"It's been business as usual," he said. "I thought they came back from the time off in shape. It's not like guys just went and partied for a long weekend. I thought the way the guys carried themselves around the building. They're alert. They're attentive."
"He loves football," O'Brien said. "Even when he was on the sideline, he was somewhat of a coach kind of trying to tell us what he would see and what things were standing out to him. He just loves being around the team and he's shown that now as the starter. He's out there; he's doing a good job of operating the offense.
Mallett's matchup with Hoyer is a reunion of two QBs who cut their teeth as backups under Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The meeting has been aptly dubbed "The Brady Backup Bowl."
"If we go out there and embrace the Cleveland weather,Cheap NHL Adidas Jerseys, the Cleveland culture and understand that the weather is on our side, especially playing at home, then, it's easy to go out there and play," he said. "We have to use the weather to our advantage."
Quarterback and coach have been reunited,Authentic Jerseys China, and O'Brien's eager to see what Mallett can do in his first career start. Mallett has been patiently waiting for his chance, and now that it has arrived, O'Brien believes the four-year veteran, who has only attempted four career passes,Cheap Basketball Jerseys, will make the most of the opportunity.
"I know when I bat one of his balls I sure feel it," he said. "I'm obviously looking forward to seeing what he can do out there."
LET IT SNOW: Winter's early arrival — Sunday's forecast is for temperatures in the mid-30s and a chance for snow — would seem to give the Browns an edge over the Texans, who play in a dome. After practicing in light snow on Thursday, Browns safety Donte Whitner said Cleveland needs to use the elements as a weapon.
Along with the Hoyer-Mallett reunion, here are some other things to watch:
With Ryan Fitzpatrick struggling and unable to get Houston's offense moving, first-year Texans coach Bill O'Brien decided during the team's bye week to switch to Mallett, a former third-round draft pick acquired in an August trade from the Patriots. O'Brien knows Mallett well, having worked with him in New England.
RUN, RUN, RUN: The Browns and Texans are more committed to their running games than any NFL teams. Cleveland runs the ball a league-leading 50.9 percent of the time, and Houston is second at 50.5 percent. Conversely, the teams are ranked 28th and 21st,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, respectively, at stopping the run.
On Sunday, Mallett finally gets to show it off in an NFL regular-season game.
"It's good to see him finally get his shot and get a chance to go out and play," Hoyer said. "I'm excited for him, too, just being a friend and a former teammate. I know, being a quarterback, you always want to get that shot to play. I'm sure he's excited, and we'll see how it goes."
Tate,Cheap NFL Jerseys, who signed as a free agent with Cleveland in March, had just 10 carries — the fewest of the three backs — in last week's win over Cincinnati. He's trying to make the most of a situation he didn't expect.
"It's the strongest arm I've ever seen — by far," Hoyer said.
TATE'S FATE: Browns running back Ben Tate left Houston to step out of Arian Foster's shadow. Now he's sharing carries with rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell and he's not happy about it.
WORST TO FIRST: This will be the Browns' first game since their Nov. 6 win over the Bengals and moving atop the AFC North. Coach Mike Pettine has been pleased with how his players have handled success so far.
"I couldn't really tell you why things are happening or what's going on," he said. "The only thing I can do is when it's time to go to work, go to work."
CLEVELAND (AP) — From his one season in New England with Ryan Mallett, Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer provided a partial scouting report to his teammates on Houston's quarterback.
"We're all excited to see what he's going to do on Sunday."
Hoyer has the Browns (6-3), who have won five of six,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic, alone in first place in the AFC North. He always believed Mallett would one day have an opportunity at starting. It probably wasn't going to happen in New England as long as Brady was around, but now Mallett has a chance to get the Texans (4-5) back in the playoff picture.
Texans defensive star J.J. Watt can attest to Mallett's rocket arm.
