Browns QB Hoyer's Season Ended by Knee Injury

(AP) Browns QB Hoyer’s season ended by knee injury
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND
Brian Hoyer’s story, seemingly pulled from a Disney movie script, took a cruel turn.

The Cleveland quarterback’s season is over.

A lifelong Browns fan living out his boyhood dream by starting for his hometown team, Hoyer tore a knee ligament while running for a first down Thursday night against Buffalo and will miss the remainder of this season.

It’s a devastating blow for Hoyer, who had waited five years _ three as Tom Brady’s backup in New England _ to become an NFL starter and led the Browns to wins over Minnesota and Cincinnati while replacing an injured Brandon Weeden.

Chudzinski said an MRI taken Friday showed Hoyer tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He will undergo surgery, ending his feel-good story after just three starts and with the Browns (3-2) rolling. Chudzinski said there is no other damage in Hoyer’s knee, which got caught in the turf at FirstEnergy as he slid and was hit by Bills rookie linebacker Kiko Alonso.

The usual recovery time is nine months to one year, but for Hoyer the injury stole a chance to prove to Cleveland’s front office he could be their franchise quarterback.

Chudzinski said he spoke with Hoyer after getting the medical results.

Chudzinski said there are no immediate plans to sign another quarterback and Weeden will return as Cleveland’s starter.

Signed by Cleveland as a free agent in May, Hoyer, released by New England, Pittsburgh and Arizona in the past year, began the season as Cleveland’s No. 3 quarterback. With Weeden out recovering from a sprained thumb, Hoyer made just his second NFL start in Week 3 and led the Browns to consecutive wins, directing clutch fourth-quarter drives and throwing clinching touchdown passes in both games.

With the Browns trailing 7-0, Hoyer, flushed from the pocket, took off up field. He had just passed the first-down marker and was sliding when he took a blow near the helmet from Alonso in front of Cleveland’s sideline. Several Browns coaches and players screamed for a penalty as Hoyer lay face down in the grass.

Chudzinski wouldn’t say if he thought Alonso should have been given a personal foul.

With Hoyer out, Weeden, who returned from injury only to be demoted to a backup role, has his starting job back.

Weeden replaced Hoyer against the Bills, and following a slow start _ some Browns fans booed his first few incompletions_ he rallied Cleveland to its third straight win. Weeden threw a 37-yard TD pass to wide receiver Josh Gordon in the third quarter and finished 13 of 24 for 197 yards.

Weeden was only cleared to play earlier in the week after he threw in Wednesday’s practice. Chudzinski decided to have him as the Browns’ No. 2 quarterback and made Jason Campbell inactive against the Bills.

Following the game, Weeden said he never lost faith despite being injured and dropping behind Hoyer on the depth chart.

NOTES: Chudzinski said DE Desmond Bryant is “fine” after being kept overnight as a precaution at the Cleveland Clinic. Bryant was removed from the game with shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat. Chudzinski expects Bryant to play next week against Detroit. Bryant had a similar problem last season with Oakland but played in the next game. … Chudzinski said FB Chris Ogbonnaya is going through the league’s concussion protocol program after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit.