Patriots' Kyle Van Noy: Rams only ran one new play in Super Bowl

He might not be well known to NFL fans at large, but New England Patriots fans know linebacker Kyle Van Noy — acquired basically for free from the Detroit Lions at the 2016 trade deadline — has been a big part of the defense the last two years, and has a knack for making plays at the right time.

Van Noy is getting a little shine after winning his second Super Bowl ring with New England, appearing on the “Pardon My Take” podcast on Thursday to dish on all things Patriots and Super Bowl LIII.

‘Not one wrinkle’

One thing that Van Noy revealed: the Los Angeles Rams didn’t do anything surprising during the game on offense.

“I couldn’t believe that,” Van Noy said. “They really didn’t do — not one wrinkle. I was like, ‘What the hell?’ They’ve got so many good players, they’ve got so many things they’ve done all year, and the one play they gave us which was a wrinkle was the [Brandin] Cooks screen that hit for a little bit.

“And that was it… Or maybe too, we were playing so good they were like, ‘[Expletive], we don’t know what to do.’ ”

Hindsight, of course, is 20-20, but given that the Patriots’ coaching staff is known for having its players prepared for any and everything, it seems unwise that Los Angeles didn’t add some new plays or looks to try to stump New England.

New England culture aids winning

Van Noy said the Patriots’ culture, specifically coach Bill Belichick’s practice of not sparing anyone in the film room, even Tom Brady, is part of why the team continues to win.

“Oh yeah. Yeah, that [stuff is] sick, to be honest, because it sets the table,” Van Noy said. “Like, OK, it doesn’t matter who you are, everyone’s on an even playing field. This is how it is here at work. You come in and you earn everything.

“And I respect that because I felt like that gave me a chance to get on the field when I came in mid-year, and [Belichick] was like, ‘It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. You earn your keep.’ ”

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