Clevelander Brian Hoyer Keeping Johnny Manziel on the Browns Bench

LeBron James isn’t the only reason Cleveland rocks right now.

Another native son is drawing national praise for the Cleveland Browns, and he's keeping Johnny Manziel mania in check.

Brian Hoyer, who went to high school two miles from FirstEnergy Stadium, has the Browns halfway to last year’s win total after rallying the team to its greatest comeback in franchise history.

Trailing the Tennessee Titans by as many as 25 points in Nashville on Sunday, Hoyer keyed the comeback with three touchdown passes, including the game-winner to receiver Travis Benjamin.

So how did Hoyer celebrate the grandest moment of his mostly journeyman career?

USA TODAY Sports

By intentionally ignoring all the attention.

Sure, he danced in the locker room. But he refused to watch ESPN and NFL Network and refused to read any of the hundreds of stories written about him, including one in The Plain Dealer trumpeting his orchestration of a "Music City Miracle" in Nashville.

"I didn’t watch any of it," Hoyer told Bleacher Report Tuesday afternoon. "I have two kids under three.

"They’d rather watch Barney."

The purple dinosaur would be hard-pressed to win a popularity contest against Hoyer, particularly in and around Cleveland.

Five quarterbacks were selected in the first two rounds of the 2014 NFL draft, none more ballyhooed than Johnny Manziel, the former Heisman Trophy winner who was selected 22nd overall by the Browns.

Many projected Manziel to be among the first in his rookie class to start, but he’s attempted just one pass while Blake Bortles (third overall), Teddy Bridgewater (32nd) and Derek Carr (36th) have all started for their respective clubs.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Here’s the thing: Hoyer, who won his three starts last year, wasn’t ready to cede his starting spot.

"As little of a sample as it was, winning those games, I always felt like this was my team," Hoyer said. "All I had to do was get back out there and have an opportunity to play."

Hoyer has a passer rating of 97.6 this season, which ranks behind that of eight Pro Bowl quarterbacks.

Tuning it Out

When Sunday’s thrilling game was over, sitting in the visitors’ locker room at LP Field, Hoyer glanced at his cellphone and noticed 56 voice mails. Then, after conducting his press conference with reporters, Hoyer had 70-plus voice mails.

"After every game, I have a lot of messages," he said. "When you win like that, you have a few more."

After returning to Cleveland on Sunday, Hoyer celebrated with family, though not for long.

"It’s early in the season," Hoyer said. "You have to move on.

"I'm already over it," he said Tuesday. "It’s already out of my mind. A lot of it has to do with me (playing) in New England. We had a lot of big wins."

Undrafted out of Michigan State in 2009, Hoyer signed with the Patriots, backing up future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. During his three seasons there, the Patriots went 37-11, reaching Super Bowl XLVI, and Hoyer watched how Brady prepared, worked and focused.

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Hoyer borrowed a page from Brady’s playbook around the draft, when many speculated the Browns would draft a franchise quarterback.

"Everyone in the world knew we were going to draft a quarterback," said Hoyer, whose contract expires after this season. "Whether we were drafting or signing someone, someone was coming.

"When they took Johnny, it was kind of a relief. I knew the situation, and I knew who I was competing with."

Plus, Hoyer had plenty to focus on.

Hoyer led the Browns to victories in Weeks 3 and 4 last season before suffering a torn ACL Oct. 3 against the Buffalo Bills—a game his team won. The Browns won just one more game that season, losing the final seven, and coach Rob Chudzinski was fired.

During the offseason, the Browns hired Mike Pettine, who had been the defensive coordinator of the Bills.

Wade Payne/Associated Press

That meant Hoyer had to rebuild his knee and build his reputation with new coaches and schemes.

"It kept me more focused on what I needed to do personally rather than look at the situation," Hoyer said.

The situation, though, was hard to ignore. This required some effort on Hoyer’s part.

Manziel mania transferred from College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M, to Cleveland. The rookie quarterback’s whereabouts were documented by sports and non-sports websites alike.

So Hoyer made a commitment.

"I blocked out all types of media," Hoyer said. "It’s easy to get caught up with what the media was portraying.

"I made a conscious effort to ignore it."

He recalled several instances of walking by a television while out at a restaurant and seeing his and Manziel’s faces on the screen. Each time, he said, he kept on walking.

"I wouldn’t stop," Hoyer said. "As tempting as it was—whether they’re saying good things or bad things—I just walked away.

