The Texans have been cramming for the Patriots this week -- and vice versa -- ahead of their Thursday battle of 2-0 teams.
But after Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Monday that he’d slept in his office Sunday night trying to stay ahead of his team’s short-week situation, O’Brien told reporters Tuesday that he was kidding about that.
“My wife would kill me,” he said when he asked if he’d actually slept in his office. “Well, maybe not. She’d probably want me to sleep in the office more.”
Coaches are creatures of habit, so these short weeks not only lead to long hours but to altered routines. O’Brien worked under Patriots coach Bill Belichick from 2007, working his way up from quality control coach to offensive coordinator, so both coaches know every detail counts -- and Belichick’s usual mind games this week include listing injured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as limited in Tuesday’s practice.
But as for actually sleeping in his office, O’Brien said he hasn’t done that since his first year working for the Patriots.