Oversleeping may have relegated Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett to third-string for Friday. But the move won’t be permanent, at least not yet.
Coach Bill O’Brien told reporters on Friday that Mallett remains the second-string quarterback, behind starter Brian Hoyer.
Beyond that, O’Brien didn’t have much to offer.
"[T]he situation with Ryan not being at practice [Thursday], that’s between Ryan and I,” O’Brien told reporters. “There are a lot things that I will explain to you and I realize that you have a job to do, I really do. I said that in the very first meeting with you this year. I have a lot of respect for you and your profession and what you’re trying to do with information and all those things. I get it. But some things are left within the team, and this is one of them. I’m not going to take any more questions on [Thursday] as it regards to Ryan Mallett.”
It’s no surprise that O’Brien either sent Mallett home or told him to stay home after showing up late for work; O’Brien’s former boss in New England routinely does the same thing in response to tardiness, even if the tardiness is the result of a blizzard.
Perhaps Tuesday night’s edition of Hard Knocks will have more details about Mallett’s sleep habits, or other topics aimed at keeping the audience awake.