'Stick to Boxing': Kyle Van Noy Has Had Enough of Max Kellerman's Bad Patriots Takes

As Tom Brady proved Sunday, the New England Patriots don't live in a bubble. They're well aware that some people think they "suck."

On Wednesday, Kyle Van Noy took a stand against one of Brady's most ardent critics.

During an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Zolak & Bertrand," Van Noy commended co-host Scott Zolak for firing back at ESPN's Max Kellerman, who actually said Brady was the worst quarterback left in the playoffs after the AFC Wild Card Round.

Van Noy then delivered this message for Kellerman:

Well maybe, because everybody says we need to stick to football, he needs to stick to his boxing or whatever he does, his commentating.

That's what Kellerman might call a knockout punch.

Van Noy's comments continue quite a back-and-forth between Kellerman and the Pats. After the "First Take" co-host (who also has covered boxing for ESPN and HBO) recently stood by his years-old take that Brady is "falling off a cliff", the team responded with a clever social media video assuring that Brady and the Patriots are very much still here, which they demonstrated by dismantling the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Divisional Round.

It sounds like Van Noy doesn't mind the criticism, though.

"We enjoy being the underdog," he added. "We hear people (say), 'Guys are old. The linebackers are slow.' But at the end of the day, we believe the guys in our room that we have. ... We know what we're capable of."

New England indeed will be an underdog Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.