Kyle Van Noy on Patriots captain Devin McCourty: ‘What Dev has taught me, money can’t buy’

As Kyle Van Noy went from the New England Patriots to the Miami Dolphins in March, he packed lessons from former teammate Devin McCourty along with him.

The 29-year-old linebacker explained last week during an appearance on Bleacher Report’s The Lefkoe Show.

“He’s like my older, little brother,” Van Noy said of New England’s All-Decade safety. “I mean, him and J-Mac [Jason McCourty] kind of took me under their wings a little bit, and I talk to them almost every day. But what Dev has taught me, money can’t buy. That’s how powerful his leadership is. That’s how powerful he is on the field.”

Van Noy arrived in New England by way of the Detroit Lions at the 2016 NFL trade deadline. He went on to start 45 games for the defense in the regular season and an additional seven games in the postseason.

During his stay, McCourty didn’t miss one.

“His knowledge of the game and life is amazing,” added Van Noy, who notched a career-high 6.5 sacks last season before signing a four-year, $51 million pact with Miami. “... To be able to be a coach on the field, calling every play right, knowing what the opponent’s going to do – it’s crazy to even describe because it goes unnoticed, which is crazy, too. I think I saw a stat the other day of like how many snaps he’s taken in the last decade, and it is disgusting.”

Since Van Noy entered the league in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Brigham Young, McCourty has played north of 5,900 snaps in the New England secondary.

The Pro Bowler and All-Pro has served as a team captain for the past nine campaigns.

“It’s really impressive, and it goes to show you I’m going to shout ‘em out the Rutgers way,” Van Noy said. “The Rutgers guys, they always brag about it. But really, he’s really remarkable in what he does. And I think, to me, a lot of safeties are that one-dimensional, one-trick pony, but he can do it all. He can play man-to-man. He can play in the box. Does he want to? Maybe not, but he’ll do it. And he does it really good. You want to play him middle post? He can do it. He can do it all.”

McCourty, set to turn 33 in August, is under contract through 2021 with void years through 2024.