Bill O'Brien: Decision On Texans' Starting QB "May Be Made Before Training Camp," Thinks Jadeveon Clowney Will Play In Regular Season Opener

Mike Silver has an excellent interview/article with/about Bill O'Brien up that is most certainly worth your time. While the entire piece is gold for Texans fans, providing additional insight into O'Brien's life off the field and plenty of self-deprecation from the Texans' head coach, O'Brien had two things to say that qualify as rather newsworthy as the team prepares to start training camp (and "Hard Knocks") next month.

First, about that quarterback competition between Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer...

"That decision may be made before training camp," O'Brien said. "They're out here competing (in OTAs and at mandatory minicamp) every single day, and it's pretty intense. So, we may pick a guy very soon. And if we don't, and the decision does go into training camp, it'll be made pretty early on. The team needs to know who the guy is, and we need to go forward."

Recall that it was about this time last year that O'Brien declared Ryan Fitzpatrick would be the Texans' starting quarterback, despite many assuming the competition to see who would start under center would continue into and possibly through training camp. With that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised at all if OB makes the call sooner rather than later.

The other big news in Silver's piece: With regard to how the first overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft is doing as he attempts to come back from microfracture surgery, O'Brien doesn't think Jadeveon Clowney will miss much, if any, of the 2015 season.

"I think he's gonna be there for the opening game (of the regular season) against Kansas City," O'Brien said. "I think he's going to make it back, and I'm really looking forward to that. He's working very hard to get back."

Admittedly, this could simply be the coach professing a best-case scenario, or using the media to plant an idea that 31 other teams will have to consider when deciding how to scheme against Romeo Crennel's defense. Or O'Brien could simply mean what he says. If it comes to pass, and Jadeveon Clowney takes the field for the 2015 regular season opener at NRG Stadium against the Chiefs, that would represent a simply amazing, if not historic, recovery from a career-threatening injury.

Let fly your thoughts on Silver's article, the quarterback competition, Clowney's projected return, or whatever else is on your Texans-addled mind in the space below.