Browns Handling QB Correctly. Finally.

Over the past few seasons, the Cleveland Browns have played a form of Russian Roulette with the quarterback position, and although that’s not the only reason for being 15-65 over the last five years, it’s a good place to start.

In 2013, Rob Chudzinski started the season with second year pro Brandon Weeden as the starter, and when he went down, Brian Hoyer, who at that point had made one NFL start was thrust into action.

When Hoyer was lost for the season, it left Jason Campbell, who had some experience, but also never started an NFL game again after that season.

The next season, then new coach Mike Pettine went with Hoyer to start the season, with rookie Johnny Manziel in reserve. With Hoyer’s season started to go south, and the Browns were in playoff contention, Pettine’s only choice was to start Manziel, who was known more for his improvisational skills at Texas A & M.

In 2015, the Browns signed Josh McCown to be the starting QB, but even though they knew the veteran’s history, that is frequently injured and an extreme losing record, the backups for him were Manziel and Austin Davis, a third year player with eight career starts in St. Louis when Sam Bradford was injured.

The following year had two frequently hurt guys, McCown and Robert Griffin III on the roster with two rookies, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan backing them up. After the two vets were injured, predictably, Kessler wound up playing way too much for a third round draft pick.

And last season, Cleveland started DeShone Kizer, another rookie, this time picked in the second round, with Hogan and Kessler in reserve.

This is another change with GM John Dorsey being involved, and it is welcome to say the least.

Dorsey traded for Tyrod Taylor, a seven year veteran, although only 29 years old, and a player who was his team’s starter for the previous three seasons.

As you read above, that has not been the case in any of the last five seasons. In that span, the Browns had oft-injured veterans who hadn’t started in at least a year, save for McCown in ’15, and he was coming off a 1-10 season in Tampa Bay.

Taylor was 8-6 as a starter last season, and is 22-20 over the last three campaigns.

We are very confident Cleveland will be drafting a QB with the first overall pick next month, and so they are not in the situation of having to start a rookie if Taylor has to miss a game, they signed Drew Stanton on Sunday as a free agent.

Stanton is 34, and has never been a full fledged starter in the NFL, but he did start 13 games for the Cardinals in the last four seasons, and registered a 9-4 record in those starts.

He’s not a long term solution for sure, and his numbers over that span aren’t anything to write home about (51.1% completions, 15 TDs/15 interceptions), but he has experience, and once again, means Hue Jackson will not be forced to play the guy who will be the future of the franchise before he is ready.

All that is left is for the organization to resist any temptation to play the rookie if the 2018 starts poorly.

That’s a habit that needs to be broken.

There is now experience at the most important position on a football team, and credible people for the rookie to learn from.

That’s a welcome change from the past five seasons.

Some Browns Myth Busting

It has been well documented the train wreck the 2015 football has become for the Cleveland Browns. After a 7-4 start to Mike Pettine’s head coaching career, the brown and orange have lost 15 of their last 17 games.

They are 2-10 this season, and over the last six contests have been blown out (losing by 14 or more points) in five of those games.

However, there have been some myths that have developed about the total collapse that has occurred over the past 12 months.

The Brian Hoyer saga. Contrary to what some people think, the Browns were not 7-4 when Pettine decided to bench Hoyer and play Johnny Manziel.

The reality is Cleveland was 7-6 when Manziel made his first start, after two horrible performances by Hoyer.

In a 26-10 road loss to Buffalo, Hoyer was 18 of 30 for 192 yards and two interceptions. He was NOT on the field for Cleveland’s only touchdown, which came on a drive orchestrated by Manziel in a backup role.

The following week was a 25-24 loss to the Colts in which the Browns outplayed Indianapolis except on the scoreboard. Hoyer was 13 for 30 for 136 yards and two more picks.

And the Browns’ defense was responsible for two touchdowns, a fumble recovery by Craig Robertson in the end zone, and a pick six by (ready for it!) Justin Gilbert.

So, the offense scored just 10 points.

Had the Browns won that game, they would have been 8-5 and very much in the playoff hunt.

