Patriots notebook: Kyle Van Noy promises players will be ready for Titans
"We have a chance to go on a revenge tour."
FOXBOROUGH — Saturday’s wild-card game against the Titans marks the start of a revenge tour, according to Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
“What better way to start off with Tennessee, who we lost to last year?’’ Van Noy said Monday at Gillette Stadium. “It’s a big motivation. We weren’t happy about our performance. They’re coming into our house. What better way to get it started for the playoffs?’’
The Titans trounced the Patriots in Week 10 last season, racking up 34 points behind two rushing touchdowns from running back Derrick Henry and two in the air from quarterback Marcus Mariota. Ryan Tannehill has since replaced Mariota, who was benched after Week 6 this season, but Van Noy sounded ready to avenge the loss regardless of who is on the field.
“We’re excited for the challenge,’’ he said.
If the Patriots beat the Titans and advance to the divisional round, they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs, who seized the first-round bye from the Patriots thanks to a tie-breaking victory in Week 14 this season. If the Patriots then advance to the AFC Championship game, they’ll potentially face the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens, another team they lost to in the regular season this year.
The ingredients for a revenge tour are certainly in place, but Van Noy’s not looking too far ahead. He’s dialed in on checking off that first box: beating the Titans. Van Noy emphasized the importance of playing “Patriot football,’’ especially after Sunday’s disappointing performance against the Dolphins.
“You got to turn the page,’’ Van Noy said. “We’re in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter how hot the teams are, how cold the teams are going into the playoffs. Right now, we’re just focused on us going into this game against the Titans. What a great opportunity we have.’’
Film study
The Patriots will take a look at the film from their joint preseason practices with the Titans, though its value has decreased over time.
“There’s a lot of water under the bridge since then,’’ coach Bill Belichick said on a conference call Monday morning. “I think a lot of things are more relevant as we look at the more recent games and the season that’s gone on.’’
Looking back at those summer sessions is not completely useless, though, Belichick noted. He likened the situation to that of two years ago, when the Patriots and Jaguars held joint preseason practices before eventually facing off in the AFC Championship game.
“There’s certainly some worth looking at,’’ Belichick said. “Those are the matchups, so it’ll be a part of it.’’
A results business
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said playoff experience will not influence the distribution of targets on Saturday.
“We certainly don’t discriminate when it gets to this time of the year about what we want to do and where we want to do it, who we want to do it with,’’ McDaniels said. “I don’t really care about age and all the rest of that stuff.’’
According to McDaniels, the most important thing players, whether rookies or veterans, can do is put themselves in positions where they are able to execute.
“Trying doesn’t matter,’’ he said. “What matters is results.’’
McDaniels said the goal is always to find “the guy that has the best chance for success on each play,’’ noting that determination is often contingent upon what the defense brings. Sharing the ball should come naturally if the team is making the correct read.
“For a really good chunk of [Sunday’s] game, [the Dolphins] chose to double-team Julian [Edelman], so certainly, to try to throw the ball into double coverage for a majority of the day is not a good formula,’’ McDaniels said. “We don’t get to pick, necessarily, where everything is going to go.’’
“It’s not like we’re trying to throw a certain number of passes to a certain player or anything like that,’’ echoed Belichick. “That’s never really been the case.’’
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