5 times the Houston Texans thought they had a franchise quarterback
By Randy Gurzi
3. Ryan Mallett
In 2014 rumors began to swirl that the New England Patriots were ready to part ways with their third round pick from 2011, Ryan Mallett.
The former Arkansas Razorback headed into the NFL with a strong arm, but a reputation as an immature player. He was quiet as could be in New England (aren’t they all…) and looked to be a true option for Houston during his brief time on the field.
Mallett played in two games in 2014 before suffering an injury, and looked solid in one start while struggling in the other. The struggles could be explained by the fact that Mallett played hurt that game, and fans still hoped to see the kid with the rocket arm make it in Houston.
Then came 2015 where the coaching staff seemed to have their mind made up on Brian Hoyer as he and Mallett competed for the starting job. Mallet then showed fans why the staff didn’t trust him as he then missed practice the following day after losing out on the competition.
The missed practice and awful excuse from Mallett was well documented on the HBO series ‘Hard Knocks’ and fans began to see where Mallett’s reputation came from. Despite all this, he was inserted in the opening game after Hoyer’s struggles and named the starter again.
Mallett again lost his job to Hoyer a few weeks later and finally wore out his welcome. The quarterback missed a team flight, which he blamed on traffic (because nothing was ever his fault). The team was furious because no other player, coach, executive, trainer, doctor, writer, etc. to travel with the team was stuck in traffic. That of course meant either Mallett left late, or maybe he takes the strangest and most unique route in all of Houston to get to airports.
He was quickly cut by the team and once again reminded the world it isn’t his fault, as he blamed the ‘cut-throat’ atmosphere in Houston for his struggles. Yet, anyone watching him could tell his real struggles came because he threw the ball with the same velocity whether it was a 70-yard bomb, or a 5-yard running back screen.
Next: No. 2