Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner threw a little water on the Brian Hoyer-buzz Monday night and talked up incumbent starting quarterback Brandon Weeden.
"Brandon is a one-year player in the NFL who did a lot more good things (last season) than people give him credit for," Turner told reporters before speaking at a banquet, via The Plain Dealer. "I like his composure, the way he competes, he's worked awfully hard. He's got to be one of the hardest-working guys on our team. So you look and say, 'Hey, you hope there's a big upside'?"
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Turner cited the young offensive group that Weeden worked with last season as a reason for his rookie struggles. He also said the hype over the recent Hoyer signing has been overblown.
"I think there have been more stories written about Brian Hoyer being a Brown over the last four months than probably any player in history," Turner said. "He was released. He was available. He's a guy that has been with some good teams in backup situations. He's played very little football, but I do think we like his skill set."
Turner said it's difficult to make a heady evaluation this early in the process -- even if others make comparisons, but he plans to lobby to keep three quarterbacks on the roster.
"I think if you don't (keep three QBs), you're playing with fire," he said Tuesday, via the Akron Beacon Journal. "I think if you look at the teams over the last two or three years that have had quarterbacks and they had a good backup plan -- Houston two years ago made the playoffs with a rookie at quarterback. Indianapolis, when (Peyton) Manning got hurt, didn't have an answer. I think it's too valuable a position, and you need quarterbacks."
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
