Texans Poll: Is the quarterback battle really even?
By Randy Gurzi
The Houston Texans have entered the 2015 NFL Preseason with two guys on the roster that head coach Bill O’Brien feels comfortable starting at the quarterback position. Both Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer have a history with the coach and were hand picked to be a part of the Texans as O’Brien shapes the roster to his liking.
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The quarterbacks have split first team reps and will continue to share the load in the preseason. Hoyer started the first game and only played one series, finishing 2-4 passing with 67 although one pass went straight through receiver Alan Bonner‘s hands. He capped off his drive with a long touchdown pass to receiver Cecil Shorts III.
Mallett played much longer and finished the night 10-11 with 90 yards. Both looked capable and seem to have Houston feeling pretty good about where they stand at the position.
The fan base seems as though they prefer Mallett, while it appears the media (and perhaps coaching staff) are leaning towards Hoyer. One thing that seemed to stand out with the two is that Hoyer came off as having more control of the offense during drills shown on the HBO series “Hard Knocks.”
O’Brien recently said he still sees the battle as even after both players put up a good game in Week 1 for the Texans.
"“They both have the quality of leadership; they both have the quality of intelligence,” head coach Bill O’Brien said Thursday. “So, it’s an even battle. And like I said, we’ll make a decision at some point. We’ll go with one guy to start the season. That other guy needs to be ready to play. We played four quarterbacks last year, so you just never know but we can only play one at a time. So, we’ll pick one eventually and go with that guy.”"
The coach continues to say he is not ready to pick the guy and things are close. Yet after seeing Hoyer yanked after one series, does that change any perceptions out there? I felt that Hoyer throwing only four passes in the first game meant the team has him in the lead and wants to give Mallett a chance to try and overthrow him.
But please, participate in our poll and comment below to let me know if I read too much into the team pulling Hoyer so fast and if I am wrong in my observation about his command of the huddle.
Toro Times is committed to giving a fan’s take on all things Houston Texans. And we believe it’s our staff’s unique and varied perspectives that makes us different than any other sports site on the internet. With that being said, getting our readers’ perspective on various Texans-related topics is essential for us to be successful.
Therefore, we’ll often use poll questions to gauge how our readers feel about a specific topic. Their answers not only influence our articles, but they also keep us in touch with what our fans actually think and feel about their beloved team. So, please considering giving your answer in the above poll and participate in the conversation below in our comment section.