If Texans head coach Bill O'Brien is looking to finalize his staff with any former Patriots colleagues, he has taken a hands-off approach during the playoffs.
According to New England head coach Bill Belichick, O'Brien had not contacted him before Sunday's AFC Championship game.
"Bill's been in this situation," Belichick said in Monday's press conference. "He knows what we've been doing the last three weeks. Bill, I'm sure, is very respectful of that. Of course, he wouldn't bring up something that would interfere with our preparations and our goals. I wouldn't have expected him to and no."
In his post-season recap following the 26-16 loss to Denver, Belichick even discussed the possibility of losing assistants to the Texans organization.
"That's the way it always is," Belichick said. "You know, once the season is over then, look there are a lot of changes in the NFL on the coaching staffs. Is it a possibility? Sure, I'd say it's a possibility. I'm not even pointing to that organization. There are 31 other ones. Well, two of them are playing, but there are a lot of other organizations that there are going to be coaching changes on. We'll just have to see how that plays out."
O'Brien's five-year stint on the Patriots coaching staff was book-ended by two Super Bowl appearances in 2007 and 2011. O'Brien was hired as a coaching assistant in 2007 and rose up the ranks to offensive coordinator in 2011.
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