Battle Red Onion: After Four Years, Ryan Mallett Is "Looking Forward" To Thumbing Through First Playbook

On Tuesday, head coach Bill O'Brien made the much-anticipated decision to swap Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Mallett on the quarterback depth chart. The move gives Mallett, now in his fourth year in the league, his first real opportunity to earn a permanent starting job.

"It's a blessing. I've been waiting a long time for this chance," said the former Patriot. "How many kids dream about being a QB in the NFL?" He saw little playing time in New England, but being the understudy to a future Hall-of-Famer afforded Mallet plenty of opportunities. "Gosh, I got to meet so many celebrities... so many parties. Wow. Tom [Brady] knows a lot of [expletive] people."

The change became necessary after Fitzpatrick's performance through nine weeks was found to be lacking. At 4-5, the team is looking for a spark at QB to salvage any hopes at a playoff berth. "I guess I'm most looking forward to learning the plays and stuff," explained Mallett, nodding his head. "I always thought that was cool, watching Tom. You call the plays in the huddle, and the other guys have to do what you say 'cause you're the quarterback. That's like, so [expletive] bad ass."

Mallett plans on studying his playbook "sometime" next week. "It's the bye, you know? It's like our vacation; we've earned it. There's plenty of time to study it, so I'm just taking it easy." He went on to clarify that he excels at studying late at night, going back to his days at Arkansas.

"It's one of my best features."

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