Van Noy makes noise
Key fourth-down stop highlights LB’s growth
FOXBORO — If there was one play to illustrate Kyle Van Noy’s progression over the course of this season, it came in Sunday night’s 23-7 win by the Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Atlanta faced a fourthand-goal at the Patriots 1-yard line. Out of an empty backfield, Falcons receiver Taylor Gabriel went in motion to the right and took a handoff from quarterback Matt Ryan on a jet sweep. With the help of some penetration from Pats defensive lineman Trey Flowers, Van Noy was able to shoot into the backfield and cut off Gabriel’s angle. Van Noy pulled the speedy receiver down for a 5-yard loss to turn the ball over on downs and preserve the 20-0 lead.
According to special teamer and reserve wide receiver Matthew Slater, that’s the type of impact Van Noy has wanted to make since he came to Foxboro last season. The lineage of great linebackers who have passed through the Pats locker room matters a great deal to Van Noy.
“I think he’s done a great job of being a leader this year and really growing more comfortable in his role,” Slater said yesterday. “And the thing about Kyle, he’s always been eager since he got here to improve. He’s been eager to earn the trust of his teammates. He’s been eager to do things the right way.
“He asks a ton of questions about (former Patriots linebackers Jerod) Mayo and (Tedy) Bruschi and (Junior) Seau and those guys that some of us played with. He really wants to become a better player. He really wants to put himself in the best position to help this football team. I think he’s done a great job of that this season and he’s really grown a lot, and it’s exciting to see.”
Although Van Noy is not in the same class as those legendary Pats linebackers, the fact he aims that high is notable. And if he turns in more game-changing plays like he did Sunday night, Van Noy will inch closer to his goal.
Middle man
Against the Falcons, linebacker David Harris started saw significant time in the middle of the defense for the first time this season.
He finished with three tackles as Elandon Roberts, who has held down that role the majority of the season, was inactive.
It’s been well-documented that Harris, who signed with the Pats this offseason after being released by the New York Jets, has a healthy amount of respect in the locker room. According to Flowers, the team was happy to see the veteran’s hard work rewarded with more playing time.
“We know what he’s capable of as far as what he’s done in this league for a long time,” Flowers said. “For him to be able to be prepared when his name was called to go out there and make some plays and do pretty good, it was good.”
Jumbo adjustment
With the heavy fog that rolled into Gillette Stadium Sunday night, the ability for the Pats to evaluate their play was severely hindered yesterday.
Luckily, though, the team’s film crew was able to get a little creative when it came to getting quality shots.
Slater revealed the technique. “The second half was tough. Kudos to our film guys, though,” Slater said. “They started filming the Jumbotron in the stadium, which I thought was brilliant, so we could actually see some of that stuff. But it was brutal toward the end of the game. Couldn’t see anything.”
In other words, it appears that the coaching staff is not the only part of the organization that excels at making in-game adjustments.