New England Patriots: Versatility of Kyle Van Noy never underestimated
If the New England Patriots defense is going to be as good as advertised in the 2021 NFL season, a couple of veteran players returning to the mix like Kyle Van Noy will have to bring the energy and versatility that really makes Bill Belichick’s defensive scheme tough for opposing quarterback.
While the return of Dont’a Hightower, who opted out of the 2020 season, is a huge value to Belichick’s defense, the return of Van Noy can’t be underestimated.
The veteran outside linebacker left the team prior to the 2020 NFL season in free agency to sign a multi-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. Although he had a better season statistically, combining for 69 tackles and 6.0 sacks, Van Noy and the Dolphins didn’t quite vibe which led to a surprising release after just one season with the team.
Kyle Van Noy’s return to New England Patriots defense very valuable
Of course, that re-opened the door to the Patriots. Van Noy signed a 2-year, $12,000 contract to return to the place where he really resurrected his career and won two Super Bowls. Now part of a linebacker group highlighted by Hightower, Matt Judon and second-year stud Josh Uche, Van Noy’s return gives the Patriots the type of depth Belichick loves to have in his front seven.
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He also gives the Patriots coach more options defensively due to both his familiarity with the defense and how productive a player he is when he is on the field.
"“Well, it’s good to have Kyle back,” Belichick said Monday when asked about Van Noy’s return. “Kyle’s a productive player for us, he’s versatile, he does a lot of different things and can play multiple positions defensively. So, that gives him a lot of value and gives us some versatility that’s always good in defending the different type of all kinds of systems that we go up against. So, how that may change from week-to-week, I don’t know. We’ll just have to see. Maybe it won’t change at all. I don’t know. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”"
Like Jamie Collins, who returned to the Patriots in 2019 and had a productive season, Van Noy will have a similar impact. Again, he knows the system, has been successful in the system and returns to New England as a very motivated player after whatever issues he had with Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
Expect Belichick to feed off that motivation in 2021 as the Patriots have multiple players who can get to the quarterback, including Van Noy who has a knack for making big plays at the right time. His instinctive nature and that versatility we keep talking about will make that New England Patriots defense one of the top defenses in the NFL as the season goes forward.
In all, he allows a defensive mind like Belichick to be multiple and really utilize that amoeba defense of 2019.
"“Well, if you want to be multiple, be versatile, somebody’s got to do it, but I don’t think everybody has to do it,” Belichick continued. “Kyle certainly has had a lot of experience playing in multiple positions for us and he’s smart, he’s a very instinctive player, sees things quickly, can anticipate well, so he has a lot of versatility to our defense for sure.”"
Will this be the return of the Boogeymen?
Next. Matt Judon has 2021 NFL DOPY written all over him. dark
Well, we shall see. But the Patriots do have a nice mix of veterans and younger players that should make the 2021 defense fun to watch. Kyle Van Noy will help bring that energy back and along with Hightower and Judon, give that front seven the attitude they lacked in 2020.