Kyle Van Noy Makes Trip Back To Utah, Talks About Playing With Brady, Belichick

OREM, Utah – Former BYU linebacker and current member of the New England Patriots Kyle Van Noy was recently back in the Beehive State to be honored at a dinner for the National Football Foundation’s Utah chapter.

As one of the leaders of the Patriots’ defense, Van Noy has won two of the last three Super Bowls since being traded to New England by the Detroit Lions, who drafted the former Cougar in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Naturally, the question was asked: What’s legendary quarterback Tom Brady like?

“The guy, me and him, have become good friends. I’m LDS so he always says ‘I love my Mormons,’ especially me, I’m his favorite one. We have a good relationship, he’s been a really good friend for me, taking me in and just embracing me and I appreciate that,” said Van Noy with a smile.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kyle Van Noy.@KVN_03 | #EverythingWeGot pic.twitter.com/9Zz7bnFNxX

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 4, 2019

Van Noy says the feeling of being a two-time Super Bowl Champion can be hard to describe, but Brady, who has won six rings with the Patriots, usually nails it best when giving his pregame speech to the team.

“It changes the lives around you, meaning your parents, the pride that they have in having a Super Bowl-champion son. Your cousins, your best friends and so on, the pride they get to walk around with for the rest of their lives,” said Van Noy when describing what Brady tells the Patriots before game time. “And for you, words can’t express how it’s such a blessing to win those games and even be in it, to be honest. Everyone’s watching and it’s a beautiful game to play in and I’m just proud and excited to be able to play for the Patriots and be a two-time Super Bowl champ. It’s pretty remarkable. “

Playing Under Belichick

Van Noy also has a good relationship with the other big personality on the Patriots, head coach Bill Belichick.

“I’m one of those guys, I’m not scared to talk to him, give him my two cents if I see something. And he comes up to me and if he wants something done, we’re able to have a discussion, whether it’s good or bad. And that’s a great relationship to have, that trust and accountability with your coach and to have that trust in you to get the job done,” said Van Noy. “I’m always willing to learn from him, he’s got so much wisdom and football knowledge, it’s pretty amazing how much you can learn in one day in a team meeting with him cussing everybody out.”

Former #BYU LB Kyle Van Noy pick the fumble recovery for a touchdown to give the Patriots a 31-24 lead. pic.twitter.com/Fo7FYcxuxA

— Zak Hicken (@zakhicken) October 21, 2018

Belichick also has a terrific sense of humor. Often times during team meetings, the head coach will pepper in a dry, witty joke while instructing his team. Van Noy says his own laughter can be heard from his seat in the back, all the way to the front of the team meeting room, to the amusement of his teammates.

Once A Cougar, Always A Cougar

While he admits he doesn’t have much of an opportunity to watch BYU play nowadays, Van Noy is still a proud supporter of the Cougars. He feels that the program, under head coach Kalani Sitake, is headed in the right direction.

“I think he’s on the brink of success. I think he’s knocking on the door. I think he’s taken on a challenge in itself of taking a foundation that was already built from Bronco and now he needs to put his own spin on it and get his own guys. I’m excited to see him finally get his own guys that he’s recruited, into the system and play BYU football. I’m excited for him,” said Van Noy.

Kyle Van Noy calls the trade that sent him to New England a blessing and reflects on back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl with the Patriots #BYU #Patriots #PatriotsNation #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/RRhhaeNVYh

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 31, 2018

In his playing days at BYU, Van Noy’s teams were never able to beat in-state rival Utah. He laments not being able to defeat the Utes, but hopes the Cougars will get the job done this year when the two teams meet on Sept. 29.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to go to the game, it’ll be exciting. They need to win that game. There’s a generation out there that hasn’t seen a dub. I’m 0-4 against them but they made me a lot of money so that’s the trade-off,” said Van Noy with a laugh.