I don’t get to watch the games, but I would really like to know what he is doing wrong when he is in the game. Is he being double teamed? Is he only trying to use his speed and not any moves – or counter moves?

No doubt it’s too early for the b word. But there’s also no doubt that he’s given us nothing so far, and hardly looks ready to make a big impact any time soon.

He doesn’t look like he has any moves other than running straight into the backfield and taking himself out of the play. He needs to improve in that area immensely.

Brian, you’re forgetting this very important thing: This is Dick Jauron’s cagey football team that never takes chances, which of course is the main reason – beside him being a horrible HC that very rarely holds people accountable for screwing up – he’s a career loser. How the heck does it hurt him to try and give him some bloody looks at LB and see if he fares well at that?!

Bills blitzed up the middle on a shot gun by Delhomme. Blocking schemes stayed inside including the running backs and guards. Maybin clearly beat the tackle around the corner and was unabeited to the QB and had Delhomme lined up. The ref blew the whistle late for a false start and Maybin had to pull up… he knew he was going to get the sack and was “jumping around” the way a RB does by getting shoe string tackled when he is in the clear.

Aaron is not going to be very impactful this year, but the more and more he gets to play the better he will be for figuring out how and where he needs to improve. I also think the Bills coaches will take advantage of him more when they can dial up the blitzes inside and watch him use his speed on the outside.

This kid is nowhere near a bust yet. He’s only 21! He doesn’t have a lot of game/practice experience, plain and simple. You have to give him time. Let him get to year two (and with the benefit of an off season program), and then maybe you can bust his chops some. But certainly not now…

And of course, it really didn’t help having him miss so much time holding out. Who benefited from that again?

Anyone throwing out the bust label is insane. One of the negatives of the massive increase in hype for the draft is the completely unrealistic expectations placed on first round picks. And now we want to label players based on seven games? Crazy.

I think you said it best, Brian. Maybin is young and talented, but he needs time to develop. Anyone expecting huge things from him was fooling themselves.

In Houston, we drafted DT Amobi Okoye when he was 19. It has taken him three years to really develop into a good player and there was alot of talk about him being a bust.

The young guys just need time and some good coaching/mentoring.

So don’t hang this guy out to dry yet. Let him get some time under his belt to mature and learn. Hell he couldn’t even by a beer until this year.

Sal Maiorana of the Democrat and Chronicle is the first person of prominence that I’ve heard utter – or in this case, tweet – the “b word” in regards to Maybin.

Sal is in no way a person of prominence. He pisses and moans about the Bills in every article he writes. He’s a crabby old woman that needs to find a new gig.

im sick of negative nancy’s whining about Aaron Maybin not producing. We knew this going in about getting a rookie defensive end, they take time. Mathius Kiwanucka took time, Mario Williams took time, Maybin will be very good.

- Way too early to form an opinion on Maybin, since Bruce Smith weighed 300lbs. as a rookie and did have 6 sacks, I believe. Of course, Maybin will never be another Bruce Smith.
- Mario Williams did nothing his rookie season.
- I will state that the Bills probably should have taken a linebacker of tackle, since it seems they had plenty of depth at Defensive Tackle. And Chris Ellis had a great camp, but where has he been this year. Put him on the field and give him a shot.
- Plainly, Maybin was drafted to increase the pass rush, which he has not. Bills would have been better off with Oher or Cushing. Just think, if they drafted Oher at tackle, we would have 3/5 of our offensive line for the future.

We all need reminded that he is young. He has been improving and will continue to do so. I absolutly hate to hear who we should have picked instead. One, we didn’t pick whoever you wanted and unless you have a Dolariaon in your garage we aren’t going to be able to go back and change it, so quit whining. This team had a lot of holes to fill and so far has shown that they can draft competent players(Byrd, levitre, wood, lankster,) . With that out of my system I would however like to see obd use maybin as a rush linebacker from time to time. I think given his two strengths( speed and athleticism) he could produce a few sacks for us.

good post as usual…. way to early for that word… i curse about ellison everyday also… he belongs wit jp in vegas at the side show…..but he is all we got. damn i love this football team…..

This is a non issue at this point. With no Bills losses to bitch about in the last two weeks, I guess they had to find something.

