Ryan Mallett's father coming to the defense of the quarterback over allegations that he is soft only made him seem softer.

The Texans quarterback was pulled from the team's eventual 27-20 loss to the Colts on "Thursday Night Football" due to a minor injury, and his father, Jim Mallett came to his aid after he was under a barrage of criticism. Several fans believe that Mallett was pouting after being taken out of the game and criticized him for leaving the sidelines for the locker room before the first half ended.

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Jim insists he wanted to remain in the game and is a good teammate.

"He's pissed off. He's a competitor. He wants to be in there," Jim told TMZ. "He was 8-for-10 when he came out. He wants to play."

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Mallett was actually 7-of-10, but we're splitting hairs here. The former third-round pick threw for 70 yards and was intercepted prior to being pulled from the game after the injury. As for leaving the sidelines before the first half officially ended, Jim insisted that when he met with his son following the game, he told him it was an accident.

"He said to me, 'I didn't do anything on purpose.' And I can tell you that's true," the Mallett Family patriarch said. "That's not Ryan."

Mallett may just have a case of being soft: