Brian Hoyer had a mediocre performance in his first game after being named the Browns’ starting quarterback. Browns coach Mike Pettine acknowledged that Hoyer has to be better.
In the preseason game against the Rams on Saturday night, Hoyer led just one scoring drive despite playing into the third quarter -- and that scoring drive covered only 37 yards, and came after the Rams had pulled most of their defensive starters. Hoyer completed 10 of 16 passes for 84 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, and he lost a fumble.
“Brian knows he needs to get better, needs more live-game reps, and that’s the one positive thing about having a short week, we know we didn’t play well, but we can go out there Thursday and get the bad taste out of our mouths,” Pettine said, via Cleveland.com.
Now the question is how much time Hoyer has to get better. Pettine has said the Browns might design a package of plays for Johnny Manziel, and if the offense runs more effectively while Manziel is on the field, that package of plays may become the Browns’ base offense, and Hoyer may find himself the first quarterback benched in the NFL this year.