Matt Patricia worked magic with Kyle Van Noy; can he for Detroit Lions?

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Kyle Van Noy has a corner locker now, one of the special stalls every NFL team reserves for its esteemed vets. More room to dress, less chance of someone else's interviews intruding on your personal space.

Van Noy has a green dot on the back of his helmet, too. With Dont'a Hightower out for the season after Week 7 with a torn pectoral muscle, Van Noy has taken over as the New England Patriots' primary defensive communicator.

He relays plays from defensive coordinator Matt Patricia — the future Detroit Lions coach — to the rest of the unit, and helps set alignments in the front seven.

Fifteen months ago, when Van Noy was toiling away as a part-time player in Detroit, no one could have predicted the 2014 second-round pick would become such an important part of the league's best team.

But last year's midseason trade to the Patriots, for a minor upgrade in draft picks, has done wonders for Van Noy's career, and Van Noy said Patricia is partly to thank.

"(It's) opportunity and schemes. Coaching. Players. Belief more, belief in myself," Van Noy said when asked what has fueled his rise. "I mean, I just feel like, being here I’ve taken on the challenge and the opportunity that they’ve placed me with and I feel like I’ve capitalized on all of it."

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Van Noy certainly has had more opportunity in New England than he did in Detroit. He missed half of his rookie season with a sports hernia, was a backup in Year 2 and played as essentially the team's third linebacker before his trade last season.

And he has learned from a solid cast of veterans, like Hightower and Devin McCourty, and before them, Rob Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard.

But don't underestimate the role coaching has played in his development.

The Patriots have long been known for their ability to squeeze production out of players scorned in other parts of the league.

They rarely have the best pass rushers, but always generate plenty of sacks. They routinely rank in the top 10 in scoring defense, as they have in each of Patricia's six seasons as coordinator, but aren't stacked with Pro Bowlers. And some of their most important defensive players in their nearly two decades of dominance have been castoffs like Ninkovich, Mike Vrabel and now Van Noy.

Van Noy, the Patriots' third-leading tackler this season with 73 total tackles, and second-leading sack generator with 5 1/2, spoke earnestly when asked about Patricia on Thursday.

"Great coach," Van Noy said. "I respect him a lot. Really smart. And I’m really grateful to have him as a coach. He’s helped me out a lot."

Van Noy, who signed a two-year contract extension at the start of this season, was a role player in the Patriots' Super Bowl run last year, and has expanded his game to include just about every role this season.

He began the year as a starting outside linebacker, added some middle linebacker duties as the season went on, and factors into gameplans now as both a rusher and in coverage.

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In last week's divisional-round win over the Tennessee Titans, Van Noy saw his most extensive action since suffering what he called a "significant" calf injury in early December. He had two tackles, but played more snaps (45) than any other linebacker.

Van Noy said Patricia has helped him see "the whole game of football, not just (focus) on little things but (see) the bigger picture and what teams are trying to do."

"I think it’s just a collective of things from the awareness to how smart he is and what he expects," Van Noy said. "It’s a high standard and some people love it and some people don’t. And I think for those that don’t, (they) aren’t here. And that’s awesome cause we want to make it a competitive, fun environment and as players we relish that, especially here."

With the AFC championship game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Van Noy was hesitant to talk too much about the pending marriage between his current coach and old team.

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He cut short one media session to follow James Harrison into a meeting, then said he didn't want to answer any more Patricia questions upon his return.

So far, no former teammates have reached out to ask Van Noy about Patricia, and Patricia hasn't picked his brain about coming to Detroit, either.

With the Lions, Patricia will be expected to upgrade a defense that excelled at creating turnovers this season but struggled to keep teams out of the end zone and stop the run. He'll inherit a handful of top-line defensive players, including cornerback Darius Slay and safety Glover Quin, plus a handful of young players — Jarrad Davis, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Teez Tabor and Miles Killebrew — who he will have to coax the potential out of.

“If he’s the coach, he’s a good person and a good coach," Van Noy said.

And if he's the coach, Van Noy said the Lions' defense will be in the same category, too.

"It’s going to be good," Van Noy said.

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Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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