It's interesting but not surprising that the Texans are honing in on three former/current New England Patriot coaches. In the hiring world of any industry, it's usually about who you know, not always what you know.
Caserio and Jack Easterby - who reportedly was also part of the decision making process to fire Culley - have multiple candidates that they clearly feel more comfortable with than they did last year.
I believe this for multiple reasons. Firstly, the local and national media were infinitely quicker to report tangible names of HC candidates this year than they were last year.
Secondly, the Texans will be paying Culley 22 million dollars to part ways - a lot of dough out of McNair's pockets - and after deliberating for longer than they expected, I believe they were making calls to line up their next guy.
Lastly, Brian Flores wasn't available last year and Jerod Mayo had only two years of coaching experience, but both have become more widely accepted.
Caserio and Easterby find comfort in former/current Patriot coaches because they worked in the same environment and can align on the same philosophies. Honestly, I am torn on the whole "Texans want to be the Patriots South" sentiment. On one hand, I love the Houston Texans because they are the Houston Texans, not the New England Patriots.
Additionally, I don't particularly like New England coaches and executives' Bellichick'ian football jargon and desire to say nothing of value in press conferences. It seems disingenuous, monotonous, or that they are unhappy to share their thoughts with beloved fans who want to follow every aspect of this team.