Damn, that all sounds pretty darn good. I really want it to be true, but I have a hard time seeing it when he is unable to originally start over the likes of Fitzpatrick or Hoyer. Hoping he lights up Carolina this Sunday.
let me help you out <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/128449343" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="https://vimeo.com/128449343">The Film Room Ep 08: Is Ryan Mallett the answer for the Texans at QB?</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user14102353">Brett Kollmann</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Audio Podcast: Joe Theismann Thinks Mallett Is A Franchise Quarterback As heard on In The Loop September 18, 2015 9:23 AM http://houston.cbslocal.com/2015/09/18/theismann-thinks-mallett-is-a-franchise-quarterback/
That's some spot on analysis of Mallett. It shows exactly why there is hope. Basically, exactly what is pointed out, good and bad, is exactly why Mallett is the choice. The thing that speaks to me the most, as I've pointed out previously, is release time. Mallett compared to Hoyer, in the first game was, by observation probably half a second to a second faster, on average. (My guess) That's HUGE when your line is not playing well. I know people want to say the Chiefs were playing prevent by the time Mallett came in. This was not the case. At least not for the first drive. I saw Mallett adjust protection for blitzes and throw to hot routes - something I didn't see Hoyer do. Something I saw Fitzpatrick fail at from time to time last year, as well. Mallett has confidence and swagger. He's also a bit country. Those two things don't always mix for people. People get turned off by it. I've seen it in real life. I've got confidence in him though. He may throw some picks because of ball placement, but he'll perform a hell of a lot better than Hoyer.
This is why he has been over looked. He handles pressure so much better than Hoyer. Hoyer looked good when he had time, but so does every QB.
As much as I dislike Hoyer, and think Mallet has more upside - though likely just as bad in the long run, it seems like once you name Hoyer the starter he should be given at least 4 games for the offense to come together around him before you pull the trigger. I can't disagree that this move is probably better for the team. But it seems like the decision was made with very little information. After one game, what do you really know. There's no preseason anymore, so the first game is more like a trial run. It may end up being the right decision, but the Texans should probably base their decisions on more data.
I agree with you completely. My best guess - It really was THAT close. I think the deciding factor may have been Hoyer's consistency. He probably didn't throw as many picks in practice. He probably placed the ball better. But he also probably played it safer. Mallett on the other hand, is a bit more of a risk taker. He'll push the ball. He may sail it sometimes, or misplace it. But when the live bullets are flying, and real blitzes are coming in, Mallett showed he adjusted better and stayed more calm, while Hoyer proved unable to decipher real blitzes, possibly regressing on his accuracy and showing more panic. As I said, the release times, in my opinion, are the key. I think it was so close that, in a real game, Hoyer regressed, Mallett looked slightly better, and thus, the tables turned. Regular season packages are much different than preseason. I think there's an argument about giving Hoyer more time, but I also think O'Brien is smart enough to know he shouldn't pull his quarterback this early. What that leads me to believe, is that he is wholeheartedly convinced in Mallett over Hoyer. Kudos to him for going with it.
Hoyer was good last year until their probowl center and their RB got hurt. When the teams flaws start to mount on the QB's shoulders he collaspes. His last 7 games were 10 turnovers to 2 Td's. He had his shot.
The decision wasn't based on just one game though. Hoyer has a fairly long track record of failure and abysmal QB play. He showed that in the first game of the season and maybe it acted as a reminder that he's an awful QB. I think BOB got wowed by performance at times that don't matter likely aided by the fact that he REALLY wanted Hoyer to do well for personal reasons. If you were looking for the right things, you could see that Mallett was the best option even in preseason. The times that Hoyer got sacked because he didn't read the defense properly and didn't get the ball out should have been a huge red flag. The book is already out on Hoyer, he chokes in game situations and he reacts poorly to any level of pressure. I think the Hoyer experiment and the awful pallet system they use for the turf have a lot in common. We've known for a long time both are terrible, but after the first game of the season, we just couldn't defend either anymore so they both had to go.
The arm and ball speed are big factors for me. When you have a weak arm and you make a mistake, it gets picked off. When you are shooting bullets and you misfire, the vast majority of time those are incompletions because defenders can't get their hands completely wrapped around the ball either. Go watch the Kollman breakdown of Mallet's Browns game. He has a throw where he launches it STRAIGHT at a defender, but it's so hard that the guy can't catch it either. With Hoyer, Schaub etc those are pick sixes. Huge huge difference. With a great arm you have a margin for error. With a weak arm you don't.
Not only that about the arm strength and speed of the ball...but that Mallett being a gunslinger means his INTs are sometimes not bad. The one Haden INT shown was more like "Ah well." a 50-50 ball between a good WR and a good CB in the endzone. The possible outcomes? - 6 points for the Texans - INT for the Browns - PI call on either player - Incomplete But the most important thing here is that the defense knows this guy won't hesitate to lob one deep and keep them honest. That it doesn't even take a busted coverage to do that, all it takes is Mallett having the confidence that his guy will make the play. It's a huge difference. If you watch Manning, Luck, Brady...they are always throwing these kinds of passes and more times than not PI gets called and the play is a positive for the team.
Amen! I like what Theisman said, when you don't target your big play receiver early and often they tend to become a non factor later in the game. Sort of like what happened with Megatron in game 1 this year. He had 1 target in first 2 quarters and ended up only getting 2 more passes thrown his way the rest of the game. You cannot have that with DreHopkins. He is a catch waiting to happen, with a guy like Mallett who has confidence in his arm, he will not shy throwing to Nuk even if he is covered well. Over the course of a game you give the advantage to Nuk probably every time even with a good coverage scheme. Then that opens running lanes.
Andrew Luck throws interceptions multiple times per game and he's still considered one of the best QB's so we shall see what Mallet's TD/INT ratio looks in comparison hopefully very soon. Brett Favre/Flaco...QB's do and have succeeded
Hard Knocks caught Hopkins telling Hoyer that he was wide open in those pre season games. Hoyer wouldn't even look his way for some reason.
Lacks the arm strength to fit it into the tight windows Hopkins allows. Hop isn't a burner and a lot of throws towards him will be contested. Must have the ability to fit it into tight windows in a hurry, Hoyer lacks that ability.
can't wait til tomorrow...a part of me believes mallet could be the best qb this franchise has ever had
