Grades for Hoyer and Mallett following the 2nd preseason game

“One guy will start, when I’m ready to make a decision, I’ll let you know”, O’Brien said Sunday. He apparently found his comfort zone.

In what Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien called “a true competition” to determine the starting quarterback between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett, O’Brien says that it was Hoyer’s consistency and his comfortability within the offense that earned him the job.

Hoyer started Houston’s preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers while Mallett started against Denver. I have a ton of respect for Ryan Mallett.

The best way to breakdown both quarterbacks is looking at all passes individually and to evaluate the play because the sample sizes are way to small to exclusively conclude anything from game statistics. I don’t think it was any one guy’s fault. In his start, Hoyer went 2-4 passing for 60 yards and a touchdown.

However, Brian Hoyer will be the focal point of the Texans’ offense through the first half of the season with Foster injured.

Now with the Texans, Hoyer, it seems, was able to beat out another Patriots castoff in Mallett and, assuming he can stay healthy, will finally get the opportunity at the fulltime starting gig he’s been chasing for six professional seasons.

Hoyer, 29, signed a two-year, $10.5 million with the Texans during the offseason after spending the last two years with the Cleveland Browns. The offensive group that inspires the most confidence is the receiving corps, a unit more talented and functional than what Hoyer worked with last season.