Mallett struggles in attempt to gain leg up in QB battle
If Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett needed a stellar performance to unseat favorite Brian Hoyer as the starter in an ongoing quarterback competition, the former Arkansas standout didn’t achieve that goal.
It was an uneventful and fairly unproductive two series for Mallett as he got the start in Saturday’s 14-10 loss to Denver at NRG Stadium, finishing with a 75.3 passer rating and making an unconvincing argument to overtake Hoyer.
Mallett completed five of seven passes, but only had 23 passing yards with a long completion of 10 yards. He averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt.
Mallett was nearly intercepted by Broncos inside linebacker Brandon Marshall during the first quarter on a short pass that he telegraphed by staring down his primary read. Mallett was operating against a talented Broncos first-team defense.
Mallett was replaced by Hoyer after two series. Hoyer didn’t do anything special but had a better night than Mallett overall, albeit against a lot of reserves.
Neither quarterback distinguished himself particularly well, but Hoyer was at least slightly better than Mallett.
Hoyer completed seven of 11 passes for 72 yards, a long completion of 13 yards and a 74.8 passer rating. At least two accurate passes delivered by Hoyer were dropped in the first half before he gave way to third quarterback Tom Savage.
Where Hoyer faltered was in not reacting quickly enough to the Broncos’ pass rush. He was sacked twice, including a cornerback blitz by Kayvon Webster where he was slammed to the ground.
Hoyer didn’t exacerbate the situation, though, by forcing the action, taking the sacks and moving on to the next play.
As Texans coach Bill O’Brien and offensive coordinator George Godsey contemplate to handle their unresolved quarterback situation, Hoyer is still regarded as the frontrunner to ultimately win the job.
Whenever the Texans decide on their openinggame starter, they’ll have been involved in an intriguing debate.
Do they go with the upside of Mallett, a strongarmed, imposing former Southeastern Conference star who injured his pectoral last season and won one start as he outdueled Hoyer when Hoyer was playing for the Cleveland Browns? Mallett, who has prototypical size at 6-6, 245 pounds, had two touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 54.7 percent of his throws for 400 yards in three games and two starts last season after being acquired in a trade from the New England Patriots.
The Texans could opt to go with Hoyer, an efficient, undersized (6-2, 215 pounds) and more experienced ex-Cleveland Browns starter who faltered badly last season after an encouraging start. He passed for 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with 3,236 yards and a 76.5 passer rating.
Hoyer has played in 32 career games in six NFL seasons since signing with the Patriots after going undrafted out of Michigan State. The gritty Cleveland native has passed for 4,557 career yards with 19 touchdowns and 19 interceptions for a76.8 passer rating.
Signed to a two-year, $10.5 million contract that includes $4.75 million guaranteed, Hoyer has emphasized to friends that the Texans situation is a breath of fresh air after dealing with a chaotic season in Cleveland last year that included former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel dealing with substance-abuse issues during a rocky rookie season that eventually led the former Texas A&M star to go to rehab this offseason.
Should the Texans go with Hoyer to start the season, of course, they have the option of going to Mallett should Hoyer struggle or get hurt. Hoyer tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the 2013 season, ending a promising start to that year where he had five touchdowns and three interceptions and three starts before injuring his knee on a sideline scramble against the Buffalo Bills.
Hoyer launched the preseason with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Cecil Shorts to start the preseason against the 49ers. In that game, Mallett completed 10 of 11 passes for 90 yards and no touchdowns.
Neither quarterback has thrown an interception midway through the preseason.
Based on how the quarterbacks have performed through two preseason games, the Texans will again need to lean heavily on a running game currently playing without Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster due to him undergoing groin surgery and slated to miss at least a portion of the regular season and a stout defense headlined by dominant defensive end J.J. Watt.