The Cleveland Browns have tabbed incumbent quarterback Brian Hoyer as the starter this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports.
Head coach Mike Pettine had been deciding between Hoyer and rookie Johnny Manziel after the former was yanked from a 26-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills last week for throwing two interceptions. Manziel completed five of eight passes for 63 yards and ran for a 10-yard touchdown in relief.
However, Glazer reports that Hoyer had "widespread support" in the locker room.
The Browns (7-5) are in the thick of the playoff hunt in the competitive AFC North. Despite the team's success this season, the Browns are just 1-2 over the last three weeks while Hoyer has thrown only one touchdown against six interceptions in his last four games.
Manziel, a former Heisman Trophy winner, has been considered by many in the Browns' organization to be the quarterback of the future. The team did use a first-round pick on him, after all. Hoyer is a Cleveland native with an actual winning record as a starter with the Browns. But he is a free-agent after this season, leading to much speculation about Cleveland's quarterback situation going forward.
I laid out my reasoning for Manziel to get the starting nod over Hoyer earlier this week. Only time will tell if Pettine had made the right call.
