Patriots: Kyle Van Noy’s latest shots at Pats don’t really make sense
By Adam Weinrib
What is former Patriots LB Kyle Van Noy talking about?
The New England Patriots entered 2020 with a decent chance to contend for the AFC East, centered around electric QB Cam Newton and his entirely new set of skills.
But still, things were poised to be quite different. Newton’s ebullience was subbed in for Tom Brady’s stoicism (and pregame screaming), and the defensive exodus was massive, from opt outs like Dont’a Hightower to free agent departures like Kyle Van Noy, who parlayed his breakout in New England into a multi-year deal with Brian Flores in Miami.
Ever since Van Noy left, though, he’s had a propensity for taking shots at his old organization — as have a few other Dolphins. And after finally (thankfully) eliminating the long-shot Patriots from playoff contention on Sunday, the LB got some more chirping in.
Only this time, we can’t totally figure out what he’s upset about.
Kyle Van Noy tells @AlbertBreer "I think the honeymoon's over" with regards to the #Patriots. pic.twitter.com/5rFlyTc9cD
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) December 21, 2020
We’re all for trolling the Patriots. We get it. We’ve been the gold standard for two decades, and now we’ve lost some football games. Have your fun.
But what exactly was Van Noy talking about? Was he so disrespected on the way out of New England that he felt the need to grasp for any excuse to take shots at his old, descending team? Were the Dolphins really that offended that the Patriots celebrated…beating them in Week 1? Winning football games is a pretty big accomplishment! At the time, the Pats were 1-0! They had no idea what would follow.
And, beyond all that, what’s he actually saying? It sort of sounds like what an “Automatic Trash Talk Translator” would spit out. “Honeymoon” from what? From the offseason? Regular season football is a long, extended vacation?
Maybe I'm the bozo here, but I don't get it. https://t.co/lFhUFZZxCE
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) December 21, 2020
And…Kyle…what is this regarding?
The changing of the guard in the AFC East is certainly allowing plenty of previously-silent folks to act very aggrieved, and they might as well get their chirps in this season, no matter how confusing they are.
After all, Bill Belichick’s cap space has all magically reappeared ahead of 2021, and Van Noy’s team is likely to lose their playoff spot to the hard-charging Ravens anyway.
In other words, January might be quite a nice time for a honeymoon.