Aiken has started seven games at receiver this season and caught 20 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. When Wes Welker was lost for the season with a left knee injury, Aiken’s importance to the offense became magnified as the Patriots prepare for tomorrow’s playoff game against the Ravens.
The same is true for Isaiah Stanback, a third-year receiver who joined the Patriots in September after being released by the Cowboys. After several weeks on the practice squad, he was activated Nov. 14 and has started two games, catching three passes for 22 yards. Now, perhaps, he will play a role in helping to replace Welker.
“It’s unfortunate what happened with Wes. He’s a big part of this team and this organization, but guys need to step up,’’ Stanback said. “It’s just a matter of who it is. Guys like myself and Sam, we have to be ready.’’
For Tom Brady, this is where he hopes the backups come to play. He has been working with Julian Edelman, Aiken, and Stanback in practice and has faith in their talent.
“We have quite a bit of depth,’’ Brady said. “I think the way that Coach [Bill] Belichick builds the roster, he’s really interested in depth throughout the entire 53. If a guy goes down, another guy has got to step in and fill the void. We’ve got good quarterbacks here. We have good running backs, certainly, receivers [and] a great group of offensive linemen who have all played. Pretty much everybody on offense this year has played.
“Obviously, you never want to lose a guy who has 123 catches, but hopefully a lot of the work that we put in over the course of the year can kind of lessen the blow.’’
One sign of Aiken’s newfound fame came earlier this week when somebody created a fictitious Twitter account using his name. It has since been deleted.
“Just what I need,’’ said Aiken, knowing Belichick would not take well to one of his players micro-blogging from inside the protective shell of Gillette Stadium. “But it’s not me.’’
