Houston Texans: Brian Hoyer deserves the starting job

Aug 22, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer (7) rolls out of the pocket against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Let me first start by saying this: Brian Hoyer deserves the job as the starting quarterback of the Houston Texans. Period. No if’s, and’s, or but’s.

Now at this point, I imagine a good number of you are throwing tomatoes at me through the screen while I’m up here on my little soap box. And that’s okay. Many of you were really set on Ryan Mallett winning the job because you loved his potential, or because his preseason stats were better.

And I agree with you! Well, kind of. If you look at the stats side by side, your initial reaction will be that Mallett was the better performer over those two games. But completion percentages alone can be deceiving, so I invite you to please, please open your mind for a few minutes and let me make my case for Brian Hoyer.

Now, I’m not saying that Hoyer is an elite QB who will absolutely take the Texans to the playoffs. I’m a reasonable person, and I think Hoyer will be a decent quarterback for Houston. By no means am I ready to declare that Houston has found its franchise QB, because at this point, we haven’t.

So then why am I writing this? Personally, I think the “why” behind this article is just as important as the message itself. I believe that Texans fans shouldn’t be so extreme towards one quarterback over the other. That we, as a city and as a fanbase, should trust that our coach knows what is best for our team. Bill O’Brien put it best during the opening scene of Hard Knocks:

“…the disrespect that they show our quarterbacks? I’m tired of that, too. Because both those kids can play. They just need a chance, and one of them is going to get it. Enough is enough.”

O’Brien is right. Enough is enough. Both quarterbacks can play. So why can’t it be Hoyer?