CLEVELAND - Brian Hoyers precarious grip on the Browns starting job — and rookie Johnny Manziels presence — makes it tough to negotiate a new contract for the quarterback. His agent thinks it will happen anyway. Hoyer, who is coming back after undergoing off-season right knee surgery, will enter training camp with the lead in his competition with Manziel. But until the Browns are convinced Hoyer is healthy, and providing he holds off Manziel, its difficult for the team to gauge his value. Agent Joe Linta said the sides have had some preliminary discussions, but it may be some time before they get serious about negotiations. "We just had a couple of friendly conversations," Linta said in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday. "They agreed that its very difficult to assess his worth presently. I think that this will all work itself quickly as the season moves forward." Hoyer went 3-0 as a starter last season before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament while sliding at the end of a scramble. He recovered more quickly than doctors expected and he moved well during practices in the teams mini-camp this spring. Hoyer was kept out of 11-on-11 drills to avoid contact, but hes expected to be fully cleared when training camp opens on July 26. First-year Browns coach Mike Pettine recently said Hoyer had the lead in the quarterback competition over Manziel, who was selected in the first round of Mays NFL draft. Manziel could one day supplant Hoyer as Clevelands starter, but thats not guaranteed, so its difficult for the team to decide whether they should pay Hoyer like a starter or a backup. After all, Hoyer had been a career backup before the Cleveland-area native signed a signed a two-year, $1,965,000 contract with the Browns in May 2013. He received a $250,000 roster bonus in March and is scheduled to make a base salary of $1 million next season. The deal can reach $1.15 million with incentives. The 28-year-old Hoyer has waited patiently for his chance to start. Hes paid his dues. He also has impressed the Browns with his determination to return to the field. Linta said Hoyer is committed to the Browns, and hes hoping they feel the same way about him. "Brian wants to be in Cleveland," Linta said. "He loves how the fans rallied around him and the team during his winning streak last year. Hell never forget that. With that in mind and if the Browns want him, we will work something out eventually. (General manager) Ray Farmer and (executive VP) Sashi Brown are good guys to deal with and they, like the fans, want to win regardless of who the QB is." Farmer did not reply to an email seeking comment. Shin-Soo Choo Jersey . Certainly not Monday night. 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CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team.OXFORD, Miss. -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. But as a collective theyre an awfully tough bunch to beat, and the Tigers are now one victory away from playing for a Southeastern Conference championship in just their second season in the league. Henry Josey rushed for two touchdowns, Marcus Murphy added another and No. 8 Missouri rolled to a 24-10 victory over No. 24 Mississippi on Saturday night. "To say Im proud of my football team and my staff would be an understatement," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "They battle every time they play. They prepare well and focus at a very high level." The Tigers strolled into a hostile environment at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and never flinched, jumping out to a 17-3 lead by halftime for the relatively easy victory. Now the big one awaits for the Tigers (10-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). The Tigers host Texas A&M next weekend, with a win clinching the SECs East Division title. James Franklin completed 12 of 19 passes for 142 yards and an interception in his first start since a shoulder injury caused him to miss four games. "I thought he did an outstanding job," Pinkel said. "The guy hadnt played in six weeks and there was a lot of pressure on him to play well." The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Ole Miss (7-4, 3-4). Bo Wallace threw for 244 yards and an interception, but was battling an illness for much of the game and struggled during the second half. Donte Moncrief caught six passes for 115 yards, but dropped what would have been a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss made three trips to the red zone, but managed just three points. "Its impossible to beat a top 10 team when you get in the red zone and dont score touchdowns or points," Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. "... If you dont score some points in the red zone against that team you arent going to win." Its the fourth 10-win season for Missouri in the past seven years and was coach Gary Pinkels 100th win with the Tigers. The Tigers used a deep running back rotation to slowly wear dowwn the Ole Miss defence.dddddddddddd Josey had most of the big plays, but Russell Hansbrough and Murphy combined for 99 more yards, helping Missouri shorten the game in the second half with time-consuming drives. Missouri jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter after a blistering eight-play, 72-yard drive that took less than three minutes. Andrew Baggett added a 33-yard field goal and Murphy scored on a 3-yard run in the second quarter as the Tigers took a 17-3 halftime lead. The Tigers finished with 485 total yards, including 260 on the ground. "Were just a focused team," Missouri linebacker Andrew Wilson said. "The coaches did a good job keeping us focused. We had a great gameplan. We knew what we had to do." Franklin -- making his first start since suffering a shoulder injury Oct. 12 -- completed 7 of 7 passes for 89 yards in the first half. The Ole Miss offence had a few opportunities to match Missouri, but kept blowing opportunities in the red zone. The litany of errors included two false start penalties, one blocked field goal attempt and several unsuccessful running plays. But the Rebels regrouped in the third quarter, pulling within 17-10 on the opening drive of the second half on ITavius Mathers 45-yard run. The sophomore bounced off a few would-be tacklers and then dashed down the left sideline, outrunning a pair of Mizzou defenders into the end zone. The momentum was short lived. Missouri responded with an 86-yard touchdown drive that ended on Joseys second touchdown of the night and the Tigers had a 24-10 lead. Bo Wallace completed 20 of 28 passes for 172 yards and an interception in the first half, but didnt start the second half because he was sick. Wallace and backup Barry Brunetti split snaps in the second half, but neither had much success. Moncrief had a productive night, but his dropped pass in the end zone was a microcosm of the Rebels frustrating night. Ole Miss could have cut Missouris lead to 24-17 with eight minutes remaining, but instead turned the ball over on downs one play later and Missouri went on to its third straight victory. ' ' '