Brian Hoyer: Houston Texans Made The Right Choice At QB

By Mike Pendleton | Aug 27, 2015

Not much was made of Brian Hoyer being named the Houston Texans starting quarterback in what was a battle of two average quarterbacks between himself and Ryan Mallet, however the choice that head coach Bill O’Brien made was undoubtedly the right one.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: NFL’s Top 10 Backup Quarterbacks of All-Time

While the preseason stat lines are hard to judge, Brian Hoyer has gone a combined 9 of 14 with 119 yards and one touchdown in two games while Mallett went a combined 15 of 18 with 113 yards and zero touchdowns. Again, the stat lines do not tell the full story based on the defenses both quarterbacks were playing with, and stats aren’t the full reason why O’Brien went with Hoyer.

More from Houston Texans

As he described it in HBO’s Hard Knocks, O’Brien was looking for the guy who was the most consistent throughout the entire process. “OB” as the head coach is nicknamed, was looking for the guy who was consistent in the locker room, consistent in the huddle, consistent in the film room, and the one who was most consistent on the field, and all of those factors combined to make Hoyer the guy.

There’s also history with Hoyer and O’Brien who both spent time in New England, as did Mallett, but Hoyer has been through the NFL ringer as he was a starter for the Cleveland Browns last season. Mallett, who came over in a trade with New England last year, filled in nicely after injuries, but Hoyer is the safe choice, at least for now.

There’s experience and leadership that you get with Hoyer that you won’t get with Mallett right away. The Houston Texans are, in a sense, rebuilding, especially on offense. The loss of Arian Foster means Alfred Blue, a second-year back will have to takeover the run game, which comes back to more leadership and guidance needed from the quarterback.

What hurts this team even more is the loss of Andre Johnson who departed for the division rival Colts, which also elevates DeAndre Hopkins to the team’s primary receiver. Hopkins has played well in a secondary role but in his first season as the No. 1 guy, having Hoyer under center should make the transition easier than Mallett.

Simply put, the Houston Texans needed a guy with some type of track record and experience to help their younger offensive players transition into their new roles on the team. More so than the talent or production that has been displayed this season, Houston needed Hoyer because they needed a leader.

Neither Hoyer or Mallet have talent superior than the other, but experience and leadership can account for plenty in the NFL, and it does here. This also doesn’t go to say that Hoyer is the locked in starter all year, because he shouldn’t be. As O’Brien pointed out, he won’t let bad play continue from the quarterback position and a change could come at any time.

For now however, the Houston Texans have Brian Hoyer, and Hoyer has the keys to the franchise. He’ll be asked to not only win games but to help develop the young offensive talent and be a veteran leader in the locker room as well.

He’s not the best choice at quarterback, but Brian Hoyer is the right choice for the Houston Texans.

Next: Texans Can Make It Work At QB If Running Game Steps Up

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Houston Texans