HOUSTON -- "I reserve the right to change my mind," is one of Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien's favorite sayings.

He's done that today on many levels. Ryan Mallett has been told he'll be the Texans' starting quarterback, sources confirmed. In making that choice, O'Brien has changed his mind about his quarterback, but it also means he's changed his mind on the best way to handle that position.

Think back to the dim, grainy footage from the Texans' quarterbacks room when Texans coach Bill O'Brien told Mallett that he had chosen Brian Hoyer as the team's starter. He then looks at Hoyer and emphasizes that the competition is close.

"We’re not on a short leash here, but we’re not going to sit there and let it go eight games of not being very good," O'Brien said then.

Hoyer didn't even have a full game. He had three quarters, eight minutes and 50 seconds of playing time. By starting Mallett, O'Brien will be admitting he was wrong three weeks ago.

Hoyer struggled in the Texans' 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He threw an interception on his very first pass, expecting receiver DeAndre Hopkins to be where the cornerback was instead. Hoyer finished with 18 completions on 34 attempts for 236 yards, a touchdown and the interception. His Total QBR was 12.3, the second lowest among qualifying quarterbacks in Week 1. Hoyer was sacked four times, and pressured 10 times. On those 10 dropbacks, his Total QBR was 0.0 -- it was 75.1 when he wasn't pressured.

Pressure, though, is a fact of life at that position, especially with an offensive line in transition. And with left tackle Duane Brown's status in question with a thumb injury, no Texans quarterback can expect to have a mostly clean pocket.

Mallett entered in relief of Hoyer and played well in the 6:10 O'Brien gave him. He completed eight of 13 attempts and was quick and decisive with his throws, getting nearly 85 percent of his throws out in less than three seconds. His Total QBR ranked in the top 10 among quarterbacks who played Sunday and Thursday.

There is plenty of data to suggest a switch made sense. But O'Brien's stated philosophy and the trust Hoyer put in O'Brien's handling of his career make it surprising.

If O'Brien does indeed start Mallett, Hoyer won't have a chance to recover from his mistakes. O'Brien is saying he made a mistake.

As he always says, he reserves the right to change his mind.