Deb
06-04-2007, 05:40 AM
(realfootball365.com)
You can exhale, Bills fans: Aaron Schobel showed up to minicamp. The fretting over his absence from the organized team activities is a testament to how crucial he is to Buffalo's defense, and the fact he finally made it to Orchard Park, N.Y., for the optional-but-not-really pre-training camp workouts instantly makes the line better.
One fewer thing to be concerned about regarding the team's offseason, and one news item involving controversy removed from the discussion, is good news for both fans and franchise.
Of course, it wasn't mandatory for Schobel to be in town, but organized team activities are "voluntary" in the same sense that seeing a Drew Barrymore movie with your girlfriend is: You could technically not attend, but you know very well you're expected to, and that there will be consequences if you don't. For you, the couch will be your mattress for awhile and you're not going to get to watch strongman contests on ESPN2 or Versus for months, but for Schobel, he has to deal with speculation about his happiness both in Buffalo and with his level of compensation.
And he has to be kept pleased. The truth is that Schobel is the single threat on the line. What other member of the front four does an offense have to account for? Playing next to papier-mache tackles last season, he still managed 14 sacks and has 60½ for his career, averaging just a little more than 10 per season. Schobel's consistent excellence is even more remarkable in light of the fact he has achieved so much on a defense that has overall achieved comparatively little during his time in uniform.
There have been various unfit parts of the unit this decade, and Schobel has defied it all by consistently remaining the one stud performer in the lineup. Some wish that his sacks, which come in bunches between games of dry spells, would be more evenly distributed throughout the season, but punctuated equilibrium is a minor problem for the one defender on whom the Bills can rely.
Schobel is under contract, not that it means all that much in the NFL, and it's fine if he wants to cut a few days of even allegedly voluntary practices. Maybe it's just his passive-aggressive way of displaying understandable displeasure with the frustration of being a Bill for the past couple years as well as his disappointed curiosity with fellow DE Chris Kelsay's fat new deal, a sweet contract for a less sweet player. That's an issue between the Bills and Schobel's agent, but for now his return is bigger news than the fact he wasn't there at the start.
Having back in town a player who is obviously fierce on passing plays, underrated against the run, and a renowned hard worker should ease the minds of the Bills' faithful. Besides, how many practices did Bruce Smith weasel out of?
You can exhale, Bills fans: Aaron Schobel showed up to minicamp. The fretting over his absence from the organized team activities is a testament to how crucial he is to Buffalo's defense, and the fact he finally made it to Orchard Park, N.Y., for the optional-but-not-really pre-training camp workouts instantly makes the line better.
One fewer thing to be concerned about regarding the team's offseason, and one news item involving controversy removed from the discussion, is good news for both fans and franchise.
Of course, it wasn't mandatory for Schobel to be in town, but organized team activities are "voluntary" in the same sense that seeing a Drew Barrymore movie with your girlfriend is: You could technically not attend, but you know very well you're expected to, and that there will be consequences if you don't. For you, the couch will be your mattress for awhile and you're not going to get to watch strongman contests on ESPN2 or Versus for months, but for Schobel, he has to deal with speculation about his happiness both in Buffalo and with his level of compensation.
And he has to be kept pleased. The truth is that Schobel is the single threat on the line. What other member of the front four does an offense have to account for? Playing next to papier-mache tackles last season, he still managed 14 sacks and has 60½ for his career, averaging just a little more than 10 per season. Schobel's consistent excellence is even more remarkable in light of the fact he has achieved so much on a defense that has overall achieved comparatively little during his time in uniform.
There have been various unfit parts of the unit this decade, and Schobel has defied it all by consistently remaining the one stud performer in the lineup. Some wish that his sacks, which come in bunches between games of dry spells, would be more evenly distributed throughout the season, but punctuated equilibrium is a minor problem for the one defender on whom the Bills can rely.
Schobel is under contract, not that it means all that much in the NFL, and it's fine if he wants to cut a few days of even allegedly voluntary practices. Maybe it's just his passive-aggressive way of displaying understandable displeasure with the frustration of being a Bill for the past couple years as well as his disappointed curiosity with fellow DE Chris Kelsay's fat new deal, a sweet contract for a less sweet player. That's an issue between the Bills and Schobel's agent, but for now his return is bigger news than the fact he wasn't there at the start.
Having back in town a player who is obviously fierce on passing plays, underrated against the run, and a renowned hard worker should ease the minds of the Bills' faithful. Besides, how many practices did Bruce Smith weasel out of?