Drafting. Ray Farmer gets a lot of criticism for his drafts, and in some cases, it is merited.

But, it is not as though he has been reaching for players and made horrible mistakes.

First, he did not draft Barkevious Mingo, who we think might be able to play if he was put in the spot he was drafted for.

According to Walterfootball.com (site picked at random), Gilbert was projected to be the 15^th pick in the draft. Cleveland traded down from #4, getting a 2015 first round pick in return, and took Gilbert at 8^th. Not exactly a reach.

On the same site, Manziel was projected as the 7^th overall pick, and dropped to #22. Several draft pundits had him as the best QB in that year’s selection process.

In 2015, they had the Browns taking Danny Shelton with the 12^th overall pick, which, of course, they did, and had Cameron Erving going 18^th overall to Kansas City, one pick ahead of Cleveland.

Most mock drafts had all four players with first round grades.

So, what happened?

Pettine is blameless. Many fans think the head coach has been dealt a bad hand because of Farmer’s ineptness, but is that true?

Name one position group that has improved since last season? Right, not a one.

He came here as a defensive coach and that unit, not the quarterback play, is the reason for being 2-10.

If the Browns had allowed 20 points a game in every game this season, there record would be 5-5-2. Assuming they split the overtime games, they would be 6-6 right now and in the thick of the playoff hunt.

And really, outside of Joe Haden, what solid player has missed a lot of time this season?

No, the head coach should get a lot of the blame, and probably will after the last game of the season, when he is given the pink slip.

Just think, only four more games until this nightmare is over.

Hoyer Era is Over, Now Browns Need to Get Better at QB

Yesterday, Brian Hoyer formally announced he can now be referred to as “former Browns quarterback” Brian Hoyer.

Thus ends the “should the Browns resign Hoyer for the 2015 season” debate.

His supporters will point to his record as the Cleveland starter, which is 10-6, better than any Browns’ passer since the team returned to the NFL in 1999.

His detractors, which we would fall into that category, would point out his career passing rating, a mediocre 76.8, and his four start span after Cleveland reached 6-3. His best rating in those four starts was 61.2, and that came in a critical home loss against Houston, in which he completed just 20 of 50 throws.

We have long advocated that GM Ray Farmer needed to get better at the quarterback position, whether they brought Hoyer back for this season or not, and also whether or not, Johnny Manziel is the heir apparent at the spot.

Hoyer’s record is the result of the Browns finally starting to turn the corner in terms of talent.

Although the team’s record of first round draft picks is deplorable, Tom Heckert and Farmer have brought in many good to very good football players over the last three or four years, and those guys have made the team better.

After the 2013 season, the Browns had five players selected to the Pro Bowl and this year had three. And even though Joe Thomas and Joe Haden made the squad each of those years, Alex Mack, Donte Whitner, Jordan Cameron, Tashaun Gipson, and Josh Gordon have made appearances as well.

Prior to the last couple of seasons? It was pretty much Thomas traveling to the game alone.

So, signing Josh McCown essentially swapped him out for Hoyer in 2015, but Farmer still needs to upgrade the signal caller for the upcoming season, if the brown and orange want to improve on their 7-9 record and get to the playoffs.

We would look for another QB when free agency starts next week, and the Browns should have their eyes on Jake Locker and Matt Moore to bring in to compete with Manziel and McCown.

Locker has a career rating of 79.0, but in two of his four seasons, he has had ratings of over 85.0. His problem is staying healthy, having played just 30 games in his four seasons. Perhaps with the Browns’ offensive line, which is solid despite what the critics say, and his coaches telling him to stay in the pocket, he can stay healthy and be productive.

He will be just 27 years old this season.

Moore is a veteran who has been around, he will play this season at 31 years old, but hasn’t started since the 2011 campaign.

He had an 87.1 QBR in that last season, before Miami drafted Ryan Tannehill and installed him as the starter.

In that season, he started 12 games for a Dolphin team that finished 6-10. He completed 60.5% of his throws with 16 touchdowns vs. nine interceptions.

