Houston Chronicle

Everyone’s eyes on QBs, and that includes Peyton

- john.mcclain@chron.com twitter.com/mcclain_on_nfl

Rarely, if ever, have the Texans played a second preseason game as interestin­g as Saturday night’s quarterbac­k-driven game against Denver at NRG Stadium.

In a role reversal from the 23-10 victory over San Francisco, Ryan Mallett starts for the Texans and Brian Hoyer comes off the bench. Coach Bill O’Brien is expected to name his starter early next week so he can prepare for the nationally televised game at New Orleans.

O’Brien isn’t sure how much Mallett, Hoyer and Tom Savage will play against the Broncos.

“It kind of depends on how (the game) goes,” O’Brien said. “(You want to) get a feel for the rhythm of the game, the play count and the types of plays that are called.”

On the visiting sideline, Peyton Manning will be making his first appearance in coach Gary Kubiak’s offense.

Kubiak sat Manning in Denver’s first preseason game, giving the veteran some time off, as he has done in training camp. Manning is expected to play the first quarter or the first half.

Texans fans know Kubiak’s offense so well because he was their team’s head coach for eight seasons.

But Texans fans also know Manning’s offense — and it was Manning’s offense — so well because he played against them twice a season during his first 13 years with Indianapol­is.

In Kubiak’s offense, the coach doesn’t give the quarterbac­k a lot of freedom at the line of scrimmage. They have predetermi­ned options for when the quarterbac­k has to adjust based on what the defense does.

In Manning’s offense, he could make changes at the line of scrimmage, calling the audible he wanted, and no quarterbac­k has done it better.

Kubiak uses the shotgun, but he also likes his quarterbac­k to take snaps under center. Manning has been playing almost exclusivel­y in the shotgun.

Manning will do both under Kubiak.

“(Manning) does a great job of getting everybody on the same page,” Broncos offensive coordinato­r Rick Dennison told Denver reporters recently. “Being able to change the pace like you’re a pitcher throwing an off-speed pitch, a fastball — twoseam or four-seam.

“Whatever you can do to get the advantage, and we’ll do that on a gameto-game basis (in regular season).”

Kubiak is a proponent of the zone scheme that provides a lot of misdirecti­on. One of his most effective plays is the bootleg.

There is a misconcept­ion that Manning can’t run a bootleg, but he has been rolling out and throwing accurately on the run for years.

“I feel that I throw pretty well on the run,” Manning said early in camp. “I never had as many designed roll-outs or scrambles, but I’ve sprinted out through the years. I actually think I throw pretty well on the run for a guy that doesn’t really run well.

“Obviously, it puts the defense in a little different position, not knowing where the quarterbac­k is going to be set up.”

Kubiak insists on running the ball effectivel­y. In his 20 years as a head coach and offensive coordinato­r, his teams have averaged ranking 10th in rushing.

The biggest beneficiar­y of having Kubiak as Denver’s coach should be running back C.J. Anderson if he stays healthy. Think Arian Foster with the Texans and Justin Forsett with Baltimore last year when Kubiak was the Ravens’ offensive coordinato­r and Forsett earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Manning hasn’t played for a team that ranked among the top 10 in rushing since 2001 when he played his fourth season with the Colts. He hasn’t been on a team that finished better than 20th in rushing since 2006 when the Colts were 16th.

The key will be keeping Manning healthy. At 39 and entering his 18th season, Manning doesn’t have the same arm strength he used to have, but he showed last season he still can compile outstandin­g statistics.

Manning had 4,727 yards, 39 touchdowns, 15 intercepti­ons and a 101.5 rating.

Before he suffered thigh and ankle injuries that hampered his ability to plant, push off and follow through, he threw for 34 touchdowns and nine intercepti­ons in the first 11 games. After he was injured, he had five touchdowns and six intercepti­ons in the last five

games.

If Manning stays healthy, expect him to have another terrific season, but he may not throw close to 40 touchdown passes because Kubiak likes to run close to the goal line. But he may not throw double figure intercepti­ons, either.

Writing off Manning at 39, as many have, would be foolish.

The smart money should go to Manning leading the Broncos to another division title. If they host another playoff game, they won’t blow it. As Kubiak proved in Houston, playoff games at home are money in the bank.

 ?? JOHN McCLAIN ??
JOHN McCLAIN
 ?? Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ?? Texans coach Bill O’Brien says quarterbac­ks Ryan Mallett (15), Brian Hoyer (7) and Tom Savage (3) all will play against the Broncos.
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle Texans coach Bill O’Brien says quarterbac­ks Ryan Mallett (15), Brian Hoyer (7) and Tom Savage (3) all will play against the Broncos.

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