BEREA, Ohio -- Brian Hoyer's teammates see a lot of Tom Brady in their new starting quarterback.

“Absolutely, absolutely,'' said receiver Davone Bess of Hoyer assimilating his former New England teammate, a future Hall of Famer. "I believe that helped him tremendously. To be able to sit behind somebody like him and be able to pick his brain and see how his approach is to the game during the workweek is phenomenal. You can see it in his focus.”

During his three seasons as Brady's backup, Hoyer shadowed his every step and absorbed his personna: the fiery nature, the clutch fourth-quarter drives, the effortless back-shoulder fades.

And now, the Browns have their own poor man's Brady zipping around the field winning football games.

"(He has) the (same) sense of urgency, tempo, just the way he gets in and out of the huddle,'' Bess said. "He gets the guys moving a little faster. It brings this attacking mindset to the opposing defense.”

Bess should know. He spent the past five seasons in Miami, playing against Brady twice a year. He watched enough fourth-quarter Brady comebacks to realize that Hoyer has become similar through osmosis.

"I've been a believer of (Hoyer's) for a long time,'' he said. "He was in New England when I was in Miami, so I had already known what he was capable of. I'm really more proud of him, just the way he's handled it, because it's not an easy thing to do to be thrown in there, especially at his position and be able to ignite something like this two-game winning streak we've got going.''

Bess also got to see firsthand just how much Hoyer had learned when Hoyer played the second half of a 38-7 Patriots victory in the 2010 season finale. Hoyer completed seven of 13 attempts for 122 yards with one TD.

"He had a solid game,'' said Bess. "You could see it even then.''

Cornerback Joe Haden, a former high school quarterback, has witnessed it too.

"If you’re behind one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, you have to learn something,'' Haden said. "You learn the way to study film. You’re with him all the time, so I hope all of Tom Brady has rubbed off on him.”

And now, Hoyer's Brady-ness is rubbing off on the rest of the team.

“He comes off to the sideline and comes over to the defense and comes slapping us on the helmet,'' said Haden. "He's just really involved. When you have a quarterback walking around that’s super-confident. It makes you feel better.''

What's more, Haden said, "his release is really quick, he makes all the throws. He's just not afraid of the moment. He just stepped in there, no hesitation, and he just carries himself really well.''

That's been a tremendous boost for the third-ranked Browns defense, to have a quarterback that can match its production.

“That’s the thing,'' said Haden. "When we see (the offense) driving down and putting up points, they’re scoring seven, we know we’re not going to give up seven. We’re like, “Oh, we’re straight now. We’re guarding a lead.

"Instead of trying to get pick sixes and making sure we force fumbles to give the ball back to the offense, it's more of a comfort level that if we get the ball back in their hands it’s going to be another touchdown. It’s just a whole different way we approach the game now.”

Rookie tight end MarQueis Gray, a former QB at the University of Minnesota, definitely sees the Brady tendencies.

"They've both got good arm strength, and they know how to put the right velocity on the ball,'' said Gray. "They know when to fit it in tight coverage and all of that. I see a lot of that in Brian so far. He's out there holding his players accountable, just keeping everyone in the game. Even when we're on the sidelines, he's harping on guys, and cheering on his teammates.''

He was especially impressed with Hoyer's 2-yard TD to Jordan Cameron, a perfectly-placed fade.

"Aaron Rodgers is actually the king of that pass and Brian's been doing a good job of that,'' said Gray, who took two Wildcat snaps against the Bengals. "It gives our guys no choice but to make the play. He's moving well in the pocket, he's making checks when needed, getting the ball to guys, and overall knowing when we need to get the first down and keep the chains moving. He's doing a great job of leading our offense right now.''

Hoyer, 2-0 as a Browns starter with five TD passes and three interceptions, has gained the trust of offensive and defensive teammates alike.

"He just has that look of intensity in his eye all the time and we really can get behind it,'' receiver Josh Gordon said. "That's the great thing that we needed to see. Coming from his position, just from being a replacement guy, that’s what everybody thought at first, but he wanted to prove a lot more than that. He’s definitely got our full support, and we’re looking for him to lead us to victory.''

Hoyer took the news that he's starting against Buffalo instead of Brandon Weeden in stride.

“For me, it’s just another week to go out and another opportunity to help this team win,'' he said. "Like I’ve always said, as a competitor, you want to be the guy out there on the field, so I’m obviously excited about that, and with that quick turnaround just trying to get things going and get up to speed on Buffalo.”

Coach Rob Chudzinski has said he'll evaluate the quarterback situation on a week-to-week basis, and Hoyer said he's not viewing it as his job now.

"That’s not my concern,'' he said. "This league, it’s literally an hour-to-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week business, so I can’t get caught up in that. The only thing I can worry about is what I can control, and that’s my preparation and play.”

Besides, Hoyer has bigger things to worry about. The 2-2 Bills picked off Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco five times in their victory on Sunday and lead the NFL with nine interceptions. They're tied for fifth in the NFL with 13 sacks, one fewer than the Browns, who are tied for second.

“They’re a complicated defense,'' said Hoyer. "You’ve got to try to figure it out quickly and be ready for what they throw at you and get your pre-snap read and confirm it on your post-snap. There’s definitely guys around the ball. Our coach has done a good job of breaking down it to us and setting up a game plan that’s manageable on a short week.''

You can bet Hoyer will devour the game plan, just like his former mentor would.

"He has the competitive nature to get the job done,'' said Bess. "He's playing well and it's just contagious.''