Whirlwind.
That's how Ryan Mallett describes his first few days as a Houston Texan.
"Just getting to know everybody, the schedule, the area, it's been fun," Mallett said Wednesday. "I'm ready to get settled down."
Now wearing No. 15, the former Patriots backup quarterback is in a time crunch to get up to speed with head coach Bill O'Brien's offense. For many players, learning a new system is akin to learning a new language. For Mallett, it's not entirely new.
"There are a few just similarities with the playbook, but there are also some differences," Mallett said. "I'm just trying to get accompanied to it, just trying to study, keep my head down and keep moving."
For Mallett, getting adapted isn't overwhelming, but it will be the first time in his NFL career that he has had to learn a system other than New England's. The Texarkana native was drafted in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Patriots. This week has been his first with another NFL organization.
"I'm glad I'm not a rookie doing this because that would definitely be tough," Mallett said. "So being my fourth year, I kind of understand the ins and outs of the league and how it works. It's definitely helped me in that aspect."
It also helps that he knows the two coaches he'll be most closely working with in Houston. The 26-year old quarterback was reunited this week with two former coaches. O'Brien served as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during Mallett's rookie season. Mallett will be spending most of his time learning under Texans quarterbacks coach George Godsey, who spent the last three seasons with the Patriots.
"Godsey coached me since my rookie year until last year," Mallett said. "He was in the same room. He taught me this offense my first two years, so I know him pretty well. It definitely helped me transition as far as I know what he's thinking for the most part. When I don't, I have to ask him."
Mallett became a Texan following a trade with New England on Sunday. While he's not sure where he might fit in, he already knows what it's like playing for O'Brien.
"I knew what he expected coming out of his team," Mallett said. "He wants to be good. He wants to be great, so that's what we're trying to do. That's why we go to work every day, pay attention to details and we try to get better every day as a team and keep moving forward."
