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Brian Hoyer grateful to Mike Lombardi for chance

Brian Hoyer

Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) throws to area Special Olympians at the NFL team’s Play 60 football festival at their practice facility in Berea, Ohio Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

AP

In the week of change in Cleveland, few tears have been shed for departing General Manager Mike Lombardi.

But for Brian Hoyer, the change could mean a lot, as Lombardi was his patron, the guy who got him the chance which he then made the most of.

“Obviously for me, Mike Lombardi was a big reason I came here,’' Hoyer said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He had a lot of faith in me and I’ll always appreciate what he did for me to a point where not a lot of people believed in me. And I’ll always look to prove him right.’'

Hoyer had been with three teams in nine months before Lombardi brought him in, based on a fond remembrance of his work as Tom Brady’s backup in New England.

When Hoyer went 3-0 before suffering a torn ACL, it looked like a smart move.

But now Hoyer’s faced with a long rehab, and the reality that with a new quarterback on the way in, his biggest supporter was just shown the door.