FOXBORO, Mass. — After Rex Burkhead crossed the goal line in overtime Sunday to send the New England Patriots to Super Bowl LIII, Tom Brady ripped off his helmet, threw his hands into the air and jumped into the arms of linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who’d sprinted onto the field to join the celebration.
Three days later, Van Noy, who joined the Patriots via trade midway through the 2016 season, shared an entertaining story about his first interaction with the superstar quarterback.
“It was actually funny,” Van Noy said Wednesday in a news conference at Gillette Stadium. “I was super tired that day because I flew in super late from Detroit coming in. So I think I got in at 1 that night, and I got (to Gillette) at about 5:30 in the morning. Time had went on, I had some meetings, but then it was right before the team meeting, and I had to run to go to the restroom because I was in meetings for so long.
“I’m washing my hands or whatever, and I get done, and Tom comes up and kind of shakes my hand like, ‘Hi, I’m Tom Brady.’ And I’m like, ‘You’re an idiot. Of course.’
“But those little things are why he’s where he’s at. Those little things that people don’t pay attention to, those detailed things, that just separates him. He’s very good at what he does, he’s very detailed, and that’s what makes him Tom.”
Van Noy has good reason to trust in Brady. Since being discarded by the Detroit Lions two years ago, he’s reached three consecutive Super Bowls as a member of the Patriots.