"It actually made life very simple."

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but Hoyer had an actual say in the matter.

"I’m living it," he said. "And I know what I’m doing at practice, and how my knee is feeling."

The Dream Job

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Many boys dream of being an NFL quarterback.

But how many want to start for the Browns?

Well, Hoyer did.

He attended Saint Ignatius, a renowned private Catholic high school, and he attended Browns games with his father in Cleveland Stadium.

"Very few people get to live out their dream of playing pro sports, and even fewer get a chance to play for the team they grew up cheering for," Hoyer said. "Regardless of where I play, I would try my best. But it’s a little bit more now because I’m a fan who actually gets a chance to change the outcome of this franchise.

"It’s definitely something I don't take lightly."

Like many in the area, Hoyer is excited about James rejoining the Cavaliers and the basketball team adding quality players such as Kevin Love.

"It’s awesome. Cleveland gets a bad rap," Hoyer said. "There are new hotels being put up. New nightlife.

"There are hot spots. It’s been cool to see Cleveland make a comeback, not just in sports but in general."

David Richard/Associated Press

On Monday, Pettine was asked if Hoyer has elevated his leadership after Sunday’s dramatic win.

"I don’t know if I would say that," Pettine told reporters. "He’s been firmly the guy from the beginning. Whether that cements this a little bit more, that’s probably fair to say.

"I just think his poise, his demeanor, the way he handled himself—it’s easy for the guys to rally around him."

Manziel may represent the future, but given their woeful past, Browns fans are embracing the present with Hoyer.

However, Hoyer wants to debunk one notion: that he and Manziel don't get along.

"I think it’s a lot better than most people think," Hoyer said of his relationship with Manziel. "I think people think we probably hate each other.

"We get along great. When you’re in a room together, for 10 hours a day, you better make it comfortable and enjoyable."

That’s something else Hoyer learned from Brady. He didn’t pepper Brady with a ton of questions, instead soaking in how the three-time Super Bowl champion conducted himself, on and off the field.

"I saw him do it day in and day out," Hoyer said of Brady. "I didn’t need to ask Tom a lot of questions, because I watched the way he worked, and read defenses, and the passion he had.

"I get asked a lot, 'How are you going to be a mentor or role model for Johnny Manziel?' The best thing I can do is play well."

And handle himself like a pro.

For instance, on Saturday nights before home games, Hoyer treats his fellow quarterbacks and anyone who blocks for him—i.e., offensive linemen and tight ends—to a catered meal from Michael Symon’s Lola Bistro, a popular restaurant in Cleveland.

Fleeting Security 

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains said a few weeks ago that Manziel’s developing nicely and that his goal should be to improve every day.

"I know it's a vanilla answer, but it really is the truth," Loggains told reporters. "Can you do this for six or seven weeks in a row and maybe not play as much as you want to? Because the kid is a great competitor, and he wants to be there.

"It's understanding how to be a quarterback and how to learn and do all those things that he's going to have to do. It's just the process, the grind of that, fighting the boredom of sitting in a meeting room learning a game plan, memorizing a game plan, but not get to go execute it."

The Browns’ two losses were to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens by a combined five points. Hoyer performed well in both games, posting respective passer ratings of 94.0 and 127.1.

Consequently, Manziel mania has been reined in—for now.

"I think when you play well like he has...that calms down controversy, but you guys know just as well as I do that this league is week-to-week," Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan told reporters before the game against the Titans. "If he has a bad game, this press conference will be totally different next week.

"He’s played very well," Shanahan added of Hoyer. "I hope he keeps it up, and you can’t truly answer that question until the end of the year."

Hoyer said he’s encouraged by the discussions he’s had with Pettine.

"When Coach Pettine sat me down, he said, 'There will be a lot of speculation that I’ll have a quick hook. But you just be you. I’ve got your back. You go out and play.'"

So on Monday, after the biggest game of his career, Hoyer returned to his routine: breakfast with his family, a trip to the Browns' facility, then back home to rest, not mingling in the community at all.

"You have to shift your focus to the next opponent," Hoyer said. "To play Pittsburgh at home, it doesn’t take much to get the juices flowing."

For 16 years, Sean Jensen served as a beat writer or NFL columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, (St. Paul) Pioneer Press and Chicago Sun-Times. He has also been an NFL contributor or columnist for AOL Sports, Yahoo Sports, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.