BYU football: Kyle Van Noy signs two-year extension with Patriots

Former BYU football linebacker Kyle Van Noy has seemingly found an NFL home in New England with the Patriots. He just signed a two-year deal.

BYU football’s Kyle Van Noy never seemed to be the right fit with the Detroit Lions. After letting him go for pennies on the dollar, Bill Belichick turned him into a vital part of the New England Patriots’ defense.

Now the former Cougar will be a Patriots for the foreseeable future, inking a two-year extension with New England.

Van Noy played quite a bit for the Patriots last season, coming on as a nice middle linebacker next to Dont’a Hightower. KVN’s coverage skills made him valuable next to the run stopper. But, as the season went on, the Patriots used KVN as a pass rusher.

It was a successful move, as the former Cougar picked up a sack in New England’s comeback Super Bowl win over Atlanta. On the season, KVN played in 58 percent of New England’s defensive snaps.

Last week against Kansas City, KVN saw his role increase again. He was relaying the defensive play calls and was played in all 69 defensive snaps.

After Hightower departed, KVN continued calling the defense. He didn’t play a perfect game, but it was an off night for the Patriots, who were decimated with injuries. He finished with six tackles.

In any event, it’s nice to see Belichick’s faith in him paying dividends.

It always looked like KVN could be a quality NFL player. But after floundering in Detroit, things weren’t looking good. It just goes to show you what a huge difference coaching can make in the NFL.

The terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but congrats to Van Noy.