It's been a whirlwind week for Brian Hoyer.
After dismantling the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, the Cleveland Browns quarterback was the subject of contract extension speculation as his jersey sales soared.
By second half of the Week 7 loss to the woebegone Jaguars, though, Hoyer was nearly banished to the bench.
The Browns "briefly" discussed turning to rookie Johnny Manziel, coach Mike Pettine revealed Monday.
The coaches opted against a Manziel audition because Hoyer is still "firmly" the starter and they wanted him to end the game on a positive note.
Hoyer's 39 percent completion rate at Jacksonville was the lowest by any quarterback this season. Over the past two weeks, he's completing just 41.3 percent of his passes.
"I know this (game) severely dropped (Hoyer's completion percentage)," Pettine said, via The Plain Dealer. "If it becomes a couple more games (and it's) still a trend, that's something to look at. ... That's not something to me is a concern today."
But it's telling that Pettine has already acknowledged the fluid nature of his quarterback room. Hoyer isn't the face of the franchise. He has been propped up by Kyle Shanahan's boot-action offense, which has schemed free receivers at the second level.
Players of that ilk aren't afforded extended losing streaks when the first-round draft pick is looming as a fresh alternative.
It's a week-to-week life for the journeyman quarterback.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Week 7 game, and breaks down Peyton Manning's record-breaking night. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
