Unless you are a superstar coming out of college chances are strong that you will not get too many chaces to show what you can do. When you get that opportunity you have to make the most of it, be it regular season, pre-season, or post season. Hank Baskett has yet to do much when he has made it onto the field; it doesn’t help that all he had was Curtis Painter tossing him the rock. Bottom line is that neither guy impressed when given the chance to do so. It would not be surprising if these guys were not o the team next year.
One guy that could get antoher chance is Sam Giguere.
Never heard of him? That is probably because he is not from around these parts. Giguere is Canadian born player that began his career in the CFL in 2008; later that year he signed an unrestricted free agent contract to join the Indianapolis Colts. As a wide receiver, it had to be a dream to get picked up by such a potent offense. Now the trick would be getting a chance to show what he can do on the field, with or without Peyton throwing him the ball.
He got that chance Sundayand sure enough it was without the benefit of the best quarterback in the NFL. He did not even get the chance to have Curtis Painter throw him the ball either (which might have been a good thing in the long run). However, he did catch five balls, all from Rian Lindell. No, the Bills did not try a bunch of crazy fake field goals (there was no need).
On a day when the snow was bltting out much of the sky Sam made the hardest five catches of the day as he was tasked with returning kicks. No one would have been surprised if he dropped any; conditions were not exactly like any he was accsutomed to practicing in back home in Indianapolis. Just holding onto the ball would have been a respectable feat with the field as icy as it was, too. Maybe he had plenty of practice growing up in Canada catching balls in the cold and running on ice. Maybe he’s just good.
Against the Bills he returned five kicks for 122 yards with a long of 36; not bad for a day when the offense did not even gain 160 yards. A coupe more retirns and he would have outgianed the entire offense single handed. Whether or not he’ll get another chance this season remains to be seen. Playoff rosters are trimmed down to basically essential personnel. Only time will tell if the young Canadian is deemed essential enough.