BEREA, Ohio - They are barely visible in the back of Brian Hoyers locker, buried under caps, shirts and a knee brace. Cheap Nike Air Max 1 .At first glance, they appear to be ordinary cleats. However, these are symbolic.They are the shoes Hoyer wore last season on Oct. 3, when the Browns quarterback tore knee ligaments while sliding at the end of a run against the Buffalo Bills. The injury ended Hoyers season and threatened his career, but instead of throwing out the grass-stained cleats, Hoyer hung on to them as a reminder of his comeback.And as he prepared to play in his first Thursday night game since that fateful game a year ago, Hoyer joked about the keepsakes.Maybe Ill wear them this Thursday, he said with a smile before practice.Although the cleats may have contributed to Hoyers injury, he wont part with them. To him, they represent the end of one chapter and start of another — his personal halftime.Its just a significant moment in my career, Hoyer said. Everything that led up to that moment — really I blame the cleats because my cleat got stuck in the ground — maybe it was the grass. But I think to keep that and realize that getting to that point in my career, it took everything to get to that point, and then to keep those because thats kind of the second part of my career.Hoyer could be facing another pivotal moment in his football life when Cleveland (5-3) faces AFC North-leading Cincinnati (5-2-1) on Thursday at Paul Brown Stadium. For the Browns, this is a chance to validate a surprising start aided by a favourable schedule the past few weeks. For Hoyer, it could mean much more.Although hes 8-3 as Clevelands starter, its still not clear if Hoyer will be Clevelands quarterback beyond this season. Hes in the final year of his contract, and with first-round draft pick Johnny Manziel backing him up, Hoyers future with the Browns remains cloudy.With every win, Hoyer would seem to strengthen his grip on the job, and a victory on national TV over the Bengals, who are 13-0-1 at home since 2012, would give him another bargaining chip to stake his claim as the Browns future QB.However, Manziels shadow looms over Hoyer.General manager Ray Farmer would not directly discuss Hoyers contract situation, but indicated theres a chance the 29-year-old could land a deal before the end of the season.Well see what happens with Brian between now and then, Farmer said.Farmer said the Browns are comfortable in not rushing Manziel, who has only been on the field for a handful of plays this season. However, Farmer, who offered little clarity on a number of issues, seemed to indicate the team is looking toward Manziel — and not Hoyer — as the quarterback it intends to build around.I want Johnny to play when Johnnys ready to play, he said. Were comfortable with where were at and how we want to play him with what the total organization looks like around him. The result is for him to be successful for a long period of time and not just for a moment or a flash but for an extended period of time.So were going to put together the right group and make sure everything is in place and hes going to be ready and were going to be ready when he does get the opportunity.From the outside, the Browns appear to have a tough decision to make on Hoyer, who could test the free-agent market or wind up being given a franchise or transition tag by Cleveland.Farmer said hell do whats best for the Browns.No challenge at all, he said. I think its pretty simple. At the end of the day we sit down and make decisions that are good for our football team.Farmer said Hoyer has not exceeded expectations this season, and has shown hes a winner — on and off the field.Ive always talked about guys that study it, learn it, love it, breathe it, and hes done that, Farmer said. So to his credit, hes demonstrated not only to those on the outside world, but those interior, his commitment and his drive to be as good as he can be.NOTES: With suspended Pro Bowl WR Josh Gordon due back in two weeks, Farmer said its not a certainty hell be given a major role when he returns. He is a talented young man and he can do a lot of good things, Farmer said. But do you kind of disrupt what you are to just make sure that one person gets the ball? Teams win. Talent doesnt. Its really about building a team and people have to find a way to fit into the team. ... Browns coach Mike Pettine said WR Andrew Hawkins will be a game-time decision with a leg injury. ... Pettine said its possible TE Jordan Cameron (concussion) could return to face the Bengals.___Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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