Right call?

After throwing five picks in two games, Brian Hoyer remains the starter. (Getty Images)

Brian Hoyer said Sunday that he was shocked when coach Mike Pettine benched him for Johnny Manziel. On Monday, Hoyer made the case for why he deserved to keep the job: "We're 7-5 here. We won three games last year when I started; 10-5 as a starting quarterback, that's not bad."

And on Wednesday, Pettine made the decision to stick with Hoyer when the Browns face the Colts this Sunday.

"After thorough evaluation and talking to the staff, we feel Brian gives us the best opportunity to win on Sunday," the first-year coach said in a statement released by the team. "This is a football decision and those are always going to be based on what we think is best for our team. Brian has led our team to a 7-5 record. I'm confident that we can get the entire offense playing at the level needed to accomplish the goals we set at the beginning of the season. Those goals are still very much attainable."

It's a strange decision because a) Pettine said Sunday that, "The door is definitely open for a change at the quarterback position," and b) Over the last three weeks, Hoyer has been the NFL's worst quarterback. That's not hyperbole; in terms of awfulness as measured by ProFootballFocus.com, he's surpassed, Drew Stanton, (5 interceptions since Week 11), Derek Carr (1 for 2014), and Robert Griffin III (benched for Colt McCoy last Sunday).

In Weeks 11-13, Brian Hoyer is No. 1 ... at being terrible. (ProFootballFocus.com)

We'll reiterate what we wrote Monday: Here's the bottom line: We know what the ceiling is on Hoyer. Yes, you can win with him, but it requires a lot of things to go right. We have no idea what the ceiling is on Manziel. And if Hoyer is going to play more like he has in recent weeks than the first month of the season, there's really no reason to keep Johnny Football on the bench.

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Titans WR Justin Hunter to miss rest of season with spleen injury



Wide receiver Justin Hunter of the Tennessee Titans is expected to be placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a lacerated spleen he suffered in the Titans' 45-21 drubbing at the hands of the Houston Texans on Sunday. Hunter finishes his 2014 season with 28 catches for 498 yards and three touchdowns.Wide receiver duties for the Titans will fall mainly to Kendall Wright and Nate Washington.



It's a disappointing end to a disappointing season for the second-year receiver. Hunter has shown flashes of brilliance that support why many experts pegged his as a potential breakout sleeper this year. Unfortunately, those flashes were too infrequent for him to be considered legitimate in fantasy land.Hunter will likely enter 2015 off of the radar, but his talent, youth (23 years old) and size (6-foot-4) will likely make him a sleeper candidate yet again. He could be a great pick as a third-year breakout next season.