Opinion on Schobel

[Bills fan in TX]

Schobel says he is not coming back. I'm really not all heartbroken about this. I think Schobel was a solid player in the mold of Phil Hansen but Phil Hansen had much more impact because Bruce Smith was on the other end. Schobel's career is equivalent to Phil Hansen WITHOUT Bruce Smith. Schobel didn't put fear into opposing teams like Bruce Smith did. Of course not many players do and the players who do likely end up in the Hall of Fame like Bruce.

 

Schobel put up some decent numbers but IMO a lot of his play/sacks didn't change the outcome of many games nor did his play elevate the play of the other players on the defensive line.

 

I'll miss Schobel for his solid play and great work ethic. Give me 11 Schobel's on defense or just 1 Bruce Smith. But with one Schobel......ho-hum...boring...but steady.

 

What do you think?

[DDD]

Schoebel was a great, undervalued player IMO. He played with class and never sought the limelight. Before Donahoe drafted him, a big knock on defense was that the Bills couldn't get pressure on the QB. Same thing happened two years ago with the foot injury (the uncertainty of his recovery loomed large in the Maybin pick incidently.) The bottum line is that when he played we never seemed to have issues pressuring the QB. And that is a testament to how fine a player he was.

[BigDaddy12]

I don't agree with the OP. Schobel was a very good player. Take into consideration that there aren't as many great, dominating pass rushers (ie: Bruce, Reggie White, and more recently Kearse before his myriad of injuries), Aaron Schobel was in that group of 4 or 5 guys year to year that were the better D-ends of this past decade.

[Green Lightning]

At the end of the day we'd be a better team with Schobel. Class act and a productive player. We have no one on the roster better right now.

[spartacus]

Schobel says he is not coming back. I'm really not all heartbroken about this. I think Schobel was a solid player in the mold of Phil Hansen but Phil Hansen had much more impact because Bruce Smith was on the other end. Schobel's career is equivalent to Phil Hansen WITHOUT Bruce Smith. Schobel didn't put fear into opposing teams like Bruce Smith did. Of course not many players do and the players who do likely end up in the Hall of Fame like Bruce.

 

Schobel put up some decent numbers but IMO a lot of his play/sacks didn't change the outcome of many games nor did his play elevate the play of the other players on the defensive line.

 

I'll miss Schobel for his solid play and great work ethic. Give me 11 Schobel's on defense or just 1 Bruce Smith. But with one Schobel......ho-hum...boring...but steady.

 

What do you think?

 

gotta disagree

 

Schobel was the absolute best of all time at running 7 yards upfield on most plays

and then having the QB run into him for a sack on a busted play once every 3 games

 

the best ever

[Fixxxer]

Had we won more games during Schobel era, some of his sacks would be more memorable.

 

2nd best DE in Buffalo Bills history.

[CowgirlsFan]

Schobel says he is not coming back. I'm really not all heartbroken about this. I think Schobel was a solid player in the mold of Phil Hansen but Phil Hansen had much more impact because Bruce Smith was on the other end. Schobel's career is equivalent to Phil Hansen WITHOUT Bruce Smith. Schobel didn't put fear into opposing teams like Bruce Smith did. Of course not many players do and the players who do likely end up in the Hall of Fame like Bruce.

 

Schobel put up some decent numbers but IMO a lot of his play/sacks didn't change the outcome of many games nor did his play elevate the play of the other players on the defensive line.

 

I'll miss Schobel for his solid play and great work ethic. Give me 11 Schobel's on defense or just 1 Bruce Smith. But with one Schobel......ho-hum...boring...but steady.

 

What do you think?

 

I'll miss him too!!! I'll miss that former TCU Fighting Frog playing each Sunday. He was one of the reasons

that I enjoy watching the Bills play.

[BobbyC81]

Schobel says he is not coming back. I'm really not all heartbroken about this. I think Schobel was a solid player in the mold of Phil Hansen but Phil Hansen had much more impact because Bruce Smith was on the other end. Schobel's career is equivalent to Phil Hansen WITHOUT Bruce Smith. Schobel didn't put fear into opposing teams like Bruce Smith did. Of course not many players do and the players who do likely end up in the Hall of Fame like Bruce.

 

Schobel put up some decent numbers but IMO a lot of his play/sacks didn't change the outcome of many games nor did his play elevate the play of the other players on the defensive line.

 

I'll miss Schobel for his solid play and great work ethic. Give me 11 Schobel's on defense or just 1 Bruce Smith. But with one Schobel......ho-hum...boring...but steady.

 

What do you think?

 

 

He'd get double-digit sacks but most of then would be in like 3 games, with one 3 sack game. He also didn't bring much of a rush otherwise. He was handled most games one-on-one. I think he's been overrated.

[davefan66]

At the end of the day we'd be a better team with Schobel. Class act and a productive player. We have no one on the roster better right now.

 

Doesn't really say too much about the player. He was productive, actually our best DE, by default.

Can't really remember him getting that many game changing sacks. His sacks usually came in bunches

at times they did not really matter.

[mpl6876]

I guess we can debate how could he was or wasn't all day long. I think he was above average but not among one of the elites. What I can say with reasonable certainty is the Bills are going to miss him. Maybin better step it up.

[OldTimer1960]

My memories of watching the Bills goes back to the early-70s and my opinion is that Schobel was a very very good

player - not a super-star, but very good and consistent for a long time.

