Cleveland’s Hoyer signing a waste of time

Cleveland Browns fans are unlikely to be pleased with the news the team have signed reject quarterback Brian Hoyer on a two-year deal from free agency.

The 27-year-old has swilled around the bottom of the NFL’s quarterback ratings for years now and Cleveland is his third team since leaving the Patriots in 2011.

Both Pittsburgh and Arizona dropped him from their roster after unsuccessful stints and many fans betting on NHL  expect the Browns to do the same. Hoyer will be third choice at best and is unlikely to rival projected Week 1 starter Brandon Weeden for a place at shotgun.

Last season he made just two games for the Cardinals, which both ended in defeat, and although he threw a touchdown against San Francisco (only the second of his career) he didn’t do enough to warrant a new deal.

He’s only thrown 616 yards in his entire career and with a 0.8 rushing average has very few tricks up his sleeve.

So why has general manager Michael Lombardi bothered to waste his time bringing Hoyer to the team? Well, Lombardi has been a long-time admirer of Hoyer for some reason and called him a starting QB when at the Patriots.

Maybe the Browns GM sees something no one else does in this 6ft 2in quarterback but Hoyer is not going to get much chance to prove himself with two men in front of him in the roster.

What most Browns fans crave is a better QB than their current starter, not a backup to make Weeden look good. Weeden himself was one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL last year with just 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, which is one of the reasons Cleveland finished 5-11 in 2012.

The NHL betting odds suggests they won’t be securing a winning record in 2013 either, for if Hoyer is the best man they can get to challenge Weeden then no opponent will fear this disappointingly weak offense.