Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer was benched after throwing two picks against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Rookie and first-round draft pick Johnny Manziel stepped in and led the team to their only touchdown drive of the day.
Every Browns fan is now wondering if Manziel will remain the starter.
I've already stated my case as to why I think Cleveland should keep Manziel in the lineup. But what about the actual decision makers?
"The door is definitely open for a change at the quarterback position," Browns head coach Mike Pettine told ESPN. "It's not like we're just going to go back to Brian. 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."
On one hand, the Browns are 7-5 and firmly in the playoff hunt for the first time in years. On the other, Hoyer has thrown just one touchdown against six interceptions over his last four games. The Browns have also dropped two of its last three games.
"I expect Pettine will make the switch. I just don't think he should," Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com wrote. "I'm not campaigning for Hoyer as much as for the situation. Two more home games. I wouldn't take a flyer on either one of them and that's what starting Manziel feels like this deep into a winning season.
"Start Hoyer. Use Manziel for change of pace if necessary."
For the season, Hoyer is completing 56.2 percent of his passes and has thrown for 3,056 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Admittedly, this solid-yet-unspectacular play is much better than what Browns fans are used to from the quarterback position. Hoyer has certainly had his moments this year, especially considering the injuries to his offensive line. But Cleveland invested a first round pick into Manziel for a reason.
"Bold yet necessary, the move to Johnny Manziel under the Ralph Wilson Stadium lights Sunday is one Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine will almost certainly own," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. "There's no going back. Not now. He didn't say that, but he probably knows it, and he alluded to it to ESPN's Sal Paolantonio after the game. The handoff to Manziel seems complete, unless somebody in the Browns front office stomps their feet for Hoyer before Sunday's game against Indianapolis. This will be an all-hands-on-deck decision this week.
"Better believe owner Jimmy Haslam will be briefed, if not involved. Brian Hoyer played well for parts of this season. Some would say he overachieved, given the talent around him. But an NFL team doesn't place one of the most high-profile rookie quarterbacks of the past decade into a game with playoff hopes distant but alive and watch him score a touchdown on his first NFL drive, then return to the previous quarterback."
Pettine plans to officially announce a starter for this week's game by Wednesday.
