Why the Cleveland Browns should consider benching Brian Hoyer
By Matt Reed
Aug 28, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
I thought that the team should have made the change to Johnny Manziel after the debacle in Jacksonville back in Week 6, but head coach Mike Pettine obviously has confidence in Hoyer. Nobody knows what Manziel is capable of, but bringing him in mid-season would probably be the best thing for him. Teams have little-to-no film on him, and he would provide a spark to the team that Hoyer just can’t offer. The Cleveland Browns drafted Manziel in the first-round for a reason, and with this club firmly in the mix for an AFC playoff birth, I don’t see how Hoyer can continue to play so recklessly and keep his job.
Hoyer is completing under 56% of his passes this season and boasts a QBR of 49.1, along with an 82.3 quarterback rating. Of qualifying quarterbacks, Hoyer is dead last in completion percentage. He’s even behind New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who is no longer a starter for the team. Brian Hoyer is also 24th out of 32 qualified signal-callers in quarterback rating, behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kirk Cousins, Austin Davis, and Mike Glennon. None of those four quarterbacks mentioned are still starting with their respective teams.
Regardless of who the quarterback is and what teams Cleveland is playing, Mike Pettine has done a phenomenal job coaching his football team in 2014. That being said though, the Cleveland Browns have only reached the playoffs once (2002) since returning to the NFL in 1999. This is a city full of prideful people, and this is a football team built to win football games. Cleveland has a stout defense to go along with a powerful rushing attack led by two rookies, Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West. Throwing Johnny Manziel into the mix of things shouldn’t disrupt what this team likes to do. If anything, his agile nature would give opposition more things to think about during the course of a game.