It isn’t often that a four-game suspension is a
good thing but it just might be the case for Brian
Tyms. The young wide receiver will need to continue putting on the kind of
performance we saw Thursday night in Washington (5 catches, 119 yards and a
TD). That won’t be easy. Getting opportunities will be a challenge as the
starters get their reps in the upcoming games. As I understand this (from what
I’ve read about Brandon Browner’s four-game stint in the pigskin pokey), Tyms
would not count against the Patriots final 53 for the first four weeks of the
season. That’s four weeks to wait and see what happens with New England’s somewhat
fragile wide receiver corps; Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson
all have injury histories. Edelman played all sixteen for the first time in his
career in 2013. Amendola is the pigskin spokesperson for the Affordable Care
Act. Dobson broke his foot part way through his rookie season and has yet to
put on pads in 2014. On top of that, the jury is still out on maddeningly
inconsistent Kenbrell Thompkins and Josh Boyce, who may have just a little too
much Joey Galloway in him.
Sometimes players just click. It will be
interesting to see if Tyms can continue to be Jimmy Garoppolo’s binky.
Tyms is a great story but there are a million
great stories in the NFL preseason. Maybe we just saw the greatest game of
Brian Tyms professional life last Thursday night. Maybe we saw something else.
I’ll be pulling for him. I love a redemption story.
