Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Aaron Maybin dressed for only 11 games in 2010 after being inactive for five games due to ineffectiveness. Maybin, Buffalo's first-round pick in 2009, tallied only five tackles last season in spot duty. Still, the Bills aren't giving up on the Penn State product just yet.
"We’re going to keep working with Aaron Maybin," Bills GM Buddy Nix told reporters last Thursday at the 2011 NFL Combine. "He shows signs of doing what he needs to do. If he can be consistent with that, we’re going to find something that he can do to help us."
When asked specifically if the Bills are giving up on Maybin, Nix answered plainly, "No."
Earlier in the off-season, head coach Chan Gailey struck a much different tone when discussing Maybin.
"Right now, he’s on the outside looking in," Gailey told reporters January 3. "That’s where he is. And if he improves, he’ll improve his status. But if he doesn’t improve his status, he won’t find playing time on this football team."
Also on Thursday, Nix addressed the outside linebacker position as a whole. It's a group that includes Maybin, but Nix didn't seem too concerned. He didn't include OLB as one of the team's positions of need.
"We feel good about outside 'backer," said Nix. "We do have a bunch of good young guys. We need a couple of inside 'backers. We need some bigger, stronger guys to help us stop the run."
As for Maybin, he's spending his offseason trying to get better. Noticeably quieter on his Twitter account since the season ended, he had this to say after the season.
"As far as my role on the team this year, in my mind, I didn’t have a prominent one," Maybin said. "So, my whole issue is, until I can say something other than that my focus needs to be getting to the point where I’m a major contributor. At the end of the day all else really doesn’t matter. Getting on the field, getting the snaps and then making sure the production is there once I get the snaps is the main goal now."