Aaron Maybin, play by play

[X-Era]

8:54, 1st Qtr

3rd and 15 at CIN 43 (Shotgun) C.Palmer pass short right to J.Gresham to BUF 43 for 14 yards (D.Whitner, P.Posluszny). Caught in flat at BUF 47. Drives right into the LT and tries to push him back which does nothing. Showed good quickness off the snap but went right into the block.

13:15, 2nd Qtr

3rd and 4 at CIN 26 J.O'Sullivan pass incomplete short right to M.Jones. Caught out of bounds at CIN 26. Recognizes the roll to the left and moves along the line with the play.

8:33, 2nd Qtr

1st and 10 at CIN 30 J.O'Sullivan pass incomplete deep left to C.Ochocinco [Ge.Wilson]. Overthrown along sideline at 50, after pressure on QB. Drives quickly into the LT block. Its a quick pass. Jumps into the air to try to bat it down.

2nd and 10 at CIN 30 Be.Scott up the middle to CIN 33 for 3 yards (K.Mitchell). Not in on this play.

3rd and 12 at CIN 28 J.O'Sullivan pass short left to Be.Scott to CIN 38 for 10 yards (D.Florence, Ge.Wilson). Screen, caught at CIN 28. Try's a spin move to the inside on the LT. Gets by him and approaches the QB.

5:00, 2nd Qtr

2nd and 17 at CIN 13 (Shotgun) J.O'Sullivan pass short right to Be.Scott to CIN 20 for 7 yards (D.Edwards). Shovel pass, caught at CIN 17. Drives into LT, #74, pushes him back a little and then goes around the edge but is way behind the pocket.

3rd and 10 at CIN 20 J.O'Sullivan pass short left to J.Shipley to CIN 26 for 6 yards (Ge.Wilson, P.Posluszny). Flat pass, caught at CIN 24. Dips under the LT and gets around the edge toward the QB but falls to the ground on the sharp cut.

0:53, 2nd Qtr

1st and 10 at CIN 33 (Shotgun) J.O'Sullivan pass incomplete short right to Be.Scott [A.Maybin]. PENALTY on CIN-J.O'Sullivan, Intentional Grounding, 11 yards, enforced at CIN 33. CIN accepted 10-second runoff, due to penalty in final minute. Spins to the inside and gets off the LT, and then pushes off the LG, #66. Quickly closes on O'Sullivan and takes him to the ground forcing the throw.

2nd and 21 at CIN 22 Be.Scott left tackle pushed ob at CIN 40 for 18 yards (Ge.Wilson). Drives into the LT, #74 and sheds the block to the inside but the runner had already turned the corner.

3rd and 3 at CIN 40 (Shotgun) J.O'Sullivan sacked at CIN 37 for -3 yards (D.Edwards). Dips again under the LT and again goes to the ground on the sharp turn to get to the QB.

12:52, 3rd Qtr

1st and 10 at BUF 41 C.Peerman right tackle to BUF 36 for 5 yards (D.Florence, K.Mitchell). Pushes into the LT but the play went the other way.

7:15, 3rd Qtr

1st and 10 at CIN 34 J.O'Sullivan pass short middle to C.Peerman to CIN 36 for 2 yards (K.Ellison). Dump pass, caught at CIN 35. Pushes into the LT, #79. Gets off the block but the pass is out quick.

3rd and 5 at CIN 39 (Shotgun) J.O'Sullivan pass short right to J.Shipley to CIN 49 for 10 yards (R.Corner). Dump pass, caught at CIN 43. Flies off the snap but dives to the ground.


1st and 10 at BUF 39 C.Peerman up the middle to BUF 35 for 4 yards (A.Carrington, J.McCargo). Run rolls to the right, gets around the left side but is out of the play.


1st and 10 at BUF 22 J.O'Sullivan pass incomplete short right to M.Jones. Overthrown, pressure on QB: A.Moats. Receiver along sideline at BUF 21. Recognizes the pass and drops into coverage.

2nd and 10 at BUF 22 C.Peerman left guard to BUF 18 for 4 yards (C.Ellis, A.Moats). Drives into LT, #79 and gets off the block but the tackles was made already.

3rd and 6 at BUF 18 (Shotgun) J.O'Sullivan pass short middle to J.Shipley to BUF 14 for 4 yards (C.Ellis). Caught at BUF 14. Drives into the LT, and pushes him back. Gets off the block and heads toward the QB but the ball was out.

10:33, 4th Qtr

2nd and 10 at CIN 15 J.Johnson up the middle to CIN 31 for 16 yards (R.Corner). Drives into the LT, #72 and gets dominated on the run block. Doesnt get off the block at all.

1st and 10 at BUF 15 J.Palmer sacked at BUF 16 for -1 yards (A.Maybin). Drives back into the block by the RT, #71. Then, cuts back into the pocket for the sack. Showed good quickness but the RT opened up and didnt keep his back to the QB.

2nd and 11 at BUF 16 C.Peerman right tackle to BUF 13 for 3 yards (Br.Scott, A.Moats). Pushes into the RT, #71 but doesnt get much push or try to get off the block and go for the ball carrier.

3rd and 8 at BUF 13 (Shotgun) J.Palmer scrambles right tackle to BUF 3 for 10 yards (A.Coleman). Tries a spin move to the inside but gets double blocked by the LT and LG.

3:56, 4th Qtr

1st and 10 at CIN 28 (Shotgun) J.Palmer sacked at CIN 20 for -8 yards (A.Maybin). Best play he's made in the preseason. He dips his head right under the LT, #72, and blows by him. He keeps his feet under him and tackles Palmer for the sack.

