Cleveland QBs: controversy or no?
ATLANTA -The winning field goal had passed through the uprights 60 seconds before, sending the Cleveland Browns into fits of ecstasy and the numb Georgia Dome fans out into the rain. But here was Brian Hoyer, walking slowly off the field, eyes down on the turf in front of him, shaking his head in frustration.
He'd just guided the Browns down the field with a perfectly-executed 44-second, four-completion game-winning drive. Cleveland is now 7-4, and if the team forfeited every one of its remaining games it'd still be the Browns' best year since 2007. The Browns just welcomed back Josh Gordon, 2013's leading receiver. Hoyer has thrown for 300-plus yards the last two games, the first Brown to do so since Brian Sipe way back in 1980.
That's what the eyes see. What the heart knows, though, is something way different. Put aside any of the Cleveland-as-cursed business; Hoyer's true performance the last two games has been godawful. He's thrown four interceptions against one touchdown, he's averaged a 56.8 quarterback rating, and he's had one bad loss and one should-have-been loss against two terrible teams. In other words, Hoyer's gotten wobbly at the worst possible time.
"I'm really disappointed in myself," he said after the game. "I know I have to do a better job. ... I can't even believe we still won."
In the NFL, even ugly wins are wins, but the bigger situation for Cleveland is what to do going forward. Hoyer's contract is up at the end of this season, and Cleveland must decide whether to give him a long-term deal, place the franchise tag on him, or let him walk and place the franchise in Johnny Manziel's hands. Hoyer's not making the decision easy from any angle.
Hoyer's flaws came in both decision making and execution, and by all rights they should have cost Cleveland the game. It seems inconceivable, in fact, that a quarterback could throw two interceptions in the final five minutes and still win the game. (Hoyer owes both kicker Billy Cundiff and Falcons head coach Mike Smith some overflowing gift baskets, but the Falcons' incompetence is another story entirely.)
The Browns are saying all the right things in support of Hoyer. "We've all been there where it's just not your day, things aren't going well, and that's the NFL," Pettine said. "You find a way to be in it at the end, and you find a way to make some plays and win it."
Gordon noted that he and others spent time on the Browns' sideline trying to pick up Hoyer, who admitted he was sinking into a deeper funk as the game went on. "I was down, I felt like I'd lost us the game," he said of the moments after his final interception. "Our defense gave us a chance ... I still feel like I let my team down."
"Smile, Brian," somebody said as Hoyer left the postgame podium. He gave it a good attempt, at least.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.
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