Houston Texans: T.J. Yates to start? No problem!
By Randy Gurzi
After starting four different quarterbacks last season, the Houston Texans will trot out their third of the year, but they’re used to change at the position
Same stuff different year, right? The Houston Texans started the 2014 season with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. He was later injured and the team turned to Ryan Mallett, the quarterback they acquired from the New England Patriots earlier in the same year.
After that more injuries forced the team to start rookie Tom Savage and bring back Case Keenum, a guy who used to play for the Texans and returned.
Fast forward to 2015 where the team started the season with Brian Hoyer as the signal-caller, until he was benched for Mallett. An injury sent Hoyer back in, and he stayed there. The team cut Mallett because he couldn’t afford an alarm clock or account for traffic and they brought in T.J. Yates.
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Yates, like Keenum the year before was a former member of the team who came back with some familiarity to the players around him. It didn’t take long for the team to turn to Yates, as he was in Monday night’s game in Cincinnati and all he did was throw what proved to be the game winning touchdown.
Hoyer was pulled from that Monday nighter due to concussion and he is still recovering from the head injury. Which means, starting quarterback number three will be on the field Sunday when the Texans (4-5) take on the Jets (5-4) in a surprisingly important AFC showdown.
With Hoyer out and Yates starting the team needed more help again. Tom Savage is already on the injured reserve, so they claimed Brandon Weeden on Wednesday, a day after he was waived by the Dallas Cowboys.
Having trouble keeping up? No one would blame you. Here is what is important. The Texans have been here before. After using four different starters last season they were lead to a 9-7 record by their rookie head coach Bill O’Brien. So don’t worry about who is under center, the Texans seem to do their best work when their back is against the wall.
They did it over and over in 2014, and showed on Monday night they can do it again. Yates will face off against the Jets on Sunday, but for this team, that will be no problem at all.