Since then, he has tossed just 29 passes in the regular season.

He isn’t a household name, but he could be a guy like Hoyer was in the beginning of last season, meaning he avoided mistakes and put his team in positions to win.

In our opinion, that would upgrade the spot behind center coming into the season.

Now, if Farmer stands pat with McCown, Manziel, and Connor Shaw, then fans and media alike have a right to be outraged. Then, they are going with the same situation they had going into last season.

That’s not good enough to make another step forward.

Bradford For Browns’ QB? It’s Worth a Shot.

Now that the over-hyped, little changed Browns’ logo has been introduced, we can return to the area’s obsession with who should and will play quarterback for the team this fall.

Besides the local zealots who still insist Brian Hoyer should get the gig based on his “record” as a starting signal caller, there are many fans who feel Hoyer could be a good fallback option, but GM Ray Farmer should try to get someone better.

The question is…does a better option exist?

Over the past few days, it has been reported that the St. Louis Rams would be willing to trade the former first overall pick, QB Sam Bradford. Is Bradford a better option? Why do the Rams want to move him? And, what would you be willing to give up to get him?

As for the first question, Bradford’s biggest problem in his NFL career has been staying on the field, missing six games in his second season, 2011, and has played just seven games over the last two years.

When he’s been on the field, his rating has gotten better with experience, starting at 76.5 his rookie year and improving to 82.6 in his last full season (2012) and to 90.9 in the seven games he played in ’13.

He completed 60.7 of his throws that year with 14 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions.

That kind of performance would make him a god among QB’s since the Browns returned to the league in 1999.

With quarterback play on the decline in the NFL, why would the Rams be willing to move a player who is still just 27 years old?

The obvious answer is reliability. Having your “starting” quarterback available for less than 25% of your games over the last two seasons isn’t something to write home about. To be sure, Jeff Fisher would like someone who he can be sure will be out on the field most Sundays.

The other reason is Bradford’s contract, which is a $16.5 million cap hit in 2015. The Rams’ management would like to spend that kind of money on someone who will actually be playing when the games start.

For the Browns, who have tons of cap space, this isn’t a huge issue because this is the last year of the deal, so they would be out of it after one year if another injury crops up for the former Heisman Trophy winner.

It’s worth the gamble if you don’t have to pay an exorbitant price.

And what should that price be? Bradford is certainly not worth a high draft choice, because of his injury history, so there’s no way we would give up a first rounder.

Considering the Rams will get a great deal of cap space by trading Bradford, and that is most definitely worth something to them, we would figure a third or fourth round pick would be an appropriate price.

If Bradford can stay healthy and play well, behind a solid pass protecting offensive line, he could be the future QB for the Browns. If he doesn’t, he at least buys another year of development for Johnny Manziel, assuming he gets his act together.

It’s worth the gamble because it’s only a one year commitment.

Considering the other options that are out there, Farmer should look very seriously at making a deal to get Sam Bradford. He might be the best player available at this critical position.

Overreaction to Browns’ So-Called Mess.

A couple of years ago, the Cleveland media regarded pro football writer Jason La Canfora as a mouthpiece for Browns’ executive Michael Lombardi. These people never liked Lombardi from his days here in the Belichick regime, and so most of what La Canfora wasn’t taken seriously.

However, his column yesterday was treated like it was gospel judging by the conversation on sports talk radio yesterday.

This isn’t to say there isn’t some grain of truth in what he wrote yesterday, but it seems to have exploded throughout the city and fan base, and we think everyone should take a step back and ease up a bit.

First of all, there are no names mentioned, just unnamed sources or people within the organization. This probably means former team president Joe Banner or Lombardi or people who they know that still work there who may be disgruntled.

It is also likely that some stuff came from former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who was referred to as the “lone bright spot on offense” and a “talented assistant” within the article.

The decision to draft Johnny Manziel was also panned, with Brian Hoyer being praised. Remember that Hoyer’s biggest advocate within the organization was Lombardi. We have said this before, Brian Hoyer is a decent NFL passer, no better, no worse, and the Browns should still be working to upgrade at that position.

