FOXBORO, Mass. — Fear of another Philly Special earned Kyle Van Noy a 15-yard penalty this past Sunday.
During the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots’ 16-10 win over the Buffalo Bills, Van Noy sensed a trick play coming after Bills backup quarterback fired a backward pass to receiver John Brown. In order to prevent Barkley from leaking out to catch a pass, a la Nick Foles in Super Bowl LII, Van Noy leveled him, knocking the QB to the ground with a hard hit from behind.
In the moment, the linebacker believed he’d made a heady play. The officials disagreed.
Cornerback Jason McCourty broke up Brown’s pass to running back T.J. Yeldon at the goal line, but Van Noy was flagged for unnecessary roughness, giving Buffalo an automatic first down.
Asked about the penalty Wednesday, Van Noy admitted it was ill-advised but said his intentions were pure. He even reached out to Barkley to apologize.
“I mean, when you’ve been hit with that dumb Philly Special, that’s an everlasting thought in your mind,” Van Noy lamented. “You don’t want that to happen again. I actually reached out to Matt, because I feel like I’m good friends with him, and I apologized. That’s what I kind of told him. I hope that he didn’t see it as a cheap shot. It was more like that play is forever engrained.
“I think going back, I think he’s not eligible under center. I think it’s just shotgun. But (the chance of a pass to the QB) is still in the head. So at the end of the day, it’s a bone-headed play by me.”
He added: “I felt like I just pushed him. I felt like when he threw the ball, he took a couple half baby steps back. I was running full speed, and I saw him throw the ball across, so I felt like I just pushed him. But I’ve got to be more aware.”
The penalty moved the Bills inside the Patriots’ 10-yard line, but New England’s defense proceeded to force a turnover on downs. Buffalo failed to score points on any of its final six possessions, two of which ended in interceptions.
Van Noy, who racked up eight tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles in the win to earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, said Barkley accepted his apology.
“Oh yeah, we’re cool,” he said. “If I saw him, I’m sure he’d give me a hard time about it, and I’d give him a hard time like, ‘Now, don’t mess with me.’ But I felt like I needed to (apologize) just so he knows I don’t hate him or something like that.”
