Ryan Mallett Replaces Ryan Fitzpatrick: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Houston Texans are going to see what Ryan Mallett can do under center. The fourth-year quarterback will make his first start against the Cleveland Browns after the team's Week 10 bye.         

Head coach Bill O'Brien made the announcement at his Wednesday press conference, via Drew Dougherty of HoustonTexans.com:

O'Brien also stated that the change was about seeing what Mallett can offer the team instead of anything Ryan Fitzpatrick was doing wrong:

Per Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston, the head coach is going to give Mallett every opportunity to be the starting quarterback for more than just one game:

The choice to switch quarterbacks was O'Brien's, and he talked with the offensive line afterward, per Deepi Sidhu of HoustonTexans.com:

The head coach made a point of explaining this wasn't a case where he reacted to anyone blaming Fitzpatrick. Instead, he believed Mallett's progress warranted the move, via Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle:

O'Brien certainly said all the right things about Fitzpatrick and the decision to make this change, but it's no secret that quarterback play has been a weak link for the Texans this season. They rank 28th in passing offense with 209.7 yards per game. 

Fitzpatrick specifically has been mediocre all year. His overall numbers aren't terrible—he's completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,960 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions—but he struggled against Tennessee and Philadelphia with just 32 completions in 62 attempts. Ultimately, Fitzpatrick hasn't done anything to elevate the offense, having only thrown for more than 250 yards three times in nine games. 

Fitzpatrick spoke about his feelings after being demoted, via Smith:

"

I didn’t like it. I don’t agree with it. But I’ve been in both sides of this situation. Now it’s all about being a good teammate.

I respect the heck out of coach O’Brien. He made the decision and explained it to me.

"

Mallett, who the New England Patriots drafted in the third round in 2011, has only attempted four passes in his career. Houston traded a conditional seventh-round pick for him a few days before the start of the season. It will become a sixth-round pick if he plays over 40 percent of the Texans' snaps this year, according to NFL Media's Albert Breer, via NFL.com's Dan Hanzus.

Following the decision, Mallett spoke about getting the opportunity and his ability to perform, via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com and Dougherty:

Mallett also revealed what Fitzpatrick told him after O'Brien made the call, via Dougherty:

Houston is taking a calculated risk in starting Mallett, as the team needs to see what the 26-year-old can do since he's in the final year of his rookie contract. It's also a timely move by O'Brien to wait until Houston had a bye so the fourth-year signal-caller could have two weeks of preparation time before making his first start. 

Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated weighed in on Mallett's move into the starting role:

At 4-5 heading into Week 10, the Texans could still make the playoffs with a hot second half of the season. It'll seemingly be up to Mallett to guide Houston there.