This isn’t to say that the Browns’ organization is a well oiled machine, nor are we saying that Haslam isn’t making decisions that he shouldn’t be making, which would mostly be on personnel.

However, we are saying people need to consider the source of this blistering review of the entire organization.

On the other hand, it has been reported that Mike Pettine wanted to hire John DiFilippo as offensive coordinator last season, but was overruled because Shanahan had more experienced. If the head coach wanted him in the first place, then what is wrong with getting him now?

His hand-picked defensive coordinator, Jim O’Neil, looks like a keeper. So, let’s give Pettine the benefit of the doubt on DiFilippo.

As for the coach’s film review with Haslam and team president Alec Sheiner, perhaps those two simply want to learn what the coaching staff looks at, and asked Pettine if they could watch with him.

We understand that might be a stretch, but it is a plausible scenario.

La Canfora also referred to the Browns having a huge amount of high draft choices and significantly large salary cap space had they traded Josh Gordon and not signed the free agents brought in, and had a front office who loved Teddy Bridgewater and Odell Beckham Jr. Doesn’t anyone see that is a blatant endorsement of the Banner/Lombardi regime?

He pans Haslam for vetoing a possible Gordon deal. That’s probably because Gordon was one of the team’s best players and you can’t keep going down that road. Most of the fans and media alike were against making that deal at the time.

And Bridgewater’s stock took a huge hit after his terrible pro day, and he wound up being taken with the last pick in the first round.

It’s much easier to judge players after the fact.

Look, we aren’t saying the Browns’ front office is stable and doesn’t make puzzling moves. However, would you believe a story about a restaurant from someone who just got fired? You would have to view the tale with a jaundiced eye.

That’s all we are saying here.

Manziel’s Future? It’s Up to Him.

Last year, the Cleveland Browns excited the NFL and fans of the team by moving up a few spots in the draft to take former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

The media swarmed training camp and Manziel’s progress in practice and the pre-season were closely monitored by everyone.

He didn’t win the job to start the season as Brian Hoyer led the Browns to a 7-4 record, but Hoyer started to show some warts and Johnny Football made his debut against Buffalo and led Cleveland to a touchdown on his first drive.

Unfortunately, that was the high point of his season.

However, after Hoyer struggled mightily at home against the Colts, a game the defense played magnificently, coach Mike Pettine named the rookie the starter against Cincinnati.

The Bengals led 14-0 after the Browns had the ball once, a three and out, and the myth of “Johnny Football” was gone.

What if Hoyer played well against Indianapolis, making the Browns 8-5, keeping them in playoff contention, and Manziel didn’t see any action after the Bills game?

Everyone connected to the Browns would be looking forward to the first round pick being the starter going into the 2015 season, and no one would be doing stories about how unprepared the kid was to be the starter in those games.

But the games against the Bengals and Panthers did happen and now there are serious questions as to whether or not Manziel has a future in the NFL.

Those games could show Manziel that he needs to put a lot of work into his profession or he will be out of the league fairly soon. Whether he does this or not, the proof will be during the spring mini camps and when the team convenes in Berea (or wherever) in July.

Right now, it doesn’t look like he is making it a priority in his life to be a starting signal caller in the NFL. He appears to be more interested in being a celebrity.

So, what should the Browns do?

We have already advocated that six quarters of action isn’t enough of a look to decide Manziel can’t be an effective player in the league, but he needs to show he has the dedication and he needs an offensive coordinator and quarterback coach who will tell him the style he played in college won’t work in the professional ranks, and teach him to be a pro passer.

If Manziel comes to camp in July and doesn’t put the work in, then the Browns have a big decision, and we wouldn’t have any complaint if they let him go at that point.

Until then, GM Ray Farmer can’t put all his eggs in Manziel’s basket, nor should he settle for Brian Hoyer. The Browns need to attempt to upgrade the position if they want to get to the post-season.

In the meantime, the people who want to “send a message” to the locker room by cutting the rookie aren’t thinking clearly. They view him as a punk who will never amount to anything.

