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The Browns opted to stick with Brian Hoyer as their starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Colts in a decision that coach Mike Pettine said was based on which quarterback they felt gave them the best chance to win.

It didn’t hurt that one of the team’s offensive leaders weighed in with support of Hoyer. Left tackle Joe Thomas said that choosing to start Manziel would have sent a message that the 7-5 Browns were “already playing for next year” despite being alive in the playoff race. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said that Thomas’s words carried weight with the coaches when they made their choice.

“When Joe talks, it always carries weight with me,” Shanahan said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “This is my first year meeting Joe. I’ve obviously always known him with his pedigree and how good his career has been, but just being around him through an NFL season, seeing how much the game does mean to Joe, how hard he plays, whether it’s the run game or the pass game, he does everything we ask of him. It means a lot to him. Anytime a guy who’s as good of a player as he is, who puts in as much work as he does, when he talks, every coach or player is going to listen.”

Thomas said he thought Manziel did a great job while he was in the game and his remarks, like Pettine’s decision, seemed to be rooted in the immediate future rather than any extended view of what’s best for the team. That’s the right way to approach the final four weeks of the season when you’re in the hunt for a playoff spot, and, as we saw last week, that choice can change based on the circumstances on Sunday.