BEREA, Ohio (AP) -- Brian Hoyer's right knee has a long way to go before it's completely healed.
He's also trying to mend a broken heart.
Hoyer, the hometown quarterback who led
his beloved Browns to two straight wins before he sustained a
season-ending knee injury on Oct. 3 against Buffalo, said Wednesday that
he hasn't quite gotten over that fateful slide at the end of an 11-yard
scramble.
"That's the most disappointing thing that's ever happened to me," he said.
Speaking to reporters for the first time
since tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament and undergoing
surgery, Hoyer, who began the season as Cleveland's third-string QB,
said it's been difficult to move past what happened in just his fourth
NFL start, when an apparent routine play turned into a career-altering
event.
On Cleveland's seventh play, Hoyer took
off running and as he neared the sideline, he began to slide. As he hit
the turf, Hoyer was drilled from the side by Bills rookie linebacker
Kiko Alonso. Hoyer's right cleat got caught under him and he knew right
away the injury was serious.
"That's the first time I've ever been on
the field where I couldn't get up on my own and so then I kind of knew
that something was up," he said. "But there was no `pop' or anything
like that. I just had a sensation where I tried to get up and I just
told myself to stay down and let them (medical staff) come over."
The injury not only ended his season,
but derailed the career backup's chance to establish himself as a
full-time starter. Still, in just a three-week period, he gave the
Browns and their fans a charge.
"I hope that I was able to bring a spark
and get this team going," he said. "I think that was accomplished, and
to me that was probably the hardest part. Things were going really well
and it gets taken out right underneath you. So you know I'm looking
forward to getting back whenever that might be and that's what drives me
every day when I come in here."
Hoyer said the normal recovery time on
his injury is six to eight months, but he's hoping to make it back
sooner. He can't guarantee he'll be 100 percent by training camp in
July.
"Obviously I'd like to shoot for the
shorter part of that," he said of the recovery timetable. "But for me I
just try to get better every day, which to this point I have, so that
keeps your spirits up."
Hoyer's injury coincided with another
personal major event as his wife, Lauren, gave birth to their second
child, a daughter, Cameron, three days before his surgery. Also, Hoyer
turned 28 on Oct. 13.
"It was a busy week at my house," he
said. "I had a baby on Tuesday and surgery on Friday and a birthday
Sunday. I had one of the best moments of my life with my daughter being
born. I've never even had a surgery before. It's a little nerve-racking
but I got through it. I came out of surgery great and now I'm on to the
rehab. It's amazing how quickly things go.
"Hopefully this rehab will fly by."
Hoyer patiently waited nearly five
seasons -- three as Tom Brady's backup in New England -- for his chance
to start. And as he reflected on his three-week stint as Cleveland's
starter, Hoyer is confident it won't be his last shot.
"It was an exciting time, which is what
makes it so disappointing," he said. "But right now my main concern is
getting back, rehabbing every day and also trying to stay involved with
what's going on with this team. We have a great team, everybody rallies
around each other and the support from this organization, from the top
down, my teammates, coaches, everyone, it's really been able to keep me
up."
