Brian Hoyer jersey sales leap in front of Johnny Manziel's for first time
First we saw Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer beat out Johnny Manziel for the starting job in Cleveland.
Now the homegrown hero is beating Manziel off the field, as well.
According to data from Dick's Sporting Goods, Brian Hoyer's No. 6 jersey skyrocketed from 85th to fifth in the sports retailer's nationwide sales this week.
Hoyer, for the first time, is ranked ahead of Johnny Manziel, who is seventh.
In fact, sales of Cleveland Browns jerseys overall jumped 12 spots, to third, behind the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Over the last week, Hoyer jerseys have made up 46 percent of all Browns jerseys sold, three percent of jersey sales across the entire league.
Hoyer, who was born and raised in Cleveland, beat out Manziel for the Browns starting quarterback job in training camp and has been more than serviceable thus far. In five games this season, he has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 1,224 yards and seven touchdowns, earning a 99.5 passer rating while leading the Browns to a surprising 3-2 start.
Manziel, on the other hand, remains on the sidelines, where it looks like he'll stay for a while. He might be the most popular backup quarterback in the NFL, but Hoyer's play is definitely silencing the Manziel supporters — and the Hoyer haters, who are likely all running out to buy No. 6 Browns jerseys.
