The New England Patriots have been, by far, the most successful franchise in the NFL in recent years, and they have been one of the best organizations in professional sports in general.

Since 2001, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls and have been to nine of them. They have also won 16 of the 18 possible AFC East division titles during that span.

So, just how has New England been able to maintain its level of excellence?

Pats linebacker Kyle Van Noy says it all starts with the head coach.

“Bill (Belichick) does a really good job of the culture being set with the players that have been there for their tenures,” Van Noy told Willie McGinnest on NFL Network. “Like Patrick Chung, Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty, Tom (Brady), they’ve been there for a while, Matthew Slater. Those guys have already been passed on from your generation, the standard, and we’re just trying to keep that legacy going.”

Van Noy joined the Patriots midway through the 2016 campaign and has been to three straight Super Bowls with the club, winning two of them.

“When that culture is set, it doesn’t matter,” added Van Noy. “We all have the same goal in mind, and that’s just to win.”

The 28-year-old is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he played all 16 games and totaled 92 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, a couple of fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown.

Van Noy, who played his collegiate football at BYU, was originally selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round (40th pick overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.