O’Brien says Mallett will start for Texans Sunday

Houston Texans’ Ryan Mallett (15) throws on the sideline during… Clearly there were disconnects yesterday. Mallett played well in relief duty, albeit in a game that was largely out of hand at that point, and head coach Bill O’Brien announced this week that Mallett would take the wheel going forward, beginning with the week two game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Mallett can do better, especially if he can make good decisions to go along with his exceptional skills as a passer. The go-ahead score came after Garrett Graham tied the game at 10 with a one-handed, 7-yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone from Ryan Mallett. This is not only a pivotal moment for Mallett but O’Brien’s entire team as well.

Mallett did fine as he had eight completions out of 13 attempts for 98 yards and one touchdown. Garrett Graham caught the first touchdown of his season on his toes in the center of the back of the endzone on third-and-two from inside the 10-yard line. Now coach Bill O’Brien must decide to stick with Hoyer this week or give Mallett a chance. O’Brien said Monday that Foster (groin) is listed day to day ahead of the Texans’ Week 3 home date against Tampa Bay. “We have to continue to do what works best for our defense, go out and start fast, do the little things and get some turnovers and keep the momentum going”.

129 Consecutive regular-season games kicker Mason Crosby has played in, most of any active player in the NFL.

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones was fined $35,000 by the NFLfor his personal foul against Raiders receiver Amari Cooper during their opener on Sunday. “But I don’t see an issue if he’s cleared and practices fully [Friday], barring anything unforeseen, a reason why we wouldn’t play him”. Offensive line? Maybe special teams? “I’m feeling OK right now, we’ve just got to string some wins together hopefully”. The NFL Network first reported the Mallett decision.

The Texans are still abysmal in coverage and returns on special teams. He was in for about 30 plays last week, but could play more against Carolina. While O’Brien may believe his team has a luxury in two quarterbacks capable of starting, history says such a situation can often prove detrimental. In this latest game, there were THREE blocks in the back on returns in the first half (Justin Tuggle, Darryl Morris, and Eddie Pleasant). I get my confidence from how hard I prepare. In fact, this is exactly what I predicted for them.

How important is quarterback? “It’s a long season, so I just want to be smart about it”. Mallett, for all of his shortcomings, at least provides the Texans with size-6-foot-6, 245 pounds-and a stronger arm.

Beyond that I am still not quite sure what the hell happened here. “I did OK for the most part”.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw his support behind presidential candidate Donald Trump Wednesday, hours before the second Republican debate.