Kyle Van Noy – March 26, 2020
Download PDF version
Thursday, March 26, 2020
LB Kyle Van Noy
(What was it about Head Coach Brian Flores and the Dolphins that caused you to want to come here in free agency?) – “That’s an easy question to answer. Just, I respect him as a coach, what he brings to the table, what he’s all about on the field and off. As you guys have grown to know him a little bit better, I feel like you guys are getting a sense of how he is as a person and as a coach, and you probably kind of wish you could play for him if you played football. Just the type of attitude he has, the grit he has, the competitiveness he has. I mean, who doesn’t want to play for a coach like that? He’s ready to go all the time, and he brings that same energy each and every day. That’s what you want as a coach; and as a player, that’s who I want to play for.”
(You won a division title every year you were with the Patriots. The Dolphins haven’t won a division since 2008. Why do you think that’s going to change?) – “I’m not really focused on the past or thinking about the Patriots. I’m really just thinking about the Dolphins, and our goals are how they are each year. First, we want to just play the best team football as possible, and that starts with showing up on time, doing the little things over and over and focused on the first opponent. We can’t worry about championships, can’t worry about who’s doing what. What we can worry about is what the Dolphins are doing, and what we’re worried about as a team is getting everybody on the same page inside and out, top-down, and that starts with the owner and the owner is doing a great job with that. ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) is doing a great job with that, (General Manager Chris) Grier is doing a great job with that and the players are all following suit. So we’re excited for everyone being on the same page, tackling that one task at a time, and that’s going to be our first game and hopefully – if that’s the Patriots, it’s the Patriots, if it’s the Bills, it’s the Bills, or if it’s a different opponent, we’re going to be ready for them.”
(A related question – how much does QB Tom Brady’s relocation change the balance of power in the division? To what extent do you think the Patriots will still be the Patriots?) – “I think they’ll always be the Patriots with the kind of players they have up there. Obviously losing a quarterback is tough, but they still have a really good set of football players up there that love football, that are going to be hungry to prove to a lot of people that they’re still in it, and that’s what they do up there.”
(With your relationship with Head Coach Brian Flores and your intimate knowledge of the defense, what role do you see yourself playing on defense? Are you going to kind of be like a coach on the field, per se? And I wanted to ask you how far do you think this defense is away from stopping the likes of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, some of the high-scoring quarterbacks in this league, who have gone on to play deep in the AFC playoffs?) – “Good question. I think really what we’re focused on right now is just getting everybody together. I’m excited to meet everybody, get into OTAs, if those happen; but if not, then I’m excited to jump into training camp and get to work. For me personally, I hope – I’m going to go off what the plan is for me. I feel (and) envision that I’ll be playing everywhere like I have been. I’ve said it before – I don’t really consider myself having a position. I don’t really like that. I don’t like being called a d-end or a linebacker or anything. I’m just a football player. You roll the ball out onto the field, I’m there. I’m showing up. That’s my job and I’m going to be about it all the time.”
(I just am curious because I know you and Head Coach Brian Flores were so close and you kind of stayed in touch. What was his reaction to you deciding on coming to Miami? What has he told you about what he’s trying to do here and how you can contribute to that?) – “I think what he told me is – obviously I’m going to keep that confidential. (laughter) I can’t give you the secrets, but I think he’s pretty excited. I’m pretty excited, and we’re going to do everything for the team. I’m definitely going to do that. I’ve done that since I’ve been in the NFL. That’s not going to change who I am. I’m just going to try to hopefully take a more leadership role because I’m going to be one of the more older players on this team, and I just hope I can help out the young guys – not just as football players, but as people, too. I just want them to – I hope I can show them the right way, how to be a professional because that’s what it’s all about.”
