BEREA, Ohio -- More than a few present and former NFL coaches have a tree that branches off courtesy of former assistants who've gotten their shot to helm a franchise.
That's not uncommon. Uncommon is when a player can do the same.
One such player is New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who through virtue of his success and longevity soon will be able to claim to have two understudies in a starter's role in the NFL. If you count Matt Cassel, now on the Minnesota Vikings' injured reserve list, there would be three.
Two of those former backups -- the Browns' Brian Hoyer and the Houston Texans' Ryan Mallett -- will face each other today at FirstEnergy Stadium.
However, they do so under entirely different circumstances. Hoyer leads a team with a 6-3 record, while Mallett (Arkansas Razorbacks) will get his first start for the struggling Texans -- losers of 4-of-5 -- under first-year coach Bill O'Brien, who worked with both quarterbacks in New England in 2011. Even that situation is different, as Hoyer's first career start with the Arizona Cardinals proved to be a rushed affair with him only having been with the Cards for two weeks.
"I was just trying to figure out what the offense was, but you know what the opportunity is," Hoyer said Wednesday. "Regardless of the situation, if you get a chance to start a game in the National Football League at quarterback, you want to make the most of it. Just like I did that week -- put as much time as you can into it -- I'm sure he's doing the same."
O'Brien is giving Mallett his shot the way that many thought it would unfold for the Browns' Johnny Manziel -- coming back from a bye week after the starter fizzled out, giving him time to get used to his new role.
Mallet will start in place of the struggling Ryan Fitzpatrick.
"I don't think it was a matter of just pointing the finger at Ryan Fitzpatrick and saying that it was all his fault," O'Brien said during a conference call Wednesday. "I think it was more about the fact that we felt that Ryan Mallett was ready and that he could give us a good chance to win and that the guys around him needed to play better."
When asked if he had any apprehension about the decision to go with the untested fourth-year veteran, O'Brien didn't hesitate.
"No. No, not at all. You can't head into any game with any trepidation," he said. "You might as well not show up. There's no trepidation. We have a lot of confidence in Ryan Mallett. I've known him for a long time now. This is his opportunity. Everybody has an opportunity at some point in time in their career. This is his."
Mallett -- who possessed a reputation as a gunslinger while a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks after a transfer from Michigan -- is the ginormous unknown heading into today's game.
That just might turn into an advantage for the Texans, but it's difficult to gauge how much of Brady's game Mallett absorbed until he plays, said Browns Coach Mike Pettine.
"It's hard to because he hasn't played. The reps have been limited. A lot of it was preseason tape," Pettine said when asked what the Browns have on Mallett. "That's difficult. It's obvious that Brian has used that training and uses that to help him prepare and immerse himself into a game plan and how he handles the week and how he goes into the weekend. You would assume that in the time that Mallett was with Brady that rubbed off, as well."
One thing everyone who's watched Mallett, including Hoyer, agrees on is that he possesses a cannon for an arm.
"Talking about Ryan, first and foremost, I can honestly say it's the strongest arm I've ever seen by far in person," Hoyer said. "I've seen him throw a football up close and personal. He has the strongest arm I've ever seen."
What remains to be seen is how much Mallett learned while working with O'Brien in New England.
Prior to taking over at Penn State in the ashes of the Joe Paterno-Jerry Sandusky scandal, O'Brien served as Brady's offensive coordinator from 2007-12. By that point in his career, Brady really didn't need much coaching, but his backups did, and Hoyer gives him a great deal of credit for where he is today.
"I felt like I got the benefit of a lot of his extra coaching, whether it was fundamentals, learning defenses, things that he didn't have to spend time talking over with Tom," Hoyer said. "He spent the time coaching me, and it really helped me out as far as [being] a quarterback in this league."
It seems likely that Mallett had to benefit then as well, and should be continuing to do so now.
"Ryan, in the same sense, was there for one year with Billy before Billy went off to Penn State and now is with him again," Hoyer said.
The admiration between Hoyer and O'Brien is mutual.
"I can remember the day I went to Michigan State to work him out," O'Brien said of Hoyer. "Just a great kid. He made that team. He beat out two guys to make [the Patriots]. He earned the right to be on that team in '09 and '10 and '11 when I was there.
"I coached him for three years. Where he is right now, as a successful starting quarterback in this league, doesn't surprise me at all. He's a hell of a guy."
Hoyer's future is still unknown and -- at least for some -- questionable. But he's winning, which is all that can be asked of an NFL quarterback.
It's probably a safe bet that O'Brien would welcome the same from Mallett.
Sports on 11/16/2014