ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A scary moment as Patriots wide receiver Sam Aiken slammed his head into the turf trying to make a reception in the fourth quarter.

Aiken's head bounced hard off the ground and he was immediately attended to by trainers. After a few minutes, he was able to walk off the field under his own power. He has been taken to the locker room.

Official word from the Patriots is Aiken has a head injury, he will not return.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Some quick-hit thoughts from the Patriots’ inactive players:

1. Quarterback Tom Brady, who was questionable with right shoulder/right finger/rib injuries, is active as expected.

2. Rookie offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer (head) and rookie receiver Julian Edelman (forearm) are active after both did not play in the last two games.

3. Veteran cornerback Shawn Springs, who did not play in the team’s last four games, is active.

4. With interior sub rusher Myron Pryor (chest) out, the Patriots have Titus Adams replacing him on the 45-man game-day roster. With Ron Brace also inactive, the team has Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Jarvis Green, Mike Wright and Adams atop the defensive line depth chart.

5. With special teams captain Sam Aiken inactive, Edelman projects as the No. 3 receiver. Aiken’s special teams duties will likely be split up, with safety Pat Chung one player to watch in some of those key roles.

6. On the offensive line, the Patriots have a different group -- position-wise -- than they have had all season. With Stephen Neal (ankle) and Rich Ohrnberger inactive, the Patriots don’t have a “pure” interior backup. Instead, they have two tackles as backups. In the event that a starting guard or center is injured, the Patriots would likely have to make multiple changes. Nick Kaczur is one option at guard in the event of an emergency.

7. Running back Fred Taylor, who warmed up for about an hour before the game, was deemed not ready for action. It appeared that he was a game-time decision as he continues his recovery from right ankle surgery.

NEW ORLEANS -- A look at three players who get a tip of the cap for their performances in the Patriots' 38-17 loss to the Saints, and three players at the opposite end of the spectrum:

No. 1 star: Sam Aiken -- Third receiver sets career highs with seven catches for 90 yards

No. 2 star: Laurence Maroney -- His fumble aside, he's the Patriots' most physical player in a game they mostly have the action taken to them. He totals 64 yards on 15 carries (4.3 average) with two touchdowns.

No. 3 star: Chris Hanson -- In three punts, he averages 46 yards and a 44-yard net.

On the other side, three players whose performances stood out for the wrong reasons:

1. Jonathan Wilhite/Leigh Bodden -- Wilhite is in coverage on Robert Meachem's 38-yard touchdown reception and on a backbreaking 68-yard catch by Marques Colston at the start of the third quarter, while Bodden is targeted on the game's first play for a 33-yard gain.

2. Brandon McGowan/Brandon Meriweather -- On a night in which there are some major defensive breakdowns and the Saints had seven plays of 20 yards or more, it falls on them.

3. Matt Light/Nick Kaczur -- Offensive tackles seem to be back on their heels as the Saints pressure dictates the game from the second quarter on.

NEW ORLEANS -- Five fast facts from the Patriots' 38-17 loss to the Saints:

1. Tom Brady passed Drew Bledsoe to become New England's all-time leading passer. Brady entered the game needing 163 yards to pass Bledsoe's mark of 29,657. He reached the milestone on an 11-yard pass to Sam Aiken in the third quarter, and now has 29,732 yards.

2. Running back Laurence Maroney scored a touchdown for the sixth straight game, which ties the second longest streak in franchise history.

3. Maroney now has eight touchdowns on the season, topping his previous high of six.

4. Wes Welker finished with six catches, and now has nine straight games with six or more receptions. He has caught six or more passes in 23 of his last 25 games.

5. Receiver Sam Aiken set career highs with seven catches for 90 yards. His previous highs were four catches for 66 yards.

A look at the Patriots' leaders in special teams tackles (based on coaches' film review), which can highlight the value of some lesser publicized players:

LB Pierre Woods -- 12
LB Eric Alexander -- 9
S Brandon McGowan -- 9
S Pat Chung -- 8
WR Sam Aiken -- 7
CB Kyle Arrington -- 5
S Bret Lockett -- 5
S Brandon Meriweather -- 5
WR Matthew Slater -- 5
LB Rob Ninkovich -- 4
K Stephen Gostkowski -- 4

FOXBOROUGH -- Defensive end Ty Warren, who did not practice Wednesday, upped his workload during Thursday's practice. Warren was listed on the team's participation report as being limited in team drills during the session.

In addition to Warren, receiver Sam Aiken also increased his workload. After not practicing Wednesday because of a hip injury, he took part in limited team drills Thursday.

Did Not Practice:
OLB Tully Banta-Cain (groin/rib)
DE Jarvis Green (knee)
G Stephen Neal (head)
LB Rob Ninkovich (knee)
RB Fred Taylor (ankle)

Limited participation:
WR Sam Aiken (hip)
LB Eric Alexander (groin)
TE Chris Baker (shoulder)
NT Ron Brace (ankle)
WR Julian Edelman (forearm)
C Dan Koppen (knee)
LT Matt Light (knee)
RB Sammy Morris (knee)
DE Ty Warren (ankle)

Full participation:
QB Tom Brady (right shoulder)
CB Shawn Springs (knee)
TE Benjamin Watson (back)

LB Gary Guyton (illness) and WR Randy Moss (not injury related) were removed from the participation report.

