Re: Does anyone feel really good about Mallett right now?
From what I have seen of him? Not really. He appears to have moved backward rather than forward in his development in his past two appearances. It was not all negative by any stretch of the imagination, just not particularly good as a whole.
With that said, I find it very difficult to read backup QBs in the preseason. Many here were looking for Cassel's head in the 2008 preseason, but he did just fine when called in to replace Brady. The coaches see these guys every day, so I expect they will frequently see something fans cannot see in a preseason game or games. I expect backups may push too hard in these limited appearances, trying to show everything at once, and then just end up looking bad.
Would I feel good if he came in for Brady for an extended period? No. But then again, I wouldn't feel great if Hoyer came in for Brady either. The ceiling on expectations falls drastically with a backup QB (while Brady was technically Bledsoe's backup, he had clawed his way though the depth chart and was a legitimate conteder for the starting role). If a team has visions of titles, that change pretty much kills them. Good teams will find it hard to keep two starting caliber QBs on a roster. At this point, it is hard to tell what level Mallet might play at if given the chance, but I wouldn't write him off as the coaches apparently see his potential.
