Hard-luck Browns lose QB Hoyer to ACL tear

[Auggie]

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered a complete tear of the ACL in his right knee during Thursday night's victory against the Buffalo Bills and needs season-ending surgery, coach Rob Chudzinski said Friday.

SNIP

The Browns again will turn to Brandon Weeden and hope that he plays more like the guy who did fairly well in relief against Buffalo than the guy who struggled so badly in Cleveland's first two games, both losses.

(We) have no other choice," Chudzinski said. "That's what we're going to do. Everybody who plays, regardless of position, we expect to do well."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9768779/brian-hoyer-cleveland-browns-torn-acl-miss-rest-season

Hoyer provided the needed spark to jump-start that offense. Though Weedan played just okay (IMO) Thursday, the $64,000 question remains, "What about Jason Campbell?" The dude has years of experience on Weedan. I think he could carry the Browns further under Norv Turner.

[JonLP24]

1. Browns have one of the league's best pass defenses (Ray Horton already paying dividends)

I think that as well as the return of Josh Gordon were the key contributors to the Browns' success.

The only thing Hoyer really did well is not turn the ball over. -- http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/yardsPerPassAttempt

Cleveland is the #1 team in defensive YPPA -- http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/passing/sort/yardsPerPassAttempt/position/defense

Someone needs to make Horton a head coach already.

A good article on what Ray Horton is doing in Cleveland

<snip>
1) Ray Horton has given the defense a nastier edge.

The Browns have a storied tradition of playing hard-nosed, physical football, particularly on defense. The unit traditionally embodies the spirit of the Dawg Pound, representing the grit, determination and toughness associated with the city of Cleveland.

In his first year as the Browns' defensive coordinator, Horton immediately has put together a menacing unit that fits the mold and overwhelms opponents with speed, strength and power. The Browns are one of the few NFL teams with a lineup that features big guys who can run and little guys who can hit and cover. When playing in unison, Cleveland is capable of forcing opponents into a one-dimensional game plan that is difficult to sustain against a defense that is stout at the point of attack and explosive on the edges. Consequently, the Browns rank third in the NFL in total defense and eighth in points allowed.

Horton has installed a hybrid 3-4 scheme that uses a variety of fronts, coverage and blitzes to suffocate the run and create consistent pressure on the passer. Additionally, he maximizes his personnel's talent by employing a number of exotic looks to put his best defenders in positions to make plays. By opting to build around his players' strengths rather than forcing them to fit into his system, Horton has been able to get his charges, particularly the young ones, to make immediate contributions.

Horton stresses the importance of eliminating big plays and forcing opponents to settle for field goals in the red zone. While most defensive coordinators emphasize those key points, Horton does it while employing an aggressive approach that challenges opponents at every turn. He isn't afraid to bring five-, six- and seven-man pressures on any down, and he will trick up his zone-blitz packages to keep quarterbacks guessing in the pocket. Additionally, he likes to use a few simplistic coverages and demand that his secondary defenders keep the ball from flying over their heads.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000254189/article/cleveland-browns-defense-stifling-opponents-under-ray-horton

[Auggie]

3. Yeah, defense and specials teams won that game. Without their scores Browns lose easily.

Hoyer was with the Patriots, backing-up Tom Brady for three years. He's way more a complete package than Weeden.

Please ... don't take Horton away yet.

[JonLP24]

5. It's hard to say

I saw Hoyer play for Arizona and just as in Cleveland he doesn't do a great job of getting ball down-field. Not saying Weeden is much better, just slightly better but after showing some initially rust he finished the game w/ 8.2 ypa passing and should benefit as Hoyer has w/ the return of Josh Gordon who he didn't have at the beginning of the season.

Anyways, my point was that I saw that Hoyer was getting most of the credit (don't mean by you but the media) for the Browns winning those 3 games while their incredible defense was getting overlooked. Much like the QBs in Arizona when Hoyer was here running our D. The side of that is Cleveland should be in good shape going forward with their D.

You do ask a good question w/ Campbell as his numbers are significantly better than either Hoyer or Weeden.

On edit - I see Campbell was 1/4 for 6 yards against Baltimore. I wonder what happened their? It was the same game Weeden got hurt.

[Auggie]

6. Apples to oranges?

Hoyer is playing a Norv Turner offense now.

But yeah, the D is playing very well. No reason they can't continue as long as the offense supports them.

[El Supremo]

2. How did Colt McCoy end up with the Whiners?

[Auggie]

4. Default pick-up, I think

He was cheap. And then he re-negotiated his contract and got even cheaper. For the 49ers to sign Skelton says a lot.

I think McCoy can be a good player eventually.