(How has the coronavirus affected you? Do you have any friends, family that have been affected by it, and how are you going to be able to keep yourself football ready for what seems to be a long slog here?) – “To my knowledge, no one in my family or anybody I’m close with I know of has gotten it. I’ve heard potential people have been around people that have gotten it, but nobody’s had symptoms of it. I still say my prayers to all of those that have been affected. I’ve seen all sorts of crazy things, and I feel bad for those that are being affected. We’re working – my wife and I are working on – as fast as possible to get in contact with people down in Miami to hopefully – our foundation, the Van Noy Valor Foundation – go down and help as much as we can because it’s a sad thing that we’re dealing with and I know we’ll push through. We’re going to come together. Staying in shape-wise, I actually still can get a workout in. There’s a ranch about 45 minutes away from me. No one’s there. Just I have access to it, and it’s pretty cool. So it’s just me and myself getting after it. There’s a hill I can run, and there’s some weights I can lift. There’s no one else around. It’s just me, myself and I. (laughter) But it’s good. I’m staying in shape, so I’m really happy about that. I’ve had offseasons where I’ve gotten too heavy for my own (good) and it’s not fun to lose a bunch of weight, so I’m definitely staying in shape.”
(I’m going to put you on the spot here. Your best Head Coach Brian Flores story that comes to mind?) – “Oh. (laughter) There’s a lot. I’ll share a good one. It was in New England. It was during practice, and he was the d-coordinator at the time, so it was in 2018, and it was one of those days where it was just a grind. Everyone was cranky. It was probably in December, so in December everyone starts to get cranky in New England because it gets cold (laughter) – something you guys don’t know about; but things weren’t happening at practice. He brought me and ‘High’ (Dont’a Hightower) over and kind of just said, ‘look. We’re just – we’re not just trying to be out here. We’ve got things to do.’ And I know it’s simple. That’s something simple to say, but it didn’t hit us until we got to the meeting because when we were watching the plays, he was like, ‘look at right here, we’re just not out here. We’re trying to get things done.’ Then in that game, that week – we fast forward it. It came to a time and a place where the play that he wasn’t happy about in that practice popped up in the game, and me and ‘High’ started laughing at each other because me and him both made a play on it, and we go to the sideline and we started laughing at him like, ‘look, we’re not out here…’ (laughter) We kind of did his little comment back to him, and he started laughing. That’s just a small story, but it’s a big story because he takes something that’s so small and is able to put it into football and relate it, and he’s really good with his players.”
(I don’t think I’ve ever interviewed someone wearing headphones before. What do you think of this technology and this way of doing part of the job?) – “I think it’s the way of the future, to be honest. I have my headphones on because I actually play video games. I’m on my desktop, so this is my gaming station. I didn’t want to switch up, take my headsets out. Then I would have to reconfigure all my stuff I took hours to do, so they’re staying on so you’ve just got to enjoy my headphones. (laughter) They’re pretty sweet. Shout out to Razer. They hooked it up.”
(Were you surprised that QB Tom Brady ultimately left New England?) – “No. Given the fact of 20 years, given the fact that he didn’t get a contract done beforehand. I just felt like there were too many other teams – it would be hard to pass up an opportunity he would get in free agency where you can make some money, and I feel like he got what he deserves. Things didn’t work out, and I hope the best for him. I think he’s going to be good in Tampa. I’m just glad he’s in the NFC, that’s for sure.”
(How can your strengths help the Dolphins this season?) – “I like that question. I feel like my versatility will be able to be a matchup problem for any coach because you never know where I’m going to line up and match up against; and then I feel like I can be a leader to this team. I just want to win at the end of the day. It’s funny, I tell all of my friends this: there’s nothing better than winning a 1 o’clock game and being at home at night watching the Sunday night game. Like, ‘man, I’m feeling good right now, we won,’ and gearing up for another week. That’s my whole mentality each week, is to get – whether it’s that Sunday night win or a 1 o’clock win – just that feeling when you get home that you put all you could in that week to have that feeling of, ‘oh man, we won at 1 o’clock. Let’s get it again another week.’”