 

Not many players have the career that he had. No, he wasn't Bruce Smith, but he was a credit to the team and

the community. I'd put him somewhere in the neighborhood of Daryl Talley - a very good player, though Talley

had the knack of making significant game-changing plays that Schobel couldn't quite match. Still, pretty similar

IMHO.

 

Having Schobel retire is a blow to the team.

[Bob in STL]

gotta disagree

 

Schobel was the absolute best of all time at running 7 yards upfield on most plays

and then having the QB run into him for a sack on a busted play once every 3 games

 

the best ever

 

 

What crap. Wya to dismiss a mans career with no facts.

 

Just like the season opener against New England, right? Ask Bellichek and Brady what they think of Mr. Schobel. We just lost one of the few very good players on the roster.

[rockpile]

Had the Bills won more games during Schobel era, some of his sacks would be more memorable.

 

2nd best DE in Buffalo Bills history.

 

Schobel had the misfortune of being on a Bills team that lacked consistency in management or skilled longevity in the defensive squad. He showed up on every play and did not whine about being part of what may prove to be the worst era in Buffalo Bills history.

 

He was a class act and we should be thanking him for staying with the Bills, not finding reasons to criticize. Had he been opposite Bruce Smith (or Phil Hansen) people would be heaping praise on him!

 

Good luck to you in your future endeavors, Mr. Schobel.

[bkc]

Schobel says he is not coming back. I'm really not all heartbroken about this. I think Schobel was a solid player in the mold of Phil Hansen but Phil Hansen had much more impact because Bruce Smith was on the other end. Schobel's career is equivalent to Phil Hansen WITHOUT Bruce Smith. Schobel didn't put fear into opposing teams like Bruce Smith did. Of course not many players do and the players who do likely end up in the Hall of Fame like Bruce.

 

Schobel put up some decent numbers but IMO a lot of his play/sacks didn't change the outcome of many games nor did his play elevate the play of the other players on the defensive line.

 

I'll miss Schobel for his solid play and great work ethic. Give me 11 Schobel's on defense or just 1 Bruce Smith. But with one Schobel......ho-hum...boring...but steady.

 

What do you think?

I think he is a solid but not all pro type player . As far as him leaving it is probably for the best.

unless I am reading the roster wrong Schobel and Maybin were playing the same position. At this point it is important to see what me have in Maybin.

[Matt in KC]

Well, we sem to have bi-modal responses. A group seem to think he was very good, but not elite, and others think he was overrated getting primarily sacks that meant little.

 

Definitely count me in the first group. Yes, of course he was no Bruce Smith (who was?). I wish people would stop even saying things like that. Schobel was our best or one of the top few defenders on the field almost every game for the last 10 years, seldom getting hurt and regularly giving a solid performance. He was consistent, well rounded, and had a great attitude.

 

Losing Schobel makes our team worse (but was inevitable). Thanks for all the good plays, Aaron!

[CodeMonkey]

No matter if you think he was great, good, or overrated. I think most will agree that the Bills have no one better or even as good to take his place. So by definition the defense is weaker without him.

[jonramz]

Gotta agree with what most people have been saying... Schobel played for the bills during one of the worst eras in franchise history w/ little to no help on the DL and was still a solid producer for the team. I never saw the old guys play... but I can go back to the late 80's and he is the 2nd best DE that I have seen the Bills have.

 

If Schobel played for the Colts, he would have been at least a 3-4 time pro bowler

[John Cocktosten]

He's never been a great athlete but his motor never stopped running. He never gave up on a play and when the Bills has Winfield and Clements covering WRs downfield that's where most of Schobel's sacks came from, never giving up on a play. Not once do I remember him beating anyone on a straight speed rush or with a nice move inside, it was all second effort.

 

He was a very good player, not even close to elite status though. Bills fans have been tricked into who is elite because we've been watching this pitiful team for the last 10 years and the moment we see someone play half way decent we want to annoint him "elite".

 

The Bills were better for having him. What's sad is that this organization ground him to the bone with their ineptiude and sucked the life out of his football career.

[Thurman#1]

Schobel says he is not coming back. I'm really not all heartbroken about this. I think Schobel was a solid player in the mold of Phil Hansen but Phil Hansen had much more impact because Bruce Smith was on the other end. Schobel's career is equivalent to Phil Hansen WITHOUT Bruce Smith. Schobel didn't put fear into opposing teams like Bruce Smith did. Of course not many players do and the players who do likely end up in the Hall of Fame like Bruce.

 

Schobel put up some decent numbers but IMO a lot of his play/sacks didn't change the outcome of many games nor did his play elevate the play of the other players on the defensive line.

 

I'll miss Schobel for his solid play and great work ethic. Give me 11 Schobel's on defense or just 1 Bruce Smith. But with one Schobel......ho-hum...boring...but steady.

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

I think this could have gone right into the other thread about this.

[Thurman#1]

Doesn't really say too much about the player. He was productive, actually our best DE, by default.

Can't really remember him getting that many game changing sacks. His sacks usually came in bunches

at times they did not really matter.

 

 

 

Many folks have remembered it that way. Statistically, it's not true, though.

 

He's no Bruce Smith, but considering he was the only decent pass rush threat we had during his whole career, he had a tough row to hoe. He was the only Bill defender anyone ever game-planned against.