Brian Hoyer ‘grateful’ for time with Week 1 opponent Pittsburgh Steelers
By Cory Buck
Brian Hoyer prepares for Week 1 as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns who will go on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In anticipation of Sunday’s game, he took some time to reminisce and appreciate the opportunities he’s received in the past — even if one came from his upcoming foe.
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Before Hoyer arrived in Cleveland to lay claim to the starting job, he was the backup for Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. The team had scooped Hoyer up after he was released by the New England Patriots. For someone born and raised a Cleveland Browns fan, this might seem jarring, but Hoyer was simply happy to still be in the NFL.
“I was grateful to have a job,” Hoyer said per ESPN. “As bitter as this rivalry is and being a Cleveland boy, I will always have a place in my heart for Pittsburgh because they gave me a job at a time when no one else would. … A couple of things fall different ways, you never know how it would’ve turned out.”
As it turns out, Hoyer will finally get his chance to take a snap in Week 1 of the 2014 regular season when his hometown Browns visit the Steelers. Just don’t expect many cheers if he throws a touchdown pass in Heinz Field.