On the Jets' side, LB Vernon Gholston (hamstring) and S Jim Leonhard (thumb) did not participate for the second day in a row, DE Shaun Ellis and WR Brad Smith (quad) were limited for the second straight day, and LB Bryan Thomas (toe) once again had full participation. Long snapper James Dearth (not injury related) was removed from the report.

On Saturdays throughout the season, the plan will be to highlight one Patriots player's football journey. This week, it is receiver Sam Aiken.

Now in his seventh NFL season, Aiken was named the Patriots' special teams captain in 2009 and scored his first career touchdown in the team's most recent game, a 35-7 win over the Buccaneers. Through seven games, he has played 212 snaps at receiver (including penalties), which already surpasses his snap total from all of last season (143).

On when he first started playing football: "I was 6 years old, started in Pop Warner. I was in Aberdeen, Maryland because my father was in the military, and from there I went to California and played there. Then I came back to North Carolina, where I was born, for high school. The whole time I was playing quarterback, until my junior year when they moved me to receiver."

On what made him first try football: "Probably sitting down with my father every Sunday watching the games. Ever since then, football has been in my life."

On what teams and players he followed: "I'd have to say Chicago. We'd always see them on TV. My favorite player was Jerry Rice, because that was my father's favorite. He always talked about him, so I stuck with him."

When he knew he wanted to play in college: "My dad was in the military, so I always thought maybe that maybe that would be what I did. Plan B would be playing football in college. I was just being realistic because not a lot of guys make it as a professional, or even playing in college. I had a big game against Clinton my junior year, six catches for one and change, and that's when I knew it might be a possibility."


His best memory playing in college at University of North Carolina: "Beating Florida State at home. We hadn't beaten them since I was there. I remember I was running a 6-yard crossing route, and I caught it. It was a bootleg and I jumped from the 5 and jumped over Chris Hope -- who is now starting for the Tennessee Titans -- and that's a clip that I keep on my computer to remember."

On entering the NFL as a third-round draft choice of the Bills in 2003: "My agent flew me out to Arizona to train, and I just trained, trained and trained. I remember my agent said 'Do not run the 40.' To me, it was like I had something to prove because Charles Rogers, Taylor Jacobs and Larry Johnson were there too. They didn't run the 40. I went out and ran it, and ran a 4.6. I fell down [in the draft], but looking back, it was great."

Signing with the Patriots as a free agent in 2008: "I was at Buffalo, a special teams guru, loving it. But it was always New England that we couldn't really beat. It was the last year of my contract and I said 'Hey, this is the place I want to go.' I gave my agent a call and made it happen. Ever since then, I've been happy to be here. They've given me the opportunity to play receiver, which I'm glad, because they don't just look at me as a special teams guy."

Thoughts on being with the Patriots: "To me, it's the way it's run. It's first class. Everyone wants to win. You don't have your group over here, and then another group over there. Everyone is one."

What he enjoys about football: "Just playing it. It's a business, but it's fun. Once it isn't fun for me, and it's more about the business aspect, then it's time for me to give it up. If I'm not out there practicing and laughing or doing something like that, it's time for me to hang it up. I'm just enjoying myself."

Past football journeys:

Ron Ninkovich

Brandon McGowan

Chris Baker

Myron Pryor

Darius Butler

Kendall Simmons

Bret Lockett

LONDON -- The Patriots lost rookie receiver Julian Edelman to a forearm injury and cut Joey Galloway, so one of the main questions entering their game Sunday against the Buccaneers was who would fill the void as the No. 3 receiver.

The answer, it turns out, was a combination of seven-year veteran Sam Aiken and rookie Brandon Tate.

Aiken was 3a, and Tate was 3b.

Aiken's 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the second quarter -- when Buccaneers linebacker Barrett Ruud bounced off him, and then Aiken outraced everyone down the right side -- was a highlight of the game.

"Seems like every time we need for him to step up offensively, he's there and he delivers," coach Bill Belichick said. "Sam's one of our hardest-working guys. It's nice to see him get a chance to handle the ball."

While Aiken played the majority of snaps as the third receiver and finished with two catches for 66 yards, Tate also was in the mix. On his first play since being activated off the non-football injury list, Tate took an end-around 11 yards. Tate did not finish with a catch.

"He did a good job out there," fellow receiver Wes Welker said. "It's tough for a rookie, especially since he's only been out there for a week. So really, it's just coming in and understanding the system. We have a very complicated system. He'll learn as he goes. He's a good player who did a lot of good things in practice this week, and we'll just have to keep bringing him along."

A snapshot look at the players on the Patriots' 45-man game-day roster who were part of core special teams units Sunday against the Ravens:


WR Sam Aiken

LB Eric Alexander

S Pat Chung

LB Rob Ninkovich


Safeties Matthew Slater, Brandon McGowan and James Sanders were part of three special teams units.

The Patriots have been inconsistent on special teams, with some of the more noticeable struggles coming on kickoff returns. Slater, who was part of the kickoff coverage, punt coverage and punt return teams, could provide a spark to a kickoff return unit that has annually been one of the NFL's better groups.