Brian Hoyer admits it made him mad to share snaps with Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel finally made his regular-season debut with Cleveland on Sunday. And the Browns finally won a home opener, the first time that has happened in 10 years.

While the two above sentences are true, they really have nothing to do with each other. Manziel got into the Browns’ game against New Orleans for three plays in the third quarter -- two handoffs that resulted in zero net yards and an incomplete pass.

Meanwhile, starting quarterback Brian Hoyer led Cleveland to a stunning 26-24 upset of the Saints, the same way he took charge a week earlier as the Browns erased a 24-point deficit against Pittsburgh, only to fall short on a last-second field goal.

So, really, Hoyer would be justified if he was a bit peeved about having to share snaps with the hotshot rookie who hasn’t proved anything in the NFL. Which is good, because Hoyer says he was.

Hoyer admitted after the game that he was “mad” when informed earlier in the week that Manziel might get some playing time and that he wasn’t happy to have to leave the game Sunday. But the six-year veteran says he tries to keep a positive attitude about the situation.

“As much as it might irk me to go off the field, if it’s going to help us win, then I’m all for it,’’ said Hoyer, who is 4-1 as the Browns’ starter.

Manziel made his first appearance for one play early in the second half, handing the ball off to Isaiah Crowell for a three-yard gain. On the next series, Johnny Football came in for successive plays that resulted in minus-three yards.

“Knowing the competitor he is, he probably wasn’t real thrilled to have to come off the field,’’ Browns Coach Mike Pettine said of Hoyer. “That’s the nature of who he is, as he should be.”

Hoyer came back in on third-and-13 and completed a 13-yard pass to Gary Barnidge for a first down. The drive eventually resulted in a Browns touchdown. Hoyer went on to lead the Browns to a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of their own.

“I think as a competitor and as a quarterback, when there’s only one of you on the field, it’s hard for you to get taken off,” Hoyer said. “But I think for me, I was mentally able to stay in it. I think a lot of guys might not be able to handle that, and I think because they were up front with me, [offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan] was up front with me, and said, ‘Look, we may do it. We may not. If we need to use it, we might.’ I think that helped me.’’

Twitter: @chewkiii