DFITZ1 Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 When Aaron Maybin was drafted, the first football words I uttered were "outside linebacker". His size and skill set matched pretty well in my amateur football mind. When I read the testimonials to Lou Saban this year and in "Rockin' the Rockpile", I was impressed how Saban could analyze raw football talent and place players in positions where they could succeed at the pro game and how well he did it. It amazed how few of the mid 60's stars played a different position for Saban than they played in college. Heck he had college offensive players starring on defense and vice versa. Why this isn't tried with Maybin is beyond me. Is there a rule that a player must play teh same position he played in college? I think not. The current Bills staff gives you the impression they will try to make him a DE at all costs when conventional wisdom shows he's not cut out for that. Making Maybin play DE or DT is like having a CB play LT. It won't work. I say don't cuss out Maybin, cuss out the staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanInUticaTampa Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Is there a rule that a player must play teh same position he played in college? ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingon Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Why must Maybin play LB? There are quite a few very productive DEs that are around 250 lbs. All he needs to do is learn some inside pass rushing moves, and get stronger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince61 Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Why must Maybin play LB? There are quite a few very productive DEs that are around 250 lbs. All he needs to do is learn some inside pass rushing moves, and get stronger. Because the Bills have no linebackers, and it wouldn't hurt Maybin to get on the field as a linebacker instead of riding the pine as a defensive end. Linebackers have been known to rush the passer. (the Giants had a guy who could do it) It's not like the skills would hurt his future as a defensive end. The real question is why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruuuuce Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Why must Maybin play LB? There are quite a few very productive DEs that are around 250 lbs. All he needs to do is learn some inside pass rushing moves, and get stronger. if he got stronger he would have to gain about 20 lbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Is there a rule that a player must play teh same position he played in college? Ask Antwan Randle-El Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 If I remember correctly (and it's been many years), in his second tenure Saban shifted tight end Dave Washington to linebacker. He made the Pro Bowl as a linebacker, albeit after he left the Bills. At about the same time, Saban also shifted wide receiver Dwight "Ike" Harrison to cornerback where he had a ten year NFL career. He also successfully made tackle Paul Seymour a tight end and tried to make Ken Jones a defensive tackle. Give kudos to the Bills for shifting George Wilson from wide receiver to safety. Looks like it was a good move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I doubt Saban would have drafted Maybin in the first place. Barely a year of real college football under his belt, and at that all he really showed was one-trick-pony skills - speed off the edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFITZ1 Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 if he got stronger he would have to gain about 20 lbs OR, use his skill set as a OLB and get him on teh field. Just saying put on more weight and get stronger is a tall order. If he's a 1st rounder, he should already be strong. Just put him where his physique is the best match. That makes the most sense. What bothers me is that this was never tried this year, especially since we need help at linebacker (then again, where don't we need help, other than RB or kickers). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PushthePile Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Why don't we draft players that don't need a complete physical overhaul? If I put on 50 pounds of muscle and learned a few pass rush moves, I could be a DE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFITZ1 Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 Why don't we draft players that don't need a complete physical overhaul? If I put on 50 pounds of muscle and learned a few pass rush moves, I could be a DE. Because you (and me) are not freaks like these guys. I wouldn't be surprised if putting 20-25 pounds of muscle on Maybin may not be a physical possibility. Bulking up with fat is easy (I've done it more times than I should). Working within Maybin's physical framework is likely a better option than trying to will him into being an NFL size DE or DT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PushthePile Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Because you (and me) are not freaks like these guys. I wouldn't be surprised if putting 20-25 pounds of muscle on Maybin may not be a physical possibility. Bulking up with fat is easy (I've done it more times than I should). Working within Maybin's physical framework is likely a better option than trying to will him into being an NFL size DE or DT. I agree. My point was that a team shouldn't be drafting a major project so high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Why must Maybin play LB? There are quite a few very productive DEs that are around 250 lbs. All he needs to do is learn some inside pass rushing moves, and get stronger. yeah all he needs to do is to learn how to not be completely ineffective . Piece of cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 If I remember correctly (and it's been many years), in his second tenure Saban shifted tight end Dave Washington to linebacker. He made the Pro Bowl as a linebacker, albeit after he left the Bills. At about the same time, Saban also shifted wide receiver Dwight "Ike" Harrison to cornerback where he had a ten year NFL career. He also successfully made tackle Paul Seymour a tight end and tried to make Ken Jones a defensive tackle. Give kudos to the Bills for shifting George Wilson from wide receiver to safety. Looks like it was a good move. San Jose..thanks for reminding me about about Dwight Harrison. That was a helluva move.I really enjoyed his career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 When Aaron Maybin was drafted, the first football words I uttered were "outside linebacker". His size and skill set matched pretty well in my amateur football mind. When I read the testimonials to Lou Saban this year and in "Rockin' the Rockpile", I was impressed how Saban could analyze raw football talent and place players in positions where they could succeed at the pro game and how well he did it. It amazed how few of the mid 60's stars played a different position for Saban than they played in college. Heck he had college offensive players starring on defense and vice versa. Why this isn't tried with Maybin is beyond me. Is there a rule that a player must play teh same position he played in college? I think not. The current Bills staff gives you the impression they will try to make him a DE at all costs when conventional wisdom shows he's not cut out for that. Making Maybin play DE or DT is like having a CB play LT. It won't work. I say don't cuss out Maybin, cuss out the staff. Conventional wisdom means a bunch of us idiots on a forum tight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFITZ1 Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 I agree. My point was that a team shouldn't be drafting a major project so high. I couldn't agree more. The worst thing is the Bills front office and coaches didn't see him as a project (perhaps when they saw him easily overmatched, they put the project label on). The Bills have more "projects" than the Bronx! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webster Guy Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Yeah we did it with Peters and Wilson successfully. Maybe Trent could be a cheerleader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurman#1 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Because the Bills have no linebackers, and it wouldn't hurt Maybin to get on the field as a linebacker instead of riding the pine as a defensive end. Linebackers have been known to rush the passer. (the Giants had a guy who could do it) It's not like the skills would hurt his future as a defensive end. The real question is why not? Because it would slow his development as a DE. Right now, he is learning DE skills, and putting them into muscle memory. If you put him at LB, that process stops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurman#1 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 OR, use his skill set as a OLB and get him on teh field. Just saying put on more weight and get stronger is a tall order. If he's a 1st rounder, he should already be strong. Just put him where his physique is the best match. That makes the most sense. What bothers me is that this was never tried this year, especially since we need help at linebacker (then again, where don't we need help, other than RB or kickers). It's obvious that you think that his physique is the best match at LB. The Bills, on the other hand, who scouted him exhaustively, have had conversations with him by the score, and have seen him at practice every day for months now. Why is it that even though two regimes have both made this decision, you folks who have never met Maybin, and maybe if you're lucky seen him play a hundred plays as a pro (including your visits to training camp) disagree. Perry has made it plain that he doesn't mind going around Jauron's decisions, putting Fitz ahead of Trent and Freddy ahead of Marshawn. Yet he doesn't do that for Maybin. Maybe, just maybe, there's a reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Because the Bills have no linebackers, and it wouldn't hurt Maybin to get on the field as a linebacker instead of riding the pine as a defensive end. Linebackers have been known to rush the passer. (the Giants had a guy who could do it) It's not like the skills would hurt his future as a defensive end. The real question is why not? A LB has to do more than rush the passer. Our run D has been horrible and our LB's can not cover anyone. Do you think Maybin could have helped in those areas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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