Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo knows that last year the Texans hired a first-year coach, drafted a rookie quarterback, and made the playoffs. He doesn't necessarily want his own expectations to be set that high.
Mayo said he talked to a fan who said that since the Texans turned things around in Year One with head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Patriots should be able to do it too. Mayo, however, says that Nick Caserio — whom Mayo worked with in New England — had a longer turnaround than that.