CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered a complete tear of the ACL in his right knee during Thursday night's victory against the Buffalo Bills and needs season-ending surgery, coach Rob Chudzinski said Friday.
"I talked to Brian," Chudzinski said. "Obviously he is disappointed. But if you know him, and you guys have been around him a little bit to know how positive he is and what type of person he is, he's already thinking about when he's going to be back.
"I reassured him of that as well. I wanted him to know what he meant to us, but he'll be back. He'll make it back."
The Browns again will turn to Brandon Weeden and hope that he plays more like the guy who did fairly well in relief against Buffalo than the guy who struggled so badly in Cleveland's first two games, both losses.
What gives Chudzinski belief that he can get what he needs from Weeden?
"Because we have no other choice," Chudzinski said. "That's what we're going to do. Everybody who plays, regardless of position, we expect to do well."
The team was to assess what to do as far as adding a third quarterback during a meeting Friday afternoon. Cleveland could go with an inexperienced player, as it did with Hoyer, or it could reach out to an available veteran. If
If the Browns do pursue a veteran, it won't be Josh Freeman, who was released Thursday by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ESPN Cleveland 1540 AM, citing a source, reported the Browns have eliminated Freeman as an option.
Hoyer's loss is a tough blow to a team and fan base that had been energized by the play of the Ohio native. The Browns (3-2) combined for 16 points in the two games Weeden started to open the season but were energized by Hoyer's quick decision-making and accuracy in wins against the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The injury to Hoyer came with suddenness and shock. He was hurt 3:57 into the game when he was hit by Bills linebacker Kiko Alonso as the quarterback went to slide following an 11-yard run. Alonso's momentum took him over Hoyer's chest, and the quarterback's knees were caught awkwardly underneath him.
Hoyer immediately rolled over, his face expressing pain.
"It's never good to see your quarterback go down in that fashion," tight end Jordan Cameron said after the win.
Added Weeden: "You hate to see it. You hate to see it because he's a teammate, a friend, and he was helping this team win."
Both starting quarterbacks were injured in the game. Bills rookie EJ Manuel left after taking a shot to the knees from safety Tashaun Gipson at the end of a run. Gipson got up and celebrated after the hit, which angered Bills players and led one to call the Browns classless.
"I definitely don't intentionally try to hurt anybody," Gipson said. "I wouldn't dare do that. I'm not that kind of player. It's the game of football. Our quarterback took a shot. Their quarterback took a shot. Not to say that we were trying to go one for one, but it's the game of football."