SUSPENSE to Texans’ QB kept HIGH by Coach Bill O’Brien

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After the 2012 season, O’Brien garnered significant interest to return to the National Football League (NFL) as a head coach and interviewed with both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns. Ultimately, O’Brien decided to stay at Penn State citing that it would send a poor message to leave after just one season. After his second season he left Penn State to become the head coach of the Texans.

Bill O’Brien led the Houston Texans to a 9-7 record in his first year as the franchise’s head coach in 2014. Houston’s seven-win improvement under O’Brien led the NFL and made the Texans the sixth team since 1978 to post a winning season following a season in which it won two or less games. The Texans just missed the playoffs as the last team out in the AFC and O’Brien finished second in NFL AP Coach of the Year voting to Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Bruce Arians.

O’Brien yanked Hoyer late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The starter turned the ball over twice inside Houston’s 15-yard line and finished 18-of-34 passing for 236 yards with a touchdown, a pick and a fumble.

Mallett marched the Texans for a touchdown and field goal in his only two drives to pull the Texans within a score, but it was too little too late for Houston. Mallett finished 8-of-13 passing for 98 yards and a touchdown pass.

When naming Hoyer the starter during training camp, O’Brien cited the veteran’s ball security and ability to safely run the offense. Neither of which he displayed in Week 1.

We expected to see Mallett at some point under center this season, but it was a bad sign that coaching decision came in the first game.

The next big decision will come on the road in Carolina. Unless the information is leaked over the course of the week, we’ll just have to wait until Sunday to find out what that verdict is.

By Kevin Patra

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