10 Reasons Browns backup Jacoby Brissett can win it all

5. Jeff Hostetler, Giants

Jeff Hostetler was the backup for Phil Simms, who was a pedigreed franchise quarterback, drafted in the first round by the Giants in 1979. Simms had set the record for pass completion percentage against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI (immediately after The Drive against Cleveland, following the 1986 season), completing 22 of 25 passes (88.0%) in the 39–20 victory over the Denver Broncos and setting the record for highest completion percentage in a Super Bowl.

So thank you, Mr. Simms.  Anyone who beats up on the Broncos is definitely a friend of the Dawg Pound. The Giants didn’t make a deep playoff run again until 1990 when Simms went down, and suddenly Hostetler became the new starting quarterback.

There could never be a Cleveland backup quarterback like Jeff Hostetler. In college, Hostetler transferred to West Virginia, meaning he had to sit out one season. Thus he had five years of college and was 23 when he entered the NFL. Hostetler was drafted in the third round in 1984 and simply sat behind Simms. He was a second-string for seven years. By 1990, Hostetler was 29 years old, had two NFL starts, and had won both of them.

Never mind seven years, how many times have the Browns kept a quarterback who was a third-round pick on the bench for as long as seven quarters? And has there ever been a drafted rookie quarterback in this century that did not start at least one game?

The Browns usually manage to convince themselves that they see a quarterback savior in someone like Cody Kessler, DeShone Kizer, Kevin Hogan, Brandon Weedon, Colt McCoy, or Johnny Manziel, so they have to throw him onto the field as a rookie to see if he is that special transformational talent capable of making a bad team into a playoff juggernaut (answer: NO). If it doesn’t happen within just a few games, the front office usually gets discouraged and gives up.

So when Simms went down with a serious foot injury in 1990, Hostetler was prepared. He led the Giants to two wins to close out the season with a 13-3 record and the coveted first-round bye. In the playoffs, they cruised over the Chicago Bears, 30-3, and then eked out a win versus San Francisco, 15-13. In the Super Bowl, Scott Norwood was wide right with a last-second field goal attempt and the Giants were World Champions, 20-19.

Hostetler was 20-of-32 for 222 yards and a touchdown. It was a very credible performance against a tough Buffalo defense.

Is it unthinkable that a backup quarterback should lead a Championship caliber offense to score 20 points? Is it totally outside the reach of someone like Jacoby Brissett? That’s less obvious.

Both Simms and Hostetler went on to quarterback playoff teams. Simms had trouble staying healthy so he and Hostetler both had turns as the number one for the Giants.

Ultimately, however, Hostetler went on to the Raiders and led them to the playoffs in 1993 and made it to the Divisional Round before faltering against the Buffalo Bills, 29-23. Simms stayed healthy and took the Giants to Divisional Round in 1993, but they were steamrolled by the 49ers, 44-3, and Simms chose to retire at age 38.

Hostetler ended his career with two Super Bowl rings, with one earned as the starter in place of Simms. Simms also had two rings. The first was as the starter for Bill Parcells, and for the second, he had to defer to Hostetler because of his injuries.