Texans Benching T.J. Yates?

Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle writes that the Houston Texans should consider benching T.J. Yates following his performance against the Colts last night.

“He showed better patience than he did against Carolina, when he turned the ball over twice on ill-advised throws. But he displayed little pocket awareness, often folding up at the slightest hint of pressure as he was sacked four times,” Solomon writes. “An apparent fear of turning the ball over — Yates lost a fumble after a first-quarter sack by Robert Mathis — kept him from even trying to make plays when the pocket broke down. That could be a huge problem going forward. Hesitancy against the rush takes away from one of Yates’ strengths. His mobility is one advantage he has over Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. Seeing him freeze in the pocket brings back horrid memories of David Carr.”

Houston could turn to either Jake Delhomme or Jeff Garcia but it’s hard to assume that they would be able to step in and be effective despite not playing this season. The Texans are more likely to keep Yates under center for Week 17 and the first-round of the playoffs. It would take an injury or a horrible performance to change quarterbacks at this point in the season.