Who wouldn't want to come to the New England Patriots and compete for a Super Bowl, you ask?
Kyle Van Noy, for one. And he had a pretty good reason.
The veteran linebacker was in his third season with the Lions when Detroit traded him to the Patriots in October 2016. In a recent interview with Kristine Leahy for FS1's "Fair Game," Van Noy admitted he didn't take the news well at first.
"I was pissed,” Van Noy told Leahy. "I was mad because I felt like finally I got a breakthrough. I’d been injured early in Detroit. I’m finally starting, had my chance. I was doing good things. I wasn’t doing amazing, but I felt like I was progressing.
"And then I got traded to a team that had at the time, (Rob) Ninkovich, Jabaal Sheard, Jamie Collins, (Dont’a) Hightower, Shea McClellin. And then, 'where am I going to fit?' type of deal. I felt like I was going back to the bench and I worked so hard to get healthy and finally be a starter in the NFL."
We can see where Van Noy is coming from. After starting seven games for Detroit in 2016, he was inactive for his first two games with the Patriots and was backing up McClellin when he finally saw the field.
New England Patriots
Fortunately for Van Noy, we know how this story unfolds: New England found a role for the versatile linebacker, who started 12 games in 2017 and all 16 games in 2018 while helping the Patriots win two Super Bowl titles during his two-plus-year tenure.
Ironically, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said earlier this week that Detroit's defensive scheme may not have been a great fit for Van Noy compared to New England. That's turned out to be true, as both Van Noy and the Patriots have benefited from their time spent together.
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