Skimming through some rookie sack totals- focused on current players with a couple exceptions. Didn’t look at Reggie White due to USFL time:

Jared Allen: 9
Andre Carter: 6.5
Trent Cole: 5
Dwight Freeney: 13
KGB: 1.5
Aaron Kampman: 0.5
Patrick Kerney: 2.5
Leonard Little: 0.5
Robert Mathis: 3.5
Julius Peppers: 12
Bruce Smith: 6.5
Will Smith: 7.5
Michael Strahan: 1
Jason Taylor: 5
Justin Tuck: 1
Osi Umenyiora: 1
Kyle Vanden Bosch: 0.5
Mario Williams: 4.5

Conclusion: rookie sack totals aren’t indicative of future success. If so, Kampman, Little, Strahan, Tuck, Umenyiora, and Vanden Bosch would have gotten cut after their rookie “bust” year. The two guys on this list that broke double digit sacks are physical freaks with elite gifts (Freeney: speed; Peppers: overall athleticism).

There’s too much to learn as a pass rushing DE to grade success in terms of statistical performance. There’s too much to learn in terms of footwork, hand fighting, and play recognition… and then putting it all together. Maybin is nowhere near bust-land. Patience…

Kevin Greene retired in 1999. He played around 220. With 160 sacks to his credit I’d say he was a great one too. Does that count?

Robert Mathis has 58 sacks and is listed in the 240 range. (I’m told he’s actually closer to 230.)

I’m on record for preferring Orakpo over Maybin. But I’m also the dumba$$ who thought William Moore would outplay Jairus Byrd. (So I have been wrong before. Just once though.)

But I think all of our rookies deserve more than 7 games before they get labeled as a bust. Sal, what were you thinking?

Can’t believe Maybin hasn’t been tagged with the dreaded “high motor” tag, yet.

but he hasn’t stood out for the Redskins as exceptional. He is developing into a solid player. I think he’ll be very good over time.

I notice that in clear passing situations Orakpo actually has both hands on the ground and lines up wide and when he does he is a monster.

not to mention this coaching regime didn’t have the luxury of using the pick on a player that needs time to develope. and if orakpo has had success rushing from the LB position why are we using maybin that way too? He held out and wanted big money, then we should use him as many ways possible.

But I think it’s worth repeating: you shouldn’t judge a DE by their first year. I lived through being a Texans fan during Mario Williams first year and it was hell. Most of the non Houston-based media jumped all over the Texans for not taking Reggie Bush. Most of the Houston-based media jumped all over the Texans for not taking hometown hero Vince Young. Meanwhile, Mario had a pretty mediocre season while Young seemed to be leading the Titans to the promised land and Bush played in the NFC title game.

Look how things have changed. Williams was without dispute the best choice of the three in that draft (although ironically, he might be the second best player the Texans drafted that year – that could be DeMeco Ryans). You wouldn’t have known it that first year, though.

In my mind, high draft picks don’t fail because they lack the athletic ability to make it in the NFL. They fail because they don’t take their job responsibilities as professionals seriously for whatever reason. If you look at a guy like Young or JaMarcus Russell who was a god in college, you might be surprised that they aren’t succeeding in the NFL. But then you hear stories about the work ethic being substandard and it makes sense.

Playing football as an occupation is a lot different than playing in college. It means having to go to work in a high-pressure environment on days you don’t want to. It means having to make football your life for almost twelve months a year. It means not being able to stop by a keg party and bang a cheerleader – at least not during the season. It’s probably kind of a grind at times, whereas in college, it’s not nearly as much.

If I were trying to judge whether or not Maybin will be successful, I would look at how well he handles being a professional. Does he study opponents? Film? Does he put extra time in the weight room? What about conditioning and flexibility? Does he dedicate enough time to learning the playbook? Does he eat properly and get enough sleep? If he does all of those, he’s going to be fine. If not, better hope he starts doing that.

at what point last year was Vernon Gholston officially labeled a bust?

If we are going to compare rookie production, I think you have to take a look at how the situation and team were overall. I don’t think it’s a big secret that if a DE plays on a winning team with a good to great offense and a solid secondary, they will have more opportunities to sack the QB. As the game goes on, the opposing offensive line can wear down and if they are throwing the ball on every play because they’re down by two or more scores… that will lead to opportunities to get to the QB. It’s pretty rare that we play with such a lead. And if our opponents are still running the ball in the second half, that doesn’t lead to as many sack opportunities.

It’s too early to call Maybin a bust. But, he definitely wasn’t my first choice for our first round pick this year either.