O’Brien makes most of local knowledge

Texans coach Bill O’Brien has learned under some successful mentors during his career. However, the former Patriots offensive coordinator under Bill Belichick really developed a love of coaching from his time growing up in Andover.

“It was a great sports town,” O’Brien said yesterday in Houston. “Little League baseball, football, basketball, all those things. I had good coaches there, people I still keep in touch with. I got a text from a guy named Joe Iarrobino, who’s a guy that was an athletic director at Merrimack College who was my Little League coach however many years ago.”

O’Brien, 47, got his first coaching job at Brown in 1993 after graduating from the Ive League school the previous spring. Houston is his sixth stop since, but he still is influenced from those early days, including his high school years at St. John’s Prep in Danvers.

“Where I went to high school in Massachusetts was one of the best high schools, and a lot of it was because of the sports teams and the coaches that they had,” O’Brien said. “I just played for a lot of good people who did a nice job coaching and teaching teamwork, and I loved that.”

Brock walks line

Give credit to Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler: He knows where his bread is buttered.

Osweiler had custom suits made for his entire offensive line for Christmas. A woman in Colorado put them together, someone referred to him by a friend from his Broncos days.

“I really appreicate what those guys do,” Osweiler said. “Playing on the offensive line, you don’t get a lot of credit, but you’re going out there every day and you’re getting beat up. A lot of those guys this time of year are put together with duct tape and glue it seems like. It was just a way to say thank you.”

Scar makes mark

O’Brien was asked his impressions of the Patriots offensive line, and he was quick to credit veteran coach Dante Scarnecchia.

“I was very fortunate to work with Dante for five years,” O’Brien said. “He’s an excellent coach, very detailed, very hard-working, been doing it for a long time, a guy that demands a lot of his players in many different ways. The detail of the play, the detail of the technique, he does a great job, and I have a lot of respect for him. That was big for them to get him back there. Those guys have played very well.”

No barking ’dogs

The Texans are done talking about being 15-point underdogs. Cornerback Kareem Jackson explained that this time of year, they don’t need to look to find any extra juice.

“I wouldn’t say (the line is) frustrating,” Jackson said. “At this point, it is what it is. The only thing that matters is what the guys in this locker room think. At the end of the day, me personally, I (couldn’t) care less what anybody else says. If you’re not in this locker room, if you’re not wearing the same color as me, it really don’t matter what you say or think.” . . .

The Texans are banged up as they prepare for the Pats. Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus, Brian Cushing, Quintin Demps

and DeAndre Hopkins all were limited at practice, and 14 Texans were listed on the injury report.