Kyle Van Noy – August 17, 2020
Download PDF version
Monday, August 17, 2020
LB Kyle Van Noy
(Last week you talked about how hot it is down here. How are you adjusting and do you have a full grab of just the conditions and surroundings?) – “It’s hot as (explicit). (laughter) But we’re working through it, I’m working through it, getting used to it. A lot of you guys that have been here are already used to it. It’s a learning curve for me, and I’m just taking it one day at a time right now.”
(How has it been, the first day out there, to hit somebody? I know you guys have been ramped up for a while and just doing OTA-type practices. What was it like to hit somebody for the first time?) – “It felt good, it felt good to get back at it. I haven’t been able to hit somebody until December, January or whatever it was. To be out there, competing with the guys, is always good. There’s a different type of feel in the building all day, the ramp up to get out there and hit. Guys were flying around, guys were enjoying it, having a good time. It was a good practice, I think. It’s something to build on. We want to be physical and fast and play at a high level. What a great way to start, to put on them pads and get it cracking.”
(Someone that rushes from so many gaps like you do, how helpful is it to have the size of guys like DE Emmanuel Ogbah and DE Shaq Lawson off the edge to help create better rush lanes for you?) – “I’d say as a whole – I wouldn’t just say those two guys because collectively it takes the whole 11 – guys covering, to have the secondary like we have, to have the linebackers that can cover like we have, it takes all 11 of us to be on the same page, covering and rushing. I think if we just get it going on the same page, at a consistently high standard, I think we’ll be alright. Those two guys are big dudes and I think they’re going to get after the passer pretty good this year.”
(I’m wondering if you’ve learned anything about this team today that you didn’t know before you put the pads on?) – “That’s such a hard question. (laughter) It’s only Day 1. I can’t answer that. It’s a secret. (laughter) I don’t know we’ll see. I learned that I’ve got to get better, how about that.”
(When we talked to Head Coach Brian Flores before practice, I asked him if he felt like you guys were ready to put on pads with the shortened offseason. Did you guys feel like it was time to start hitting before or did you feel that maybe there could’ve been more things to perfect before putting on pads today?) – “That’s a good question. I think we were ready. I think guys were scratching. I think some guys are obviously ready on day one, and some guys it might take them a little while. But I think collectively, we are ready as a group. We’re hungry. We want to get better. We want to get up to speed with all of the new guys, including myself. Older guys want to get back up to playing at a high level. It’s just coming together as a team. During this training camp, this grind period, you get to see who people are all about. You get to see what type of team you have. Obviously, that team is going to continue to grow during the season; but this is the time to lay that foundation. To do it with this young group of guys, it’s fun. I’m excited, rejuvenated, let’s go.”
(I wanted to ask you about the COVID angle. Did you at all think about it when you were out there on the field, hitting these guys…? Is that something that crossed your mind?) – “The first time I thought about it was you bringing it up right now. You don’t really think about it. Obviously when you get done off the field, you want to do the necessary things to stay healthy, sanitize, all of those good things.”
(How did the realities of the virus make today different, if it did in anyway?) – “You think about your job. You put that to rest until you have to deal with it again. Yeah, as simple as that is, you get to not think about it for a little bit and focus on your job and having fun. We had a lot of fun today. Guys were flying around, like I said earlier. It was a good time. I’m sure you guys can’t – you guys weren’t allowed to tweet about it or anything. I bet you guys are dying right now, right? (laughter)”
(What is it like for you to be reunited with Head Coach Brian Flores and how much do you think your understanding of this defense and this scheme – this hybrid scheme – will help this defense grow?) – “I want to be a leader on this team. I’m not a ‘rah, rah,’ type of guy. I just hope to lead by example with the way I work every day as a professional. I just want to be the best teammate I can be. Yes, I have familiarities with the defense. Yes it’s different; but at the same time, I know how ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) wants things done, and I know how (Defensive Coordinator Josh) Boyer wants things done and I’ll try to do my best to help out everybody, and they’re going to help me out, as well.”
(I always want to get it from a defensive player. How was it facing QB Tua Tagovailoa for the first time? Did you see anything from your perspective?) – “Oh, here we go. I knew it was coming. (laughter) I’m not going to answer that one.” (Laughter)
(You’re not going to answer it?) – “Nope. You only get to ask me Kyle Van Noy questions or defensive questions. (laughter)”
(How was it going against the offense as a defender?) – “(laughter) It was good.”
(I wanted to ask you about G Solomon Kindley, the rookie offensive lineman. He looked like he was getting some pretty good pressure against some of your defensive linemen. What did you see from him today applying pressure?) – “I was just trying to do my job. So if it was him, I couldn’t tell you.”
(I wanted to ask you about your versatility. What do you enjoy about it? Do you think at times, offenses when they line up at the line of scrimmage are having to look for you and wonder where you are?) – “Yeah, for sure. I feel like I’m the last of a dying breed. I don’t think you can find players that can do all three skillsets. Usually they’re either in coverage or run, one of those situations. Very rarely do you get all three. I’m just trying to bring that energy to the team, trying to be a problem, a mismatch, and take advantage of that mismatch wherever I line up.”
(I want to ask a little bit about the conversations that you have had with your rookie teammates. This is a different year for them. I don’t know if they have asked you something?) – “That’s a good question. I like that one. That’s a good ending right there. I’ll answer this one. I think the advice that I’ve passed onto them is it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You want to inhale as much information as you can, you want to work on your craft each and every day, you want to get better each and every day, don’t make the same mistakes, and I think you’ll be alright. That’s the message I pass to them.”
