eball Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Anyone who has paid attention to my posts over the last three years knows I've been a big Aiken (Sam, not Clay) supporter; I watched him play for four years at UNC and "knew" he had skills. It appears as though he is now entering the prime of his career -- still pretty young at 25 -- and has a real chance to crack the lineup as a starting wideout, while having already established himself (in the words of Bobby April) as a "Pro Bowl-caliber player" on ST. Aiken has the big body missing from the Bills' WR corps with Moulds' departure, and it seems he has finally started using that to his advantage on the field. Sorry for the "unbridled optimism" this a.m.; it just makes me feel good to see a player's hard work pay off -- particularly when I've kept my eye on him for a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayFinkle Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I agree. I think the kid is a player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdh1 Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Anyone who has paid attention to my posts over the last three years knows I've been a big Aiken (Sam, not Clay) supporter; I watched him play for four years at UNC and "knew" he had skills. It appears as though he is now entering the prime of his career -- still pretty young at 25 -- and has a real chance to crack the lineup as a starting wideout, while having already established himself (in the words of Bobby April) as a "Pro Bowl-caliber player" on ST. Aiken has the big body missing from the Bills' WR corps with Moulds' departure, and it seems he has finally started using that to his advantage on the field. Sorry for the "unbridled optimism" this a.m.; it just makes me feel good to see a player's hard work pay off -- particularly when I've kept my eye on him for a few years. 745297[/snapback] I watched him play a lot in person at UNC. He was a man among boys most of the time, except when they played Florida State. I'd love to hear Chris Berman say "Sam "Clay" Aiken" when doing highlights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I am going to go out on a limb here, and predict that Aiken will win us at least 1 game this year. He should be entering his prime as a wideout, and his special teams play is off the charts. Plus, this young man looks like he filled out. I would wager that he added between 5 and 10 lbs this year, and it looks to be muscle. I have seen posts that question whether or not he will make the team. That said, if he is cut, he will sign with another team in less than an hour. The Bills were constructed in a strange way. Their strength seems to be on special teams, and in the secondary. I cannot remember any superbowl team (this doesn't mean that it never happened) where the secondary was the strongest unit on both sides of the ball. The 1977 superbowl Raiders (imo one of the best teams ever) were peculiar in the fact that their best unit on DEFENSE was the secondary. On offense, they were great at virtually every position except RB, but their OL was so good and the team was so well balanced that even the rbs gained good yardage, including backups. Special teams however have clearly gained in importance. Because of the lack of depth caused by free agency, many of these teams are about the same in terms of talent imo. A player like Aiken who gets downfield and crushes opponents (after a great kick from Moorman) offers the Bills much needed field position. To make a long story short, I think that many people view special teams as simply kickers and punt returners. Today, guys like Aiken, Haggan, Stamer, Burns, and even Wire are gaining importance imo as they make tackles and force fumbles. As much as I loathe his draft strategy, I credit Levy for seeing this a long time ago, and point to Tasker and Pike as examples. Couple this with a great ST coach, and one can see how we might pull out a victory or 2 via special teams. Sgt. e-ball, I am sorry to have mixed in a bit of negativity to this otherwise positive post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I doubt it will happen but other players have gone from special team standouts to star players. Hines Ward and London Fletcher come to mind. Hey, you never know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 I am going to go out on a limb here, and predict that Aiken will win us at least 1 game this year. He should be entering his prime as a wideout, and his special teams play is off the charts. Plus, this young man looks like he filled out. I would wager that he added between 5 and 10 lbs this year, and it looks to be muscle. I have seen posts that question whether or not he will make the team. That said, if he is cut, he will sign with another team in less than an hour. The Bills were constructed in a strange way. Their strength seems to be on special teams, and in the secondary. I cannot remember any superbowl team (this doesn't mean that it never happened) where the secondary was the strongest unit on both sides of the ball. The 1977 superbowl Raiders (imo one of the best teams ever) were peculiar in the fact that their best unit on DEFENSE was the secondary. On offense, they were great at virtually every position except RB, but their OL was so good and the team was so well balanced that even the rbs gained good yardage, including backups. Special