Texans Morning Huddle: How O’Brien Evaluates QB’s

It’s hump day Texans fans! And we here at the Toro Times wish you all a wonderful day! Let’s start it out by looking at the Morning Huddle. Today includes a look at how coach Bill O’Brien evaluates quarterbacks and how Ryan Mallett is working on his touch.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien gives glimpse at how he evaluates QBs – by Tania Ganguli of ESPN

"While they can scout other positions by size and strength and speed, so much more goes into finding their quarterbacks. Texans coach Bill O’Brien and offensive coordinator George Godsey demand so much from that position mentally, it requires measuring the unmeasureables.“You base it on the best players that you coached,” said O’Brien, who coached Brady from 2009 to 2011. “What made those guys winners? What made those teams win?”Physical qualities matter, but when O’Brien and Godsey list what they want out of a quarterback, some of the physical traits can vary. The mental wish list does not.“After that it’s all about up here,” Hoyer said, and then he tapped on the baseball cap sitting atop his head. “If physical is 30 percent, the mental part is 70 percent.”"

Johnathan Joseph opens up about contract talks – by Deepi Sidhu

"Last season, Johnathan Joseph hadn’t really given much thought to the fact that the final year of his contract, 2015 was looming.“Obviously, the closer you get to that moment, the more you start to realize ‘this is the last year of my contract,’” Joseph said on Tuesday’s Texans All Access show. “Once OTAs and minicamp started, they called my representatives to let them know they wanted to get something done. That kind of hit home. Then it just kind of took off on both sides wanting to get something done.”The initial talks began even before the NFL Draft, according to Joseph. There wasn’t much he could do as far as the negotiations were concerned so he kept himself occupied with football. He put his head down and did what he knew best – he worked.“I just stayed out of it and let my agent and the team handle those things and I just continued to go to work, doing my job, going to OTAs and the offseason program and just showing what I’m capable of doing,” Joseph said. “I think that helped also.”Joseph, now entering his tenth NFL season and fifth with the Texans, started all 16 games last year and finished with a career-best 75 tackles. He also had two interceptions, including a career long 60-yard return for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 11 passes defensed. In fact, Joseph now leads all active players in the NFL with 128 passes defensed."

How Ryan Mallett develops better touch with his throws – by Tania Ganguli of ESPN

"Ryan Mallett’s arm strength was never a problem, all the way back to his childhood. Playing catch with his father as a youngster was never easy on his father’s hands. He once threw a football on his knees from the 50 yard line through the uprights across the field.Knowing how to harness that power took time.Mallett is now competing to be the Texans’ starting quarterback against Brian Hoyer, who was Cleveland’s starting quarterback for most of last season. Touch is a skill Texans coach Bill O’Brien has seen Mallett work on since 2011 when O’Brien was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator and Mallett was a New England rookie quarterback. Touch is one of the many skills of a quarterback that matters to O’Brien — but it fits into the category of adjustable physical skills.“He would throw the 20 yard in cut just like he would throw the checkdown … they were both like 90 miles an hour,” O’Brien said. “Now when he drops it down to the back, it’s a catchable ball. I think it has to do with footwork and repetition.”"