Ryan Mallett has yet to start a regular-season NFL game. Tom Brady has started in 200.
So as Mallett prepares for his first career start as the Houston Texans’ quarterback, he’d do well to try to emulate his former New England Patriots teammate. Thankfully, the protégé says he’s learned plenty from his old mentor.
“I learned how to be a professional,” Mallett told reporters Wednesday, via Texans.com. “I learned how to work with your teammates, how to communicate, how it’s not just a one guy thing, how it’s all 11 guys on offense doing what we want to do to be successful. You can’t have one guy not doing the right thing and 10 other guys doing it because that can hurt an offense.”
Mallett will have a familiar face supporting him when he takes on the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 16. His head coach, Bill O’Brien, was Mallett’s offensive coordinator during his rookie season in New England in 2011.
“When he got me right out of the draft, I was 22, 23,” Mallett said of O’Brien. “I was still a young kid, didn’t understand the league and how it worked and how much extra work needed to be put in, and now I do. I love it. It’s fun. I love this game so much. It makes it a little bit easier.”
As for those still in New England, they’re happy to see their former teammate finally getting his shot. Especially wide receiver Julian Edelman.
“Is he? Mall-dog?” Edelman responded Wednesday upon hearing that Mallett was starting. “I hope he does great. I’ve been around Mallett a long time. He works hard, he’s a slinger and I hope he takes advantage of his opportunity and runs with it.”
Photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
