Kyle Van Noy spent two-plus seasons with the Lions as a second-round pick before he was traded to the Patriots in 2016.
He’s seen his career take off in New England and has never shied away from expressing the displeasure he experienced in terms of the way he was used on the field in his time with the Lions.
Back in Detroit this week for preseason work, Van Noy admitted it was enjoyable to return to his first NFL home, though he focused the positive reunion on all the non-football staff.
“It feels good to come back a winner and say hi to people I haven’t seen in a while,” Van Noy said. “I’m happy to get to work, to hang out with my teammates, and then to see old faces. The behind-the-scenes people that don’t get enough credit – the Elton Moore’s, the cafeteria people, Gina, I mean there’s so many people I could just name – the behind-the-scenes people that have been so good to me and my family that I’ve got to show them love when I come back. They’ve been amazing to me, and always have and always will be.”
As the Patriots impressive defense works this week against an unfamiliar foe for the first time this summer – one that took it too New England in a 26-10 Lions win in Detroit last September – Van Noy was looking forward to the competition in the joint practice action.
And as a guy who has learned a little something about playing with and practicing against a great quarterback each day, Van Noy had pretty high praise for the passer he’s facing this week on the practice field.
“Detroit, they’re building something. Matty P [Patricia] is running a tight ship and it’s good competition,” Van Noy said. “They have really good players. [Matthew] Stafford has always been good. I think he’s one of the most underrated, toughest players in the league. I always have respect for him and what he does, and they have really good up-and-coming players. They’ve just got to put the pieces together, and I feel like they’ll be pretty good.”
In the end, Van Noy is appreciative of the home he’s found on the Patriots defense after the slow start to his career in Detroit. He’s been a perfect, versatile fit for what Bill Belichick employs on the New England defense, though he’s clearly not fond of being seen as simply a product of the system in which he now plays.
“I don’t want to sit here and tailor my skills, that would be kind of like, ‘I’m only good because of a certain scheme.’ I’m not going to go that route,” Van Noy declared. “Bill, and when Matty P was there, and Flo [Brian Flores] and [Jerod] Mayo, and all of these coaches that I’ve played with in New England have put me in a spot to play to my strengths, and put me in a position to succeed. I respect that and I’m happy to be a part of it, and I would just leave it at that. I just don’t want to take away from my talent, my skill, and my capabilities if I said that was the reason, if that makes sense.”
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