That’s short-sighted. He has some ability and the Browns owe it to themselves to find out if he has the determination and drive to be successful in the league. However, they can’t wait too long.

Six quarters isn’t enough of a sample size. What they really need to see is the level of commitment from the player himself.

Maybe Browns Need to Stop Chasing QBs

In Cleveland, football season consists of two parts: The regular season, when games are actually played, and the draft season, which sometimes starts in the middle of the fall, because the Browns are usually struggling.

Part of the draft season is the constant search for the “franchise quarterback”, something the brown and orange have lacked since the days of Bernie Kosar.

This winter, with Brian Hoyer a free agent and Johnny Manziel teetering on the edge of his professional career, the search for the quarterback is in full bloom.

As GM Ray Farmer said after the season ended, most teams don’t have elite QBs, so most team have to figure out a way to win without one. That’s the boat the Browns are in today.

It is ridiculous to listen to some of the theories espoused by fans in this regard.

Some are willing to suffer through a 1-15 season in order to get “the guy”.

First, it doesn’t appear that an Andrew Luck type (and that’s the type of guy you are looking at) will be available in the 2016 draft.

Others are willing to overpay for a veteran, even an injured one like Sam Bradford of the Rams. Yesterday, we heard 92.3’s Dustin Fox talk about giving up the 19th overall pick for Bradford, who has played seven games in the last two seasons combined.

That’s crazy in our books. Would we give up a third or fourth round pick for the former first overall pick? Yes, but dealing a first rounder (not to say Farmer would consider this) is typical of what the Browns have down over the years.

They are talking themselves into bad decisions. Remember that two of our elite passers, Ben Roethlisburger and Aaron Rodgers, fell to their respective teams. They didn’t trade up to get them.

On the other hand, the Browns seemed to talk themselves into Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden, and Manziel. They were intrigued, but not “in love” with any of them, meaning there wasn’t a consensus within the organization that these were the guys to make Cleveland a winning team.

So, what should the Browns do this off-season? Well, we would look to upgrade the spot by bringing in a veteran, trying to find someone better than Hoyer.

Maybe Jake Locker or Matt Moore, or perhaps work a deal for Philadelphia’s Nick Foles or Bradford. However, we wouldn’t give up a first rounder in either deal, nor would we think their current teams would expect one.

As for Hoyer, remember that despite all of Manziel’s unpreparedness to play in the NFL, at least some in the organization thought they were better off with the rookie than Hoyer going into the Cincinnati game. That’s how bad Hoyer played in the weeks leading up to that contest.

It is up to the coaching staff and personnel department to figure out a way to win with average quarterback play. Want a role model? Look within your own state, where the Bengals do it on a year in, year out basis.

A strong running game and a solid defense can win you many football games, just look at Seattle, who has a chance to defend its Super Bowl title next week.

Yes, Russell Wilson is a very good QB, but he is at least third on the list of reasons as to why the Seahawks win.

Do the Browns need to upgrade at quarterback? Of course, but it’s time they stopped passing on better players to pick people just to take them. It’s like they are a desperate high school senior right before prom.

Farmer and Mike Pettine has accumulated a lot of solid players at other positions. Maybe they should be dominant at other spots to cover for the weakness behind center.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Hoyer vs. Manziel

With everyone quick to judge how a first round draft pick’s career will go after six quarters of action, the debate has resumed about who the Browns’ quarterback should be going into the off-season.

Many fans are back on the Brian Hoyer bandwagon, and of course, they cite his 9-6 record as a starting quarterback, which gives no indication of how he played in those games. Heck, Tim Tebow and Christian Ponder have led teams to the playoffs, and no one is thinking about either being an NFL starting signal caller anytime soon.

We believe that if Hoyer was from Lenexa, Kansas, there wouldn’t be a big clamor for him to be the starting quarterback. Why? Because he was one of the least efficient passers in the NFL this season, ranking 31st in the league, just ahead of Josh McCown and Blake Bortles.

Hoyer also had the second lowest completion percentage among qualifiers in 2014 ahead of only Drew Stanton, completing only 55.3% of his throws.

