HOUSTON -- Quick-hit thoughts/notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. With Bill Belichick's Patriots visiting Bill O'Brien's Texans on Sunday night, the ties between the two coaches have been an obvious storyline over the last week. One behind-the-scenes story is how Belichick helped O’Brien in January of 2012, when O’Brien was hired as Penn State head coach while the Patriots were preparing for the playoffs and ultimately an appearance in Super Bowl XLVI. Belichick set up a space for O’Brien inside Gillette Stadium dedicated to Penn State duties, with an administrative assistant, to make it easier for O’Brien to balance two jobs (offensive coordinator and Penn State head coach). Belichick also spent time advising O’Brien about head-coaching responsibilities, sharing tips and some of the mistakes he felt he made in his first stint as a head coach in Cleveland. Why would Belichick do that? He obviously felt O’Brien was ready, appreciated how he went about the process and also how he remained 100 percent dedicated to his primary job with the Patriots and was good at it. With the way it all unfolded, it was easy to see how much that meant to O’Brien.

2a. This is the time of the year when the “rookie wall” can become a factor for some, as the college season is ending but there is the potential for seven more weeks of NFL action. Some rookies struggle to handle the longer schedule. I asked Patriots first-round pick Malcom Brown, the defensive tackle from Texas who has been a leading presence in helping to fill Vince Wilfork's void, if the “rookie wall” is something that stands out to him as significant. “Yes, it stands out, but I’m still having fun,” he said. “I love playing football. That’s the biggest difference. If you’re going to hit a wall, you really don’t love football. I don’t think the length of the season matters. Your love for football should carry you all the way through it. That’s just how I feel right now. I love playing, I love practicing, I love playing the game.”

2b. Did You Know: Wilfork played 73.9 percent of the defensive snaps for the Patriots last season, easily a high among interior defensive linemen. This year, the Patriots have a much more even distribution among four players at the position -- Brown (41.8), Alan Branch (35.9), Sealver Siliga (27.4) and Akiem Hicks (20.3).

3. Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who reportedly sprained his MCL on Nov. 29 against the Broncos, will miss his second straight game tonight. One statistic that reflects Hightower’s importance to the defense is that since he’s been sidelined from the end of the second quarter of the loss to Denver, opponents have totaled 50 rushes for 264 yards (5.28 avg.) and three touchdowns. As for the Texans, after rushing for fewer than 100 yards in six straight games, they have rushed for more than 120 yards in three straight. Also, in the last two games, Houston is averaging 3.1 yards before contact per rush after averaging 1.7 yards before contact per rush in the first 10 games of the year. So it's a run defense looking to get back on track vs. a running game that has finally found its groove.

4. Anyone up for another Patriots trip to Denver next season? The likelihood is high, as the Patriots will visit the AFC West team that finishes in the corresponding spot in the division. As it stands now, both teams have a three-game lead in the division with four games to play. Tom Brady-Brock Osweiler, Part II? Or could Peyton Manning re-emerge? (Full 2016 Patriots opponents).

5. As Patriots players returned to the locker room Friday afternoon, word of Greg Schiano accepting a position as associate head coach/defensive coordinator at Ohio State was just coming down, and that created a buzz among the Rutgers contingent on the team. Safety Devin McCourty, in a lighthearted manner, was already making plans to train at Ohio State in the offseason. Schiano’s imprint on the Patriots’ defense is undeniable, as the team has McCourty, a captain, along with starting cornerback Logan Ryan and No. 3 safety Duron Harmon in the defensive backfield. All three played for Schiano at Rutgers, and on Wednesday the Patriots signed fourth-year cornerback Leonard Johnson, who played under Schiano at Tampa Bay in 2012-13. Belichick said one thing he appreciates about any player coached by Schiano, one of his close coaching pals, is their understanding of the entire defense, not just their own position.

6. I don’t expect Patriots rookie Geneo Grissom to be on the punt protection unit tonight after last Sunday’s surrendered blocked punt. Word from Patriots practice is that the coaching staff wants a more experienced player on that unit, so I’ll be watching to see if it’s Jerod Mayo, Rob Ninkovich, Jon Bostic, Eric Martin or someone else. Those are the type of things that often go unnoticed over the course of the season until there is a problem.

7. Did You Know: The Eagles have scored 17 touchdowns on defense or special teams the last two seasons (11 last year, six this year), which is eight more than any other team in the NFL over that span, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information. Ten of those touchdowns have come on special teams, which reflects well on special teams coach Dave Fipp, who fans of New England college football might remember from his time as an assistant coach at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. in 1998-99. Fipp was also a former teammate of Tedy Bruschi's at the University of Arizona in the mid-1990s.

8. One thing to remember tonight is that the Texans installed a new playing surface at NRG Stadium earlier this season, which former Houston players and first-year Patriots receivers Keshawn Martin and Demaris Johnson were looking forward to experiencing. They said the old field was always a concern, not that Patriots fans need a reminder. In the 2009 regular-season finale, Wes Welker tore his ACL in a non-contact injury here.

9. Former Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner has 19 penalties this season, eight more than any player in the NFL and the most by any player over the last 15 seasons. When the Patriots didn’t retain Browner and Darrelle Revis in 2015 by not picking up their bonuses, one of the top storylines was how they’d replace them. As it turns out, the combination of Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan has capably filled the void. Cornerback hasn’t been a big issue for the Patriots this year.

10. With former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel on the opposing sideline tonight (he’s the Texans’ linebackers coach), two thoughts came to mind: He’ll be a strong candidate for Patriots Hall of Fame consideration in 2016, in his second year of eligibility, as he had significant support among the selection committee this year but was narrowly edged out as a finalist (Willie McGinest, Leon Gray and Raymond Clayborn were the final three). Vrabel played in New England from 2001-08 and won three Super Bowls before he was traded to Kansas City along with quarterback Matt Cassel in February of 2009. In retrospect, I’ve wondered if including Vrabel in that trade was something Belichick later came to regret. Salary considerations were part of the thinking, but given the splintered locker room in ’09, Vrabel’s presence was missed, not to mention his play, as he was still productive in a niche role for two years in KC.

BOOK SIGNINGS: The next local signing of “Patriot Pride” with Troy Brown is scheduled for Dec. 19, at Barnes & Noble in Saugus, Massachusetts (2-4 p.m.).