Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass in the first half of their game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on August 22, 2015 in Houston, Texas. *** Local Caption *** Peyton Manning (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

HOUSTON (CBS HOUSTON) – Brian Hoyer is the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans.

Bill O’Brien announced as much at his press conference Monday saying they let the quarterbacks know first then the team.

It wasn’t easy for O’Brien to settle on Hoyer.

“This was a very tough decision,” he said. “But that’s why [Texans owner] Bob McNair pays me what he pays me. To make tough decisions as far as who’s playing on the field.”

There was a key aspect to the competition that Hoyer displayed more than Mallett.

“Brian showed me the most consistency,” O’Brien said. “The most composure in certain situations. The experience in our system.

“All those different things go into the fact that I think he’s ready to be our starter.”

Hoyer started 13 games for the Cleveland Browns last year passing for over 3,300 yards and tossing 12 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.

As far as how long Hoyer safely has that job, O’Brien addressed that.

“I think we’re all on a short leash,” he said. “It’s a league that’s based on winning. You have to win. It’s a results oriented league.”

As for Ryan Mallett, O’Brien pointed to the fact that the team used four quarterbacks last year. He stressed Mallett is expected to continue improving and prepare each week as if he was the starting quarterback on this team.

“I believe that [Mallett] understands that. I’m sure that he doesn’t agree with the decision but I can tell you that he’s a professional football player and he’ll handle himself in a such a way that we all expect from him.”

The competition wasn’t that far apart.

O’Brien said there wasn’t a “drastic difference” between the two quarterbacks but again pointed to Hoyer’s consistency in the race as the factor for him winning.

As far as the future of Brian Hoyer and the Texans quarterback spot, O’Brien is simply asking for his starter to get some time to take advantage of this chance.

“He’s got an opportunity to go in there as a starter and make the most of his opportunity.”

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