During his debut as the Houston Texans starting quarterback, Brian Hoyer was benched for poor play in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs and relieved by Ryan Mallett.
Texans head coach Bill O'Brien is playing coy ahead of Week 2's road matchup against the Carolina Panthers, opting not to name a starter before kickoff.
"You'll have to wait until the first offensive play of the Carolina game to see who the quarterback will be," O'Brien said Monday, per ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli.
O'Brien did say he has a "good idea" of who the starter will be.
The Texans were supposed to be Hoyer's team. He beat Mallett out in a QB competition through training camp and the preseason. Hoyer was back in O'Brien's offense, which he was familiar with because of the time the two spent together in New England.
Mallett, too, had an innate understanding of the system, though, but Hoyer rose to the top of Houston's depth chart.
Gone for Hoyer are the pressures that came with playing for the Cleveland Browns—his hometown team—which drafted Johnny Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft and haven't had a reliable QB since re-entering the NFL in 1999.
Now, Hoyer's job security is in jeopardy after only one game.
Chris Trapasso of NFL.com cited some data to highlight one of Hoyer's core problems:
Hoyer was 18-of-34 passing for 236 yards and one touchdown, and he threw an interception on his first attempt in Week 1's loss to Kansas City.
"It couldn't have gone any worse, you know what I mean," Hoyer said of his performance, per the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson (h/t CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson). "Obviously, I feel terrible. I feel like I let this whole entire organization down. It just went from bad to worse. I really just couldn't fight back."
O'Brien turned to Mallett late, and the bigger, stronger signal-caller completed eight of 13 passes for 98 yards and a score in the 27-20 loss. But the Chiefs were playing soft coverage and protecting a lead, which inflated Mallett's numbers to a degree. It's unclear whether Mallett will, in fact, be an upgrade over Hoyer.
At least, the upside for Mallett appears to be higher. He's attempted only 92 career passes and exhibited tremendous arm strength. Accuracy and decision-making will determine how successful Mallett will be.
Carolina fields a tough defense led by superstar linebacker Luke Kuechly, though he is undergoing the league's concussion protocol, per Panthers.com's Bryan Strickland. Playing away from home will only add to the scrutiny for whichever Texans quarterback starts the game as Houston tries to avoid an 0-2 start to the 2015 campaign.
If neither Mallett nor Hoyer can prove himself in 2015, it's unlikely the Texans will factor into the AFC playoff picture. General manager Rick Smith ought to consider drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2016 draft in the event that Mallett and Hoyer both bust.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566688-bill-obrien-wont-reveal-texans-week-2-starting-qb-before-kickoff-vs-panthers
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