that Hoyer completed nearly 70 percent of his passes against an elite Bears defense, you have to at least consider making him the starter in Cleveland if you are the team.  The interceptions, although they are concerning, can be attributed to the Bears defensive line and can be essentially ignored, at least for now.

If Weeden falters, Hoyer should be the guy the team turns to in my opinion, although he would need to fend off Jason Campbell as the backup QB.  If he can limit the turnovers, Hoyer could be a worthy starter for the Browns, now and in the future.

 



We Recommend

Partner with USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties