By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Kyle Van Noy had a great line after Super Bowl LIII. How could the Patriots defense dominate so much and hold the high-powered Rams offense to just three points despite lacking whatever the general public defines as “stars”?
“We don’t got stars here, we’ve got elite football players,” Van Noy said.
The Patriots linebacker expanded on that in his latest interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand from Wednesday, which you can watch above. A big reason the Pats played so well on defense late in the 2018 season – and look to have picked up where they left off in the Super Bowl heading into 2019 – is that they dominate with team defense. Head coach Bill Belichick and his staff have everyone on the same page doing their jobs and executing at a high level, which can make any defense hard to beat.
Van Noy took it a step further, explaining that the Patriots’ excellent team defense is bolstered by the fact that they genuinely like to see their teammates succeed and put individual success aside for the greater good.
Feb 5, 2019; Boston, MA: New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower and linebacker Kyle Van Noy ride a truck during the Super Bowl LIII championship parade. (Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports)
“I think what really stands out, and I think you guys probably saw a little bit of it – not a little bit, you’ve seen it all preseason – is how we enjoy playing with each other,” Van Noy said. “You go back and you flip on that Carolina film [from last Thursday] and you see how many guys are enjoying playing the game and are appreciative of – maybe not even making the play, but really genuinely happy for someone else making the play. That doesn’t happen everywhere.
“I think it needs to get noted that our team, I feel, is the best at that. I get so happy when my guy Gilly Lock [Stephon Gilmore] or J.C. Jackson or my guy Jason McCourty lock someone up and they don’t catch the ball, I genuinely get so happy for them, because not only do they do their job but they do it at an elite level.”
Consider it noted.
Listen above for the full interview with Van Noy in the first installment of “The KVN Show”. The guys also brainstorm ideas for how to jazz up the new program for the future. Expect the next installment to kick it up a notch.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.