Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien chose Brian Hoyer to become the team's new starting quarterback for this coming season over former starter Ryan Mallett because of his consistency since the start of offseason training.

The two players had been in competition for the team's starting signal caller job since May's organized team activities.

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O'Brien pointed out that both are highly-skilled and smart on the field and good teammates in the locker room, but he had to choose Hoyer for his overall steadiness and reliability.

"I thought that Brian showed me the most consistency, the most composure in certain situations, the experience in our system, all those different things that go into the fact that I think he's ready to be our starter," the coach said, as reported by Fox Sports.

Some NFL analysts doubted Hoyer to be the "long-term solution" for the Texans at the position, but O'Brien was quick to defend his decision, saying that he believes in the 29-year-old former Michigan State standout and his ability to run Houston's offense well.

"The (QB) competition pushed us to be better. You have to go out and earn it every day," Hoyer said, as per Bleacher Report. "You earn respect by winning football games."

Hoyer also said, however, that he needs to "earn it (the starting position) every day" and he knows that any change is always possible in the future if he does not perform up to coach O'Brien's expectations.

CBS Sports noted that of the two candidates, Hoyer was more experienced with more than 600 career passes as compared to Mallett's mere 79. In three years of becoming a starter with the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns, he tallied a 10-7 win-loss record and a passing percentage of 58.0, gaining 7.3 yards per pass.

Hoyer was the Browns' starter for 13 games last season, going 7-6 and passing for 3,326 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also finished with 13 interceptions, 18 sacks, and 14 fumbles in 14 total games.

The Lakewood, Ohio native went undrafted in 2009 and was the former backup of superstar quarterback Tom Brady with the New England Patriots until 2011. When Hoyer was released by the Patriots in 2012, Mallett replaced him up to 2013.

TagsNFL, NFL 2015, NFL news, NFL News 2015, NFL rumors, NFL Rumors 2015, Houston Texans, Bill O'Brien, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett