Unless you're allergic to NFL gossip, you're probably aware that Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine yanked starting quarterback Brian Hoyer in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Buffalo Bills last week in favor of first-round rookie, and overall football sensation, Johnny Manziel. The former Heisman winner led the Browns on their only touchdown drive of the day.
Alas, Johnny Football's reign is not yet to be. Pettine announced yesterday that Hoyer will remain the starter for this Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. But have the dominoes begun to fall for Hoyer's exit in Cleveland?
Remember, Hoyer is a free agent at the end of this season. The franchise will eventually want to see what they have in Manziel, and that could be off-putting for Hoyer.
"Hoyer repeatedly has said that he would rather play (start) than be a backup with his hometown team," wrote ESPNCleveland.com's Tony Grossi. "He has shown enough in his first extended time as an NFL starter to interest other teams in free agency."
It's not like Hoyer is completely without options. Both the Houstan Texans and Tennessee Titans reportedly have interest in the veteran signal-caller. Hoyer himself seems to realize on some level that there likely is no long-term future with the Browns.
"I want to see this through," Hoyer said yesterday. "I want to finish this strong, and not just for myself but for the guys in here that I've worked with."
"That sure sounded like Hoyer knows that this is it," Grossi added.
Hoyer and Manziel's working relationship mirrors that of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in that neither duo spoke to one another that often.
"... Hoyer and Manziel have rarely been seen talking to each other during games and during practices ... Come to think of it, I have never seen Hoyer and Manziel even speak to each other in the locker room. I mean, not a single time all year," Grossi said.
ESPN's Matt Williamson expects Hoyer to have a very short leash for the rest of the season, meaning that Manziel holds some fantasy value going forward.
"We don't yet for sure, but I can pretty much promise that [Manziel] will be Cleveland's starting quarterback at some point before the season ends," Williamson wrote.
"From what we have seen from Manziel in a Browns' uniform, the Cleveland coaching staff is going to call a lot of easy throws and defined reads, often off of play-action. Is that enough to help your fantasy team? Maybe, but it sure helps that he will be force-feeding Josh Gordon and hopefully will have Jordan Cameron back soon. Manziel did lead the Browns on an 80-yard drive when he took over behind center. Of course, Manziel's running ability - which honestly is a bit overrated at the NFL level - is also a huge attribute for fantasy and he did rush for a touchdown in Buffalo."
