No more tears, only Brian Hoyer now for Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns fans have long been searching for an answer to their prayers, and his name is Brian Hoyer.

Twenty. That is how many men have started under center for the Cleveland Browns since their return to the National Football League. It was the nineteenth, however, that this piece will focus on.

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They say the third time is the charm. In this case, we will refer to the third quarterback in the reboot of the Browns (fourth if you actually count the era of Spergon Wynn), or Browns 2.0 as they are recently being referred to. Does the name Doug Pederson ring a bell? If it does, it is probably because he is the current offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. There is always the heralded draft pick. Tim Couch? Right; I keep forgetting about the injuries and lack of competent o-line. How about Derek Anderson? For one season of shimmering hope, sure. There is always Brady Quinn. He was the hometown hero; the clean cut kid out of Notre Dame who could win over anyone with that impeccable smile.

“B-Hoy’s” counting stats are not exactly mind blowing, but his efficiency speaks for itself, mostly to the tune of a 97.6 passer rating; good enough for 9th in the league. Hoyer’s quarterback rating is 72.2, good enough for eighth in the league this season. To the team’s credit, the “Briron Giant” been the beneficiary of some surprisingly good talent on both sides of the ball. Tight end Jordan Cameron has been wonderful, and when wide receiver Josh Gordon finally returns, this offense will be somewhat formidable. Joe Haden leads an effective defensive unit that has kept the team in just about every game they have played thus far this season.

But seriously though, back to those twenty men. Only one has a winning record. Do I even need to say his name?

Would it be crazy to assume this team is cursed? Of course not. The city of Cleveland has not played host to a professional sports championship team since 1964. That team? The Browns. Gone since are the days of Otto Graham and Jim Brown. I mean, it can be said that there have been some quality quarterbacks to go through Cleveland since the glory years of pre-merger league play; guys like Bernie Kosar, and Vinny Testaverde.

But for the last 16 years, this town has witnessed futility which has featured head coach after head coach, and offensive coordinator after offensive coordinator leave town in a slew of questionable draft picks, weird play calling, and front office issues. Can Brian Hoyer make all of that go away? Absolutely! Can he do it by himself? Probably not, but who cares? Cleveland has hope and it comes in the form of 2-2.

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