teams however have clearly gained in importance. Because of the lack of depth caused by free agency, many of these teams are about the same in terms of talent imo. A player like Aiken who gets downfield and crushes opponents (after a great kick from Moorman) offers the Bills much needed field position. To make a long story short, I think that many people view special teams as simply kickers and punt returners. Today, guys like Aiken, Haggan, Stamer, Burns, and even Wire are gaining importance imo as they make tackles and force fumbles. As much as I loathe his draft strategy, I credit Levy for seeing this a long time ago, and point to Tasker and Pike as examples. Couple this with a great ST coach, and one can see how we might pull out a victory or 2 via special teams. Sgt. e-ball, I am sorry to have mixed in a bit of negativity to this otherwise positive post. 745966[/snapback] As you were, Bill. No apology necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLuca1967 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I am going to go out on a limb here, and predict that Aiken will win us at least 1 game this year. Who wins us the other game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I very much want to root for Sam.... The problem is...every time he has gotten a chance in a game (as a receiver) he has found a way to screw it up....I remember at least one touchdown right in his hands that he dropped last year. Yes he is one of the better ST's guys I have seen.....but in order to become a fixture on our team he needs to start making REGULAR SEASON plays as a wide reciever.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Anyone who has paid attention to my posts over the last three years knows I've been a big Aiken (Sam, not Clay) supporter; I watched him play for four years at UNC and "knew" he had skills. It appears as though he is now entering the prime of his career -- still pretty young at 25 -- and has a real chance to crack the lineup as a starting wideout, while having already established himself (in the words of Bobby April) as a "Pro Bowl-caliber player" on ST. Aiken has the big body missing from the Bills' WR corps with Moulds' departure, and it seems he has finally started using that to his advantage on the field. Sorry for the "unbridled optimism" this a.m.; it just makes me feel good to see a player's hard work pay off -- particularly when I've kept my eye on him for a few years. 745297[/snapback] The unbridled optimism about A8iken is great to see. Misguided yes and a prediction that is quite unlikely to come true that he will be a starting WR, but it is fun to see. i wish i had seen this thread earlier as I just posted a topic that a Bills Daily headline which offered that Aiken's play is putting PP and the other WRs on the hotseat (or hotsear as my fumbling fingers typed in the subject line). I am quite impressed with Aiken;s play in our lone game and in practice. I also think that Bill from NYC may be right that Aiken's play this year is responsible for a W. However, I think this W will come from extraordinary ST play which he does so well and not from his work as a wideout. Aiken is a possession receiver who can threaten Josh Reed in a competition for the #4 WR spot, but what Evans, PP, and Parrish bring to 3 WR sets is scary speed which will cause a lot of trouble for individual DBs and scheme choices for DCs. If the QB can do a good read and figure out which player will be singled up and run this receiver on a fly pattern, then the QB will only need to loft the ball up so that it reaches an agreed upon yardage at a particular point in time and the WR will have a huge advantage on the DB who not being able to back-pedal and stay with the speedy reciever will need to read the WRs eyes or simply try to catch up with him as he runs under the ball. I simply do not see Aiken having the speed to force a DB to give him much separation or to force every DB to have to turn his back completely on the throw to stay in Aiken's grill. My sense is that if Aiken continues his performance at this level, it really pushes Nance to the PS as Aiken is only an inch shorter than he is and he can play the possession role. He also can actually hope to surpass Josh Reed as our #4 WR. I just do not see him having the stuff to become our #2 or even to force his way into the 3 WR sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDH Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 The Bills were constructed in a strange way. Their strength seems to be on special teams, and in the secondary. I cannot remember any superbowl team (this doesn't mean that it never happened) where the secondary was the strongest unit on both sides of the ball. The 1977 superbowl Raiders (imo one of the best teams ever) were peculiar in the fact that their best unit on DEFENSE was the secondary. On offense, they were great at virtually every position except RB, but their OL was so good and the team was so well balanced that even the rbs gained good yardage, including backups. 745966[/snapback] Having a rookie at SS and an old Vincet at FS (who struggled mightily last year) doesn't equate to the "stregnth of the D" imo. As long as Spikes can get back to 90% of his production pre-injury the strength of the D is the LB corps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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