Van Noy, Harris ready to pick things up in wake of Hightower injury

FOXBOROUGH — Both Kyle Van Noy and David Harris knew they’d be in demand Thursday afternoon.

The pair of linebackers, both of whom will likely see more responsibility following what appears to be a season-ending injury to veteran Dont’a Hightower, met the media after the walkthrough. And while neither one of them gave away any state secrets, they sound like a pair of defenders who are ready to be a part of a group that takes on an additional workload.


“It’s going to take a full unit. Dont’a is a special player and he does a lot for this team. It’s going to take a group effort,” Van Noy said when he was asked about what it will take moving forward. “As a unit, everyone has to step up and hold each other accountable and get on the right page.

“There’s really no conversation needed. Everyone knows what they need to do.”

Van Noy has seen extended time over the first seven games of the season, and his game has evolved to a point where he was trusted to wear the green dot on his helmet to make many of the defensive calls. Going forward, communication will be even more paramount when you remove a second-team All Pro like Hightower from the mix.

“(Communication is) definitely getting better, but it’s going to take a full group,” Van Noy said. “(Hightower is) the leader of this team and the defense, and so we know what we have to do to full that spot.”

As for Harris, he feels the same way. The veteran, who played sparingly prior to last Sunday’s win over the Falcons, said he’s ready to be a part of any group who might be asked to pick up where Hightower left off.

“That’s terrible news for a guy like Hightower to go with that injury and be out for the year,” Harris said. “He’s one of the captains of this team. To lose a guy like that is a huge blow for this team. But as a linebacker group, we have to fill his place, which is going to be tough to do.

“Each one of us have to step up,” he added. “We hate to lose a guy like that, but it’s on all of us to step up, myself included. Injuries are part of the sport, unfortunately, and it’s always next man up.”

Harris said it “felt good” to be out there for as long as he did in the win over the Falcons, and could also be in line for an expanded leadership role with Hightower done for the year.

“We have a lot of veterans in this locker room and a lot of guys who have played a lot of ball, myself included,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of guys go down over the course of my career, but Hightower is a special guy in this locker room.”