Brian Hoyer Named Texans' Starting QB over Ryan Mallett

The quarterback controversy is over for now in Houston, as the Texans named Brian Hoyer the starting quarterback over Ryan Mallett on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.  

The decision wasn't a shocker to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who noted Hoyer will likely have a short leash, however:

Head coach Bill O'Brien confirmed the decision at a Monday press conference, per the team, before adding that he felt "like it's important to give Brian a chance to play as the starter this week," per McClain. "He starts and will play a while."

Hoyer gave his reaction to winning the job, saying he was "obviously excited," per the team. "There's a lot of hard work that goes into this. I have to earn it every day."

The starter expanded on his emotions, saying he has a "sense of accomplishment, sense of excitement," per Mark Berman of Fox 26. "I want to prove to my teammates &this organization I can be a winning quarterback"

O'Brien also weighed in on the competition, saying there was "absolutely no doubt it was a true competition," per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "They're both good teammates, both good in the locker room."

Hoyer himself weighed in on the battle with Mallett, saying: "The (QB) competition pushed us to be better. You have to go out and earn it every day," per the team. "You earn respect by winning football games."

Mallet commented on the decision as well, per McClain and the team:

Despite O'Brien's endorsement of Hoyer, he wouldn't rule out a potential change down the line, saying: "We're all on a short leash," per McClain. "It's a results-oriented league. Brian has to play well."

As of Sunday, O'Brien wasn't ready to name a starter. Drew Dougherty of HoustonTexans.com transcribed O'Brien's press conference:

"

When I’m comfortable about making that decision, I’ll make it. Again, it’s all about what’s best for the 2015 team.

Again, it’ll come back to consistency, it’ll come back to game management, it’ll come back to situational football, who’s been the most consistent. It’s something that we’re studying, we’re really evaluating, again really at every position, the awareness of what’s going on in the game, how they handle different situations.

"

O'Brien touched on consistency again in his comments on Monday, saying Hoyer "showed me the most consistency. I have a ton of respect for Ryan Mallett," per Dougherty.

Hoyer, 29, was erratic for the Cleveland Browns in 2014, finishing with 3,326 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 55.3 completion rate in 14 games. He's been the better quarterback throughout Houston's training camp, per Evan Silva of Rotoworld, and McClain noted that O'Brien will be hoping to get the player who started 9-3 with 12 touchdowns and five picks with the Browns. 

"Football teaches you how to bounce back up after you've been knocked down," O'Brien said in reference to Hoyer, per McClain. "That's part of his mental toughness."

Hoyer also touched on his past struggles, saying: "Even to this day I always remember getting cut," per McClain. "For me that drives me.To have that chip on my shoulder gives me more motivation"

Indeed, Hoyer will now be tasked with leading a talented Houston roster to the postseason. He won't have Arian Foster to lean on early in the season while the star running back works his way back from injury, but he has an excellent go-to receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. The team has a very good defense, led by J.J. Watt, so Hoyer will need to manage close games more often than he'll be expected to win shootouts. 

If he isn't able to manage those close games, however, it won't be long before Mallett is given a shot to do so.