New England Patriots: 5 unsung heroes of the 2018 NFL season
Kyle Van Noy
If there was any player who defined the New England Patriots in 2018 it was veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
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Playing on a defense that was defined as lacking talent during most of the regular season, Van Noy showed a leadership on and off the field that went unrecognized until the Patriots stormed through the post-season beating the very teams that were predicted to end the dynasty.
Van Noy was simply lights out in 2018. With 92 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception, the versatile linebacker was everywhere on the field, particularly in the playoffs. He was effective in the running game and delivered some key sacks on both Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff in the AFC Championship and Super Bowl LIII respectively.
Undersized, but playing a large role, Van Noy’s contribution throughout 2018 was not a surprise for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick who said back in October:
"“Kyle has turned out to be very versatile and very good at many things we’ve asked him to do, from the kicking game, to playing on the line of scrimmage, to playing off the line of scrimmage, to blitzing, to playing man coverage, zone coverage-so, multiple things. So, we didn’t know that. Some if it was kind of a step-by-step process.”"
Not only was he entertaining on the field, Kyle Van Noy became the team’s voice off the field. He barked back at criticism from the Boston media and also took time to put ESPN’s Max Kellerman in his place after the team silenced the critics with their Super Bowl LIII victory.