The point here is that Hoyer only looks good in comparison to the job Manziel did in his two starts, and quite frankly, you have to assume, the former Heisman Trophy winner will get better with his first NFL experience under his belt.

It is doubtful that at Hoyer’s age, he is currently 29 years old, he is going to get much better.

So, why settle for mediocrity at the most important position on the field.

There isn’t a glut of passers who can be free agents this off-season, so if Hoyer leaves via free agency, where do the Browns turn for competition for Manziel, who thus far hasn’t shown anything to suggest he can be a solid NFL quarterback?

However, there are four who caught our eye as guys who could come here and compete for the starting job with the Browns.

Jake Locker is a former first round draft pick who has battled injuries throughout his three years in the league. He is 27 years old with a lifetime 57.5% completion rate and 27 touchdown throws against 22 interceptions. He is mobile, which accounts for some of his injuries, and gave Cleveland fits earlier this season when they faced the Titans.

He would be our first choice.

Mark Sanchez will be mentioned as well, but he is very similar to Hoyer in that he has accuracy issues (56.3%) and is prone to critical turnovers, having thrown 80 interceptions lifetime vs. 82 TD throws.

Here are a couple of longshots.

Matt Moore has started a game since 2011 with the Dolphins, but he could be worth a look. He’s 30 years old, has a lifetime 58.9% completion percentage and has thrown 33 TD passes against 28 picks in his career. You would think he’d be interested in coming to Cleveland for a chance to start.

Case Keenum was signed by Houston off the Rams’ practice squad at the end of the season, and might be worth a look. His accuracy isn’t great (55.2%), but he did win two games down the stretch for the Texans and could develop into a serviceable type of player.

The point is the Browns’ front office shouldn’t be married to the notion that Hoyer is the only alternative to Manziel, and we don’t think they are. Perhaps Cleveland can catch lightning in a bottle with a guy like Locker, and if healthy can be an upgrade over Hoyer.

No matter where one guy is from or the other guy is immature, the Browns need to get better at quarterback. The veteran they have now doesn’t allow for much improvement.

Pettine’s Loyalty Bites Him Today

Normally, when a defense forces four turnovers and scores two touchdowns at home, you can expect a victory.

The Cleveland Browns did just that today, yet still lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 25-24 at First Energy Stadium to drop their record to 7-6, and the light showing the brown and orange’s playoff hopes in flickering at best.

Early in the week, coach Mike Pettine showed his faith in Brian Hoyer by having his remain as the starting quarterback, but once the game begin and Hoyer turned it over in the red zone after a four play drive in which the Browns had excellent field position (they took over at the Indy 46), Pettine backtracked.

The play calling was such that the coaching staff was trying to protect Hoyer from committing more errors.

If you are going to do that, then he should have just played Johnny Manziel.

Cleveland left points on the board all day long. In the first half, they started drives on their own 45, the Colts’ 46, and their own 35 yard lines, and scored no points.

The had just one scoring drive all day long, that late in the second quarter when the key play was a 27 yard toss to Travis Benjamin. That may sound good, but on the previous play, Hoyer missed a wide open Taylor Gabriel overthrowing him by 1on yards. An accurate throw there results in a touchdown.

That gives the Browns a 14-7 lead at halftime, the other score coming when Andrew Luck was sacked and fumbled, which was recovered in the end zone by Craig Robertson, who was all over the field today, for six points.

For the second straight week, the defense forced a turnover on the first drive of the second half, when Joe Haden forced a fumble which Paul Kruger recovered at the Indianapolis 38 yard line.

No points resulted, as the Colts forced a punt.

The defense, magnificent all day, took matters into their own hands again when rookie CB Justin Gilbert picked off Luck and raced 23 yards for a touchdown. That was as good as it got, a 21-7 Cleveland advantage.

Another interception early in the fourth quarter, this one by Jim Leonhard, who had a sack as well, give the Browns the ball on the Colts’ 23 yard line. A touchdown would have given the Browns a 28-19 lead with 12 minutes left.

