New England Patriots punt returner Myles Bryant is still working on his craft, and growing pains have ensued as a result.
Bryant has clearly had trouble fielding punts. He muffed punts in his last two contests against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. His return against the Steelers forced him to go into the back of the end zone. Fortunately for the Patriots, that particular punt return did not lead to points for the opposition.
Nevertheless, it has been a frustrating debut season for Bryant as a punt returner. However, his teammates have his back, including special teams captain Matthew Slater. He voiced his support for Bryant when speaking to reporters on Monday, as transcribed by Dakota Randall of NESN.com.
“We stick by him,” said Slater. “Look, I’ve been there as a returner — muffed balls, fumbled balls. I think it’s important for him to know that we have a lot of confidence in him. And he needs to maintain his confidence in himself. And this is part of it: There are some growing pains when you’re doing something in the NFL that you’ve never done before.”
“Thankfully, like you said, it hasn’t been too costly. But we need to continue to improve, and I hope he knows that all the guys have his back.”
The Patriots have options for punt returner, as rookie Marcus Jones was thought to be in the conversation during training camp. The reviews on Jones as a returner were strong, although Belichick ultimately went with Bryant.
Bryant will have a chance to redeem himself when the Patriots take on the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET.
