As the starting quarterback battle at Cleveland Browns' training camp ramps up between veteran Brian Hoyer and highly-touted rookie Johnny Manziel, there's at least one Brown firmly in Hoyer's corner.
“He has less starts than probably almost any rookie that’s out there starting right now, but he commands a level of respect because of the way he goes about doing his business the right way and acting like he is the starting quarterback that has taken us to five playoffs,” Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas told the Akron Beacon Journal on Monday after practice. “I think it’s that attitude and that swagger that demands respect, and he also goes and backs it up out on the field. He throws the ball to the right person. He’s doing things and getting everybody on the same page. That’s just as much the role of a quarterback as throwing touchdown passes.”
Hoyer, who has been working hard to return to form following season-ending ACL surgery in October of 2013, has been the sharper of the two pivots in camp thus far, earning first-team reps over his famous counterpart.
“He’s the ultimate competitor, and no matter if we drafted a quarterback No. 1 overall, I knew that in his mind, he expects to win the job because that’s the type of competitor he is and the type of quarterback,” Thomas added. “He’s a lot like Tom Brady. When you look at the way he competes and the way he demands the most out of everybody around him, it’s no coincidence that those guys played together and [Hoyer] has a lot of those same mental attributes and that’s a great thing for a quarterback to have.”
Although Thomas' praise of Hoyer was seemingly unrelenting, he had good things to say about "Johnny Football", who he says is a lot more low-key than his reputation would suggest.
“Johnny is kind of a quiet guy around the facility,” Thomas said. “I’m sure it’s hard for most people to believe that with the kind of personality that he’s built up. But he’s kind of quiet. He does things the right way. You look at his notebook and he’s got all sorts of good notes. He sits in the front next to the coach, and he’s just focused on his job when he’s here.”