Report: Brandon Weeden to start for Houston Texans
By Randy Gurzi
The Houston Texans will turn to their fourth starting quarterback for the second season in a row, as Brandon Weeden gets the nod in Week 16
In 2014 Bill O’Brien was a rookie head coach who gained notoriety for leading his team to a 9-7 record despite having to start four different players at the quarterback position. O’Brien was so good at adapting to such a challenge that fate decided he should do it again in 2015.
The Texans began the season with Brian Hoyer under center, but he was quickly replaced by Ryan Mallett. That didn’t last too long as Mallett struggled with inconsistencies before becoming a malcontent that the team decided to release.
The third starting quarterback was T.J. Yates, who replaced Hoyer for the game against the New York Jets and later against the Indianapolis Colts.
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Hoyer will miss his second straight game due to a concussion according to reports, which means the team will turn to a player they claimed off waivers in November. Brandon Weeden was cut by the Dallas Cowboys after they replaced him with Matt Cassel, which has proved to be a boneheaded move to say the least.
Weeden hasn’t had the best career to this point, but he certainly has talent as he was a first-round draft pick for the Cleveland Browns in 2012. Things didn’t work for him there, but no one looks good in Cleveland. Hoyer is proof of that as he is enjoying his best NFL season after those same Browns didn’t want him.
In Dallas, the team failed to open up the playbook for the strong-armed Weeden, and then blamed their losing streak all on Brandon. They then released him and he has now led the Texans to as many wins as Dallas has gotten out of Cassel since cutting him, one. However, Brandon’s one win came in just one try, whereas Cassel had eight tries in Big D.
Last Sunday, Weeden came on in relief of Yates who tore his ACL. He threw what proved to be the game winning touchdown pass to receiver Jaelen Strong, which led the Texans to their first ever win in Indianapolis while also giving Houston sole possession of first place.