Brian Hoyer Not All to Blame for Browns' Struggles in Week 7 Loss

When a team has an extremely disappointing loss, someone has to take the blame from the public. For the Cleveland Browns, quarterback Brian Hoyer is getting the brunt of that blame for their 24-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. While Hoyer definitely played the worst game of his career, he should not shoulder the entire load.

It is always easy to point at the quarterback after the game. Whether it is a win and a team revels in the glory or a loss and it drowns in the sorrow; the quarterback is the face of a determined outcome. It is the price you pay when you play the marquee position.

“Today is a really good example of when a team wins a quarterback gets a lot of credit, and when they don’t he’s going to get a lot of blame,” head coach Mike Pettine told Scott Petrak of The (Elyria) Chronicle-Telegram after the game.

Before we go any further let’s be very clear: Hoyer was atrocious. It was easily the worst game of his career, and he did very little right. Hoyer went 16-of-41 for 215 yards with one interception, a lost fumble and a 46.3 quarterback rating. He under-threw receivers deep, he overthrew receivers near the sidelines and he was unable to handle the pressure the Jaguars brought the whole game.

He looked like a guy who has been a career backup. He certainly did not look like the guy who was 6-2 in his eight starts with the Browns and entered the game as the fourth-ranked passer in the NFL.

The offense was 4-of-17 on third downs and 0-of-4 on fourth downs. A lot of that falls on Hoyer because the team was in 3rd-and-long situations all game long. The Jaguars' defensive line also batted down several of Hoyer’s passes at the line of scrimmage.

He missed tight end Jordan Cameron with what would have been a touchdown pass in the second quarter, and he even questioned how that could have changed the outcome afterward.

“I didn’t see a replay, but I always try to give Jordan a chance to go up and get it back there, and I probably put it even a little too high for him,” Hoyer told the media, per Petrak. “And who knows how that changes the outcome, so that’s definitely one that I wish maybe just take a little off of it and let him go up and get it.”

He entered the week with just one turnover on the year and by the time the beatdown was finished in Jacksonville that total was tripled. It is easy to say Hoyer was the main culprit in the loss, but that just wouldn’t be fair.

The blame can be spread throughout the entire team and coaching staff. The unit that deserves more grief than Hoyer is the offensive line. The new center John Greco and new guard Paul McQuistan were not just bad; they were a liability on nearly every play.

McQuistan was beat off the line so many times that it stifled the Browns passing and run game. They entered the week as the third-best rushing offense. They finished Week 7 with 30 rushes for 69 yards. That translates to a pitiful 2.3 yards per carry.

Hoyer was on the run all game long as well. While that does not forgive all his poor throws, it does explain a good portion of them. The Jaguars sacked Hoyer three times and also tallied seven tackles for loss. That means they were living in the backfield all afternoon.

The receivers were also an issue. They had two drops and a miscommunication between Miles Austin and Hoyer which caused Austin to never even turn around and look for a pass that was thrown. It was plain ugly.

“I know (Hoyer) missed some throws,” said Pettine after the game. “But we did not play near well enough around him.”

The coaching staff deserves some blame here as well. Pettine has been somewhat of a gambler all season long, but he was flat-out reckless on Sunday. He went for fourth-down conversions twice when the game was still hanging in the balance and the offense was completely out of rhythm.

The first time was in the second quarter with the Browns leading 6-0. On 4th-and-1 at the Jacksonville 24-yard line, Hoyer missed Cameron, and the Browns gave the ball back to Jacksonville with 1:33 to play in the half. The Jaguars marched 76 yards for a score and took the lead 7-6 at halftime. That was a gamble the Browns did not need to take, and it wound up hurting them in the end.

The second occasion was in the beginning of the fourth quarter with the Jaguars leading 10-6. The Browns had a seven-play drive stall at the Jacksonville 43-yard line. The Browns first lined up for a punt and then had the entire offense run onto the field in what resembled a hockey line change.

The Browns had to wait for the Jaguars to make their defensive substitutions, and once they did the ball was snapped to Hoyer who looked like he was not expecting it whatsoever. Hoyer tried to run around the end, and then he pitched the ball to running back Ben Tate who was tackled for a loss. The Jaguars took over on downs, and the world was wondering what the heck the Browns just did.

Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal shared Tate's comments, clearly illustrating his frustration with the play:

"

More #Browns Tate: "When he snapped ball, I think everyone was shocked. I was like, 'Oh my God, what am I supposed to do?'" Was no play call

— Marla Ridenour (@MRidenourABJ) October 19, 2014"

Shortly after that, with the game still 10-6 and the Jaguars giving the Browns yet another opportunity to steal the game, Jordan Poyer inexplicably tried to field a punt inside the 5-yard line. Instead of catching the ball, he had it bounce off of his facemask, and the Jaguars recovered.

They scored on their very next play. That was all the Jags needed.

Even offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who had been masterful calling plays up until this week, needs to share some blame. He abandoned the run game far too early and never allowed the offense to establish what it does best.

He and Pettine also used Terrance West at running back instead of Isaiah Crowell for the first half, and West was not just bad, but he set the offense back. He twice danced or ran horizontally instead of just taking the first down which was in front of him.

The defense joined in the ballet of folly as well. It allowed 336 total yards, including 186 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Jaguars entered the game averaging less than 70 yards per contest.

So while Hoyer was inexcusably bad and he will have to face the music this week, he was not alone. His teammates know that they all played a role in the embarrassment.

“Brian’s a professional,” said wide receiver Andrew Hawkins after the game. “He understands it’s a part of the job, so he’s not crying himself to sleep.”

From now until next Sunday, when the Oakland Raiders come to town, Hoyer will be the object of conjecture and criticism. The media and fans will question whether he is the guy moving forward and debate the possibility of Johnny Manziel taking over the quarterback role sooner than people might have thought last week.

That comes with the territory. Carrying your team on the field is not the quarterback’s only job in this league. He must also carry the burden of the losses off the field as well.