Brian Hoyer on his performance: 'It couldn't have gone any worse'
Quarterback Brian Hoyer won the Texans' starting job during the preseason, and that lasted a little more than three quarters into the first game of the regular season.
By
Ryan Wilson
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2 min read
Quarterback Brian Hoyer won the Texans' starting job during the preseason, and that lasted a little more than three quarters into the first game of the regular season. After an inauspicious start, coach Bill O'Brien pulled Hoyer for Ryan Mallett.
The move didn't change the Texans' fate; they lost to the Chiefs, 27-20. And when it was over, Hoyer took full responsibility for his pedestrian performance (18 of 34, 236 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 lost fumble, 4 sacks).
“That’s coach’s decision, and I can see why he did that,” Hoyer said afterwards, via the Houston Chronicle. “It couldn’t have gone any worse, you know what I mean. Obviously, I feel terrible. I feel like I let this whole entire organization down. It just went from bad to worse. I really just couldn’t fight back."
Of course, the first question O'Brien got in the postgame press conference was about his suddenly in-flux quarterback situation.
"I just got off the field. [I have] no idea," O'Brien said. "We'll review the film and we will find out once we head into next week. I'll go in there and watch the tape and make an honest evaluation. And make a decision one way or the other going into the Carolina game."
Whatever happens, Hoyer sounds like can live with it.
“That’s Coach O’Brien’s decision," he said. "I respect the hell out of him and whatever he feels is best for the team I think that’s what he will do and we’ll just see where it goes.”
So what happened in the mostly ineffective three-plus quarters of work?
“It just started bad,” Hoyer said. “Poor execution, lack of communication and you never want to come out and start the game that way. I think that was bad. There were some good drives. There were times where we were able to put the foot on the pedal and get things going. The other times, they just sputtered out and you can’t have that.”
Meanwhile, Mallett, who finished 8 of 13 for 98 yards and a touchdown, seemed pleased with his performance.
“I was ready to go,” he said. “I just got warmed up and knew what I was asked to do.”
As for the future, Mallett will prepare like he's playing because that's what he always does.
"I prepare for the game harder than anybody probably in the league, or just as hard as anybody in the league," he said. "I'm going to keep continuing to do that. I take pride in my job. I take pride in being a Houston Texan. I'm going to give them everything I've got, simple as that."
For his part, Hoyer commended Mallett for playing well.
"[He] went in there and he moved the ball," Hoyer said. "I think the biggest thing for me to tell you guys is that I'm all about the team. For him to move the ball and score a touchdown, that was great."
Whether it will be great enough to keep Mallett in the starting lineup is another issue, though we'll know one way or the other before Sunday's matchup with Carolina.
