General Manager Ray Farmer summed up his opinion of Brian Hoyer in one word after the Browns concluded practice on July 27: Phenomenal.
Hoyer clearly outplayed Johnny Manziel in the second day of training camp. Hoyer looked sharp, confident and relaxed. He spread the ball around and proved he could go deep with long passes to Taylor Gabriel and Nate Burleson.
Farmer was not referring just to one 2 1/2 hour practice when he praised Hoyer. He was talking about the way Hoyer has worked since suffering a season-ending knee injury last Oct. 3.
‘I think Brian’s been phenomenal,’ Farmer said. ‘I think he’s handled rehab like a pro, which is what you would like. He’s a man’s man. He didn’t cry over spilled milk. He attacked his rehab. He was here probably more than anybody.
‘I think I work a lot hours, and there weren’t very many hours that I was in the building and Brian wasn’t somewhere working on his craft, be it the meeting room, be it the indoor facility, be it the weight room. He did everything he could to put himself in the best position possible. Now he’s got to go out and perform.’
Farmer also said he believes Manziel is ready to devote his time to the Browns. He met with Manziel. He declined to say what those conversations were about. Presumably they were not about golf.
‘I’ve seen a young man that came back that appears to be prepared for a competition,’ Farmer said. ‘We want guys that took the time to come back and demonstrate that they’re ready to compete to be starters in this league. I think everybody here wants to play. You want to play as much as you can. We’ll see that while he’s in the building he’s putting forth the work to try to be the starter.’
Pinkston absent
Guard Jason Pinkston is not with the Browns and no one from the team is willing to explain why.
‘Pinkston’s unavailable to practice, and due to his circumstances I cannot comment on it any further,’ Coach Mike Pettine said. ‘I want to give you more, but just given the circumstances, I can’t. That’s where we are with Jason.’
Pinkston, a 2011 fifth-round draft pick with a history of injuries and illness, was vague on his Twitter account.
‘I ask why me at times, then I realize some things in life you can’t control,’ Pinkston tweeted. ‘I assure you I’m in no legal trouble & retiring hasn’t come up. As far as my situation I’ll leave it to them to explain.’
Pinkston missed the final 10 games of 2012 with a blood clot in his lung. He suffered a high ankle sprain in a preseason game against the Lions last year and played in only three games.
Fashion statement
Manziel never shies away from attention.
The rookie quarterback trotted out of the locker room for the second day of training camp wearing day-glow yellow Nike cleats. About five minutes into the workout he changed into a pair of orange shoes.
‘I’m a black shoe-black sock guy myself, much more conservative,’ Pettine said. ‘By the time I came out he had his regular shoes on anyway.’
Players are required to wear team-issued equipment. The yellow shoes did not qualify.
Maybe Manziel should not have changed shoes.
The rookie was off on many of his passes much of the day. Pettine did not want to critique Manziel.
‘No,’ Pettine said when asked whether Manziel took a step backward, ‘and I don’t know if I want to stand here every day just walking off the field and evaluate the performance.
‘Until we watch the tape and look at the grade sheets and kind of know what was asked of him and what he did and making sure the guys around him are doing the right thing – it’s similar to after a game. I don’t know how much true evaluation I’ll be able to offer. Sometimes you think one thing and you get in and watch the tape and your opinion changes completely, so it’s hard to say.’
Pettine said Hoyer will continue to work with the first team until he and his coaches evaluate the situation on July 30, when the players are off for the first time in training camp.
Thomas rested
Veteran left tackle Joe Thomas was rested on July 27. Pettine wants to make sure Thomas will be fresh for the season. The seven-time Pro Bowl player has never missed a snap with the Browns.
‘He’ll periodically have a day off,’ Pettine said.’ We didn’t want to just give him all the days in shorts and then turn around and not have him in there for when we got started in pads. When he’s out there, he’ll be on a pitch count. He’s shown he’s done it. We’ll give some other guys an opportunity.’
Martin Wallace replaced Thomas with the first team.
Quick hitters
MarQueis Gray was activated from the non-football injury list on July 27. He lined up as a fullback. … Nose tackle Phil Taylor is rehabbing from an undisclosed injury, Pettine said. … A crowd of 3,866 attending practice. … No tickets are available for practice July 28. … A zip line was set up for visitors to practice on July 27. The zip line will be at camp on Aug. 1 and Aug. 13.
