HOUSTON -- A small correction was needed to a question about the Texans' break. "I don’t know if you’d call it a break," Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett said. "I was watching them, trying to get a bead on them." Having been declared the Texans' starting quarterback last Wednesday, Mallett spent the rest of the week and weekend heading back into the Texans' facility by himself to watch film and learn as much as he could with the most important day of his football career approaching. "I was here myself," Mallett said. "Coaches were here doing their stuff. I was doing my stuff. Just a lot of film study. Worked out a little bit, did a lot of film study. Just trying to be ready for [the Browns]. They got a good team. They’re 6-3, we’ve got to execute to have a chance." Mallett will get the first start of his career against the AFC North-leading Cleveland Browns this weekend, and he's giving himself every advantage he can. It'll help him that he's not new to the cold, having spent six years in New England. It'll help that he has seen defenses run by Browns head coach Mike Pettine before, having played in the same division Pettine coached prior to taking over in Cleveland this year. And he knows what to expect from a defense that leads the NFL in interceptions. "Don’t throw it to them," Mallett said, when asked what he has learned. "They’ve got a few turnovers that have been thrown right to them. We can’t do that. We’ve got to protect the football." And while Mallett would just as soon Sunday arrive quickly, the break did offer some extra time for preparation. "Obviously I’m ready for Sunday to get here," he said. "I’m ready to play. It gave me time to really watch a lot of the film, a lot of the games they played this year and some last year. It’s been good for me as far as a mental standpoint. Studying and that stuff. ... I mean, it gives you a sense of calm or whatever. You’re not rushing, you have time to thoroughly digest what they’re doing."
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