The offense couldn’t move it again and Cleveland settled for a Billy Cundiff field goal keeping it a one possession game at 24-19.

Hoyer completed just 14 of 31 throws for 140 yards and two interceptions, the last on the penultimate play of the game, extinguishing any chance of the comeback win.

The defense gave Pettine every chance to win the game, the offense simply didn’t take advantage. Hoyer was struggling so much that it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Manziel would’ve started the second half, but the coach stuck to his guns.

However, he shot himself in the foot.

More on the defense, which seemed to be on the field the entire second half. Robertson and Leonhard were already mentioned, but Joe Haden and Buster Skrine were great today, and Barkevious Mingo deflected a pass and had a sack.

The way the entire unit played, they deserved to come away with the win.

The offense was simply not up to par with their teammates on the other side of the ball, nor was Cundiff, who missed another mid-range kick, this one from 40 yards.

The guess here is the Browns will have a new field goal kicker next week against the Bengals.

That will go along with their new quarterback, because if Pettine thinks about what’s best for his football team, he will give the nod to Manziel in the last home game.

Yes, the Browns are still in a race for the post-season, but they now need to win every game remaining on the schedule. They showed today they are capable of that, but they need the offense to help.

Hoyer played the first 11 games because he gave the Browns the best chance for success. We don’t think you can say that any more.

Hoyer’s Lack Of Production Means It’s Time for Manziel

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that one of our central theories in evaluating players is the “can’t do any worse” theory.

Simply put, when looking at a veteran player’s performance, you have to determine whether a young player could do any worse than the incumbent, because it isn’t a stretch to believe the young player will get better with age and experience.

That’s where we are with the Cleveland Browns and their quarterback situation.

In the first nine games this season, Brian Hoyer provided stability at the position. No, he wasnt’ Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers, but he moved the team and protected the football, leading the Browns to a 6-3 record, one far better than most figured at the beginning of the season.

He threw 10 touchdown passes and just four interceptions in those nine contests.

In the last four games, something has changed. Hoyer has become turnover prone and his inaccuracy has become a huge problem. He’s thrown just one TD pass and six interceptions in those three games. His completion percentage, never high even when he wasn’t turning the ball over, is a paltry 50.8% over that span, which has resulted in two losses.

We understand that players have bad games, but the good ones rebound with a solid game the following week. When a player like Hoyer, who really doesn’t have a proven track record in the NFL has three straight mediocre games, you have to question whether or not he is the guy to lead the team going forward.

And it’s not only protecting the ball either. Hoyer isn’t taking advantage of the turnovers his defense is creating for him.

Against Atlanta, the Browns’ defense handed him the ball twice in Falcon territory and in both cases, Cleveland could only muster a field goal.

And Sunday versus the Bills, Joe Haden picked off Kyle Orton on the second play of the second half, giving the Browns the ball on the Buffalo 30-yard line. This time, the offense was forced to punt the ball away when Hoyer took a critical sack.

That’s the kind of performance you would expect from an average or below average player at the position. And because of that, the Browns need to find out if Johnny Manziel can be a difference maker.

We have said all along that the quarterback who gives the Browns the best chance to win should be the guy who plays, which is what Mike Pettine has always said. Right now, do you really think Manziel gives Cleveland less of a chance of winning?

With all things being equal, why not play the younger, more athletic player? Manziel has more upside and quite frankly, why not see what you have in a first round draft pick.

Had Hoyer been playing at the same level he was during the first half of the season, it would be ridiculous to make such a change in the middle of a post-season race, and make no mistake, despite not having the advantage in the tie breaking scenarios, the brown and orange are right in the thick of the playoff chase.

However, the offense has bogged down and the Browns need to score points to win.

Still, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Pettine need to tell Manziel that possession of the football is a precious thing, and stress to him that the Cleveland formula for winning is the way they played during the first eight games, and that is mistake free/turnover free football.

If you can get the best of what Hoyer did in the first half of the season with Manziel’s arm and mobility, it may be just what the doctor ordered for the Browns.

The time is here. Manziel should get the start against Indianapolis at home this Sunday.