BEREA, Ohio -- Did the Browns pull the plug too early on Brian Hoyer?
Some said Mike Pettine waited too long to switch to Johnny Manziel, while others said he should've never made the switch.
Pettine said he made the switch at quarterback because the play at quarterback "had gotten to the point where it warranted a change."
The Browns were 7-6 and had lost two in a row when Pettine went to Manziel. Hoyer didn't want to say he would've been able to right the ship and put the team in the playoffs.
Pettine was asked what the state of the quarterback position is heading to 2015.
"It's still very much a question mark," Pettine said. "We all know that Brian is due to become a free agent. The sample size on Manziel was not very big and on the surface, not very encouraging.
"Connor Shaw went out and battled... but our quarterback position is muddy at best and will be a major point of discussion when allocating time (in the evaluation process)."
Hoyer is 10-6 in the 16 games he's started for the Browns dating back to 2013. He finished the 2014 season 242-of438 for 3,326 yards with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His rating was 76.5 and his completion percentage of 55.3 percent near the bottom of the league.
Pettine said he doesn't anticipate Manziel being anointed as the starter going forward because he was a first-round draft pick.
"We can't assume anything," he said. "We'll assess the position and make what we feel will be the best moves for us in 2015.
"There should be no sense of entitlement (for Manziel) because he was drafted where he was drafted, therefore he is the starter," he said. " We're not going to connect those dots."
Pettine said Hoyer is a definite option for the team.
"We're going to look at every option available and Brian will be one of them," Pettine said. "To get it right, we'll leave no stone unturned."
Hoyer said he isn't going to look back on what might have been if he continued to play.
"It's hard to speculate," Hoyer said. "Do I think I would've played better? Yeah, I think eventually things would've come around. I look back at those games and if we would've made a play here or play there would've changed the outcome.
"I think anyone would say that about any game that they lost in the way the NFL is, it's one play here or there that can change the entire outcome of the game or the season," he said. "It's hard sitting here now that the season is over to speculate on what could've happened. Could I have played better, yeah there's no doubt. I can't tell you we would've won the Cincinnati game or anything like that."
After the switch was made to Manziel, the Bengals shut the Browns out 30-0 and then Manziel was injured in the second quarter against the Panthers. Hoyer came on in relief, but the Browns still lost the game. Hoyer injured his arm/shoulder late in the game and sat out the season finale.
"Did it end the way we wanted it to?" Hoyer said. "No. If you would've told me this is how the season was going to end after the Cincinnati game or even after the Atlanta game, I would've been willing to bet my salary against it.
"But the NFL is a tough league and we didn't execute when we needed to," he said. "So it's disappointing, but I think in the same sense when I look back on this year I will have a lot of pride in what we accomplished as far as offensively and personally, no one expected a lot out of us."
Hoyer said at one point the Browns offense was one of the top offenses, statistically, in the NFL.
"(Offensive coordinator) Kyle (Shanahan) talked to us at one point, after the Atlanta game we were a top 10 offense in the NFL, when people thought we'd be winning games 7-3 or 13-10 and that was the type of year it was going to be," he said. "I think we overachieved and at some point we weren't executing. It's disappointing, but it's hard to see it right now the first day after the end of the season. There will be moments where we'll be proud of what we accomplished."
Hoyer was asked if he thought the Browns were headed in the right direction, improving three games from a season ago, despite losing their last five games.
"If someone would have said we'd have seven wins, for this organization, it's obviously better that 4-12 (in 2013)," he said. "It's a step in the right direction."
The next step for Hoyer is free agency as he is now an unrestricted free agent. He is considered to be one of the best options on the market for quarterback-starved teams and could find an attractive suitor in the process.
Pettine was asked if he wants Hoyer to return.
"I want what's best for the Browns," he said. "That will all be part of the evaluation process. I think Brian did some really good things for us. I don't know where Brian is with Cleveland and I'll be interested to hear from an organizational standpoint. Personally, I have a good relationship with Brian, but don't know if the circumstances can come together for him to be back here next year."
Hoyer was asked if he thought he would return to the Browns.
"In this business, you never say never about anything," he said. "Obviously, I'm from here. My wife is from here. My kids are here. It would be a great scenario for me to stay here but you also have to be wanted back.
"It's not up to me and you make decisions that are based on what is best for myself and my family and that's what will go into it," he said. "This is a business decision, so whether it's here or somewhere else I want to put myself in the best situation at this point in my career wherever that's at. I don't know where that is at this point."
Hoyer said he hasn't had a talk with the Browns about him returning as of yet. He did want to clear the misconception that he does not get along with Manziel.
"I've talked to Johnny and a lot has been made about my relationship with him," Hoyer said. "People think we don't like each other. The Johnny I've gotten to know I consider a friend... The friendship I've established with him I hope continues throughout the rest of our careers. I have nothing but good things to say about the Johnny I've gotten to know."
Hoyer was also asked if he is willing to come back and compete for the starting job against Manziel with the Browns.
"Yeah, we did it this year and I'm not opposed to that," Hoyer said. "I know a lot has been said going back however long ago someone said I wouldn't come back if Johnny is here.
"That's not true," he said. "There's no truth to that at all. Going back to what I said in OTAs and training camp that competition makes people better and that's why I don't use that as an excuse on why my play declined. I wasn't thinking about Johnny or this or that. That has nothing to do with my decision, my decision will be based on if it's best for me and my family."
