By now we all know that Ryan Mallett has been named the starter for this weekend’s game against the Carolina Panthers in place of Brian Hoyer. And that’s fair enough seeing as that QB competition was tight in the preseason, and Hoyer looked just awful against the Chiefs.
Mallett came in and went 8-of-13 with a touchdown pass after he came in to replace Hoyer in the fourth quarter. We all knew that Hoyer was going to be on a short leash after his performance, but the change, while understandable, was still a little shocking.
This seems like it could be a sign of things to come this season at quarterback for the Texans, which could spell trouble for this team.
Coach Bill O’Brien has both quarterbacks on such a short leash, that a single mistake could land them on the bench. Granted, there were a number of mistakes from Hoyer that landed him on the bench, but that doesn’t mean Mallett’s leash is going to be any longer.
In fact, it could mean that we should start preparing ourselves for a QB carousel in Houston. If that’s the case, we’ve got problems.
Both of these quarterbacks being on such short leashes with little, if any room for error, could pose some serious problems when it comes to consistency in this already struggling offense.
Hoyer and Mallett both have their strong points. Hoyer is the better leader by far, but can have problems with turnovers as we saw against the Chiefs, and Mallett is the more naturally gifted quarterback with a cannon for an arm, but has yet to show consistency in his career.
That being said, offenses thrive on consistency. Creating a situation where it seems like there’s a turnstile in the heart of the huddle could leave the offense in shambles, especially since they don’t have Arian Foster to turn to at the moment.
No matter how you slice it, you’re not going to be completely thrilled with either of these guys at the helm, but the team would probably benefit from having one quarterback and just sticking to him.
