Bill O'Brien told the media following a Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that he would be evaluating the quarterback position on a daily basis after Brian Hoyer was benched in the fourth quarter. The quarterback position has been highly debated in Houston since the start of training camp and while Hoyer appeared to be the guy for most of the time, Ryan Mallett will not get his time to shine in Week 2.
According to ESPN.com, the Houston Texans have named Mallett their starting quarterback over Hoyer for Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers. News sources tell ESPN that while O'Brien has not made the announcement public, but Mallett will get the nod after coming in and going 8-of -13 for 98 yards and one touchdown pass. Mallett told the media that he simply prepares every day like his name will get called to start and now is his chance to prove something.
"I don't know what else to do except work my [---] off. I don't look at it as a setback. I thought I did enough to win the job," Mallett said, via the Houston Chronicle before Week 1. "I'm going to prepare like I'm starting every Sunday. I can't let the team down when my number is called."
All of the blame cannot be shouldered on Hoyer for the team loss. The run game struggled with Alfred Blue and Jonathan Grimes while Nate Washington led the team in receiving with 105 yards off six catches. However, O'Brien feels the shift to Mallett could help get some momentum back. Hoyer simply struggled, turning the ball over twice inside the 15-yard line while going just 18-for-34 in passing.
One thing that could potentially help the Texans is the return of Arian Foster. The lead running back has been out since the preseason with a groin issue and is expected to come back sooner rather than later. According to the Houston Chronicle, Foster is not expected to be ready by Sunday, but could be active Week 3. The Texans avoid placing him on short-term injured reserve with the hope that he might come back soon and that appears to be the case.
For now, Blue and Grimes are splitting carries while the Texans wait for Foster. Even when the veteran comes back, he likely will take on a smaller workload and owners could be wise to not invest heavily in him just yet. However, he will be the playmaker the Texans need to get the offense moving.
