SALT LAKE CITY — One of former BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy’s new teammates with the Miami Dolphins has lived an unorthodox NFL life — quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The journeyman signal-caller started 13 games for the Dolphins last year, his eighth team in his 15-year pro career. Fitzpatrick, a Harvard graduate, is the first quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a single game against five different teams, one of a handful of unique NFL records he holds that speak to his ability to adapt and thrive.
His personality has Van Noy excited to see Fitzpatrick, nicknamed FitzMagic, in his locker room this upcoming season.
“I’m ready for FitzMagic, baby,” Van Noy said during an appearance on Devin and Jason McCourty’s Double Coverage Podcast last weekend. “I’m excited to see the chains. I’m excited to see all of it. His personality rubs off on people, just how he is as a person. He knows who he is as a person, as a quarterback and his confidence level. I’m excited to see that.”
Van Noy also called out a few of his fellow defenders he’s looking forward to playing with.
“I’m also excited to see (defensive tackle Christian) Wilkins. He’s got a lot of energy. He’s a clown. I don’t know if you guys saw when they scored that touchdown. He be clowning. I like that. And definitely I’d have to say (cornerbacks) Byron (Jones) and (Xavien) Howard. They’re going to be exciting,” he said.
Before free agency opened, Van Noy — who spent the past 31⁄2 seasons playing for New England, winning two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots — said he was looking for a team who would make it a priority to sign him. He found a willing partner in Miami, who will pay Van Noy $51 million, including $30 million guaranteed, on a four-year contract, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
“Obviously there were a lot of unknowns, but I was confident in my play. And it was Miami all the way,” he told the McCourty brothers. “I mean, they came out strong out of the gates. They made it clear they wanted me as a priority, that they wanted me to come in and be a leader. And really just came strong and everybody else kind of backed off or didn’t even come in at all. So that made my decision pretty clear.”
Van Noy will be reunited in Miami with his former Patriots position coach, second-year Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
“I respect him as a coach — what he brings to the table, what he’s all about on the field and off,” Van Noy said during his introductory press conference last week. “… The type of attitude he has, the grit he has, the competitiveness he has. 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.”
Van Noy is currently in California training for the upcoming season and talked to the media via a Zoom videoconference, as the coronavirus pandemic has brought on social distancing and large gathering restrictions that keep NFL teams, like all other sports, from making concrete plans at this point. The veteran linebacker said he’s looking forward to working with his new teammates whenever that becomes a possibility.
Van Noy became a versatile piece in the middle of the Patriots defense over the past couple of seasons, playing a variety of roles, from inside linebacker to an edge rusher, for New England. He expects the same kind of fit in the Dolphins’ defensive system.
“I’ve said it before, I don’t really consider myself having a position — I don’t like being called a D-end or a linebacker, 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,” he said.
As a veteran heading into his eighth NFL season, Van Noy also envisions himself in a leadership role with the Dolphins.
“I’m going to be one of the older players on this team, and I hope I can just help out the young guys, not just as football players but as people, too. I hope I can show them the right way how to be a professional,” he said.