Barring any last-minute trades before training camp, the Houston Texans will stick with their four-man quarterback rotation and let them battle it out for who gets the starting job. The Texans opted to trade away former starter Matt Schaub, but did not draft another quarterback option until the fourth round despite having the No.1 overall pick. So who gets the job amongst a veteran, a rookie and two very inexperience young players?
According to the Houston Chronicle, O'Brien is endorsing Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter for this season. The Texans picked him up after dealing away Schaub, but many assumed it was simply to mentor the next big rookie for the team. However, Fitzpatrick is the man in charge and Houston hopes he will be enough to get the team back into the postseason come 2014.
"We really liked his intelligence," O'Brien said via Brian T. Smith of The Houston Chronicle. "We liked the fact that he had played a bunch of football. ... We felt what was best for the Houston Texans was to find a good fit at quarterback for our system. He was the guy that we thought fit that. It's about decision-making. Not forcing the ball and understanding that you have a really good back out of the backfield in Foster that you can always check it down to. ... We believe in our system. But at the end of the day, Ryan, he needs to go out there and make good decisions and make sure he is doing what is best for the team."
Fitzpatrick is a journeyman of the league without any real success to his name. However, he is the best on the roster right now unless rookie Tom Savage makes a big leap between now and Week 1. TJ Yates and Case Keenum are simply fighting for a roster spot and not the starting job. Right now, O'Brien is choosing experience over potential.
The veteran knows being the starter is an uphill battle. Right now he does not have his franchise-leading wide receiver to work with as Andre Johnson continues to hold out amist his claims of not being happy with the team direction. That does not leave Fitzpatrick with much, but the coaching staff has faith that he can lead them not matter what.
"I love to play this game. I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity that I have," Fitzpatrick said. "Every season, I just reflect back to my rookie year and being the fourth-string guy, not even thinking I was going to make the team, just kind of how far I've come. ... If I didn't still enjoy playing, I definitely wouldn't be here."
The Texans could still make a trade if they are not comfortable with their options. The Texans have been linked to deals for Matt McGloin and Ryan Mallett during the offseason. The Houston Chronicle believes that those are still in play until training camp begins.