2nd and 18 at CIN 20 (Shotgun) J.Palmer pass short middle to Q.Cosby to CIN 28 for 8 yards (R.Corner). Caught at CIN 23. Goes for an inside spin move. He appears to be a bit slow in his spin. The ball is out when he gets past the lineman.

3rd and 10 at CIN 28 (Shotgun) J.Palmer pass deep middle to D.Briscoe to CIN 45 for 17 yards (D.Harris). Caught at CIN 45. Drives around the LT, #72 and gets to the QB with his speed but just misses him as he gets the ball out. The angle was a bit deep.

1st and 10 at CIN 45 (Shotgun) J.Palmer sacked at CIN 36 for -9 yards (A.Moats). PENALTY on BUF-E.Lankster, Illegal Use of Hands, 5 yards, enforced at CIN 45 - No Play. Drops back into coverage.

1st and 10 at 50 (Shotgun) J.Palmer pass short middle to D.Briscoe to BUF 39 for 11 yards (K.Ellison). Caught at BUF 43, slanting from left. Cuts to the inside toward the C. Takes an inside spin move and gets just about to Palmer in the middle.

1st and 10 at BUF 39 (Shotgun) J.Palmer pass deep middle to Q.Cosby to BUF 15 for 24 yards (A.Moats). Caught at BUF 19, crossing from right. Heads to the outside edge but gets bottled up.

1st and 15 at BUF 20 J.Palmer pass short right to Q.Cosby to BUF 14 for 6 yards (A.Moats). FUMBLES (A.Moats), RECOVERED by BUF-E.Lankster at BUF 14. Gets into the LT and his held up.

[X-Era]

Overall:

Needs to give up bull rush moves. He doeskin have the strength to push the blockers back. Needs to continue to develop his spin move and the move where he dips his head. They utilize his speed and get him off blocks where he can use his very good quickness to close fast on the QB. It also appears that they aren't scheming for him but simply lining him up and sending him at the LT. His hand was almost exclusively in the ground. Stunts may be effective where he can run around blocks to the pocket.

[casdhf]

I hope he keeps up the bull rush moves. He's going to get stronger eventually.

[Yasgur's Farm]

The bull rush must be used to keep the tackle honest... Not every play is gonna be big... He needs to continue to play within the scheme.

[SquishDaFish]

Keep getting the reps is all I care about. Hes going to improve. I would bet anything that when the season roles around he is going to have something from the OLB spot scripted for him and he will look much improved. Cant tell crap in preseason on the specific roles really without giving anything away.

[jamze132]

I shouldn't get mad at Maybin for him sucking. He never should have been drafted #11 overall. Thanks Dick and Co.

[X-Era]

I hope he keeps up the bull rush moves. He's going to get stronger eventually.He's got a long way to go before he gets the push needed to collapse the pocket.

He is able to jar the blocker back enough to shed the block for a moment and try to get by.

He's got plenty of athleticism and quickness, and the dip move he put on the LT to get the sack of Jordan Palmer was a thing of beauty. Like I said, his spin moves are getting him enough separation to get off the blocks. You can see he is developing and he was close to sacks several times. But, he needs to develop even more and turn those into real sacks.

I'm not saying we should cut him. Only that he should do what works for him. I also feel that when they stunt him or stand him up as the rush LB, he may use what he does have and get much better results. So far, they play him as a DE.

[DaBillzAhDaShiznit]

I have nothing personally against Maybin, but a) I never expected, nor do I ever expect him to be an elite NFL player. b) Good skill wont overcome size and motivation issues. The guy just does not seem to have the desire to be great, which not everyone has. Bad draft pick. Not necessarily a bust, but not good for this organization.

[ChristopherWalken]

3 sacks in 3 games seems like a decent number. Then I consider that its only preseason and all 3 sacks were against 2nd and 3rd teams.

My biggest concern for this kid is his tackle totals. He doesn't seem to be finding his way to the ball on run plays, and has actually allowed himself to be taken out of position on several runs to his side.

I hope the sacks give him confidence but he has a lot of work to do yet.

[Mahdi]

What it looks like to me is that Maybin is developing the muscle memory in his body to execute the various pass rush moves he is trying.

Your body has to record the mechanical movements you are attempting to do in order to recreate them accurately. Especially when you are doing them at high speed. This is why Maybin falls at the end of his speed rush sometimes or when he dips his shoulder sometimes he loses balance and just misses the QB.

Right now he is like a Ferrari with the suspension of a Toyota. Once he upgrades his suspension he will be able to turn the corner while moving at speed.

Once he is able to keep his balance, rather than fall he will be able to use his long arms to grab the QBs arms. The guy is like an ape and had one of the longest arm measurements at the combine for a DL player (35 3/4) I think.

Either way, I see Maybin improving game by game and that is all that can be expected.

[psubills62]

b) Good skill wont overcome size and motivation issues. The guy just does not seem to have the desire to be great

I have no idea where you're getting this, as everything I've read, from his time at PSU to now, indicates the exact opposite.

Thanks for the analysis, X-Era.

It's obvious the coaches just want him to keep developing while using him in a pass-rushing role. There are times when it almost seems like he's getting better against the run.

I'm really hoping they'll vary the blitzes a little more during the regular season. I just don't see Maybin being terribly effective with his hand(s) in the ground on a 4-man line. On defense in general, I'm just hoping they show a little more creativity than they did in the preseason.

[psubills62]

3 sacks in 3 games seems like a decent number. Then I consider that its only preseason and all 3 sacks were against 2nd and 3rd teams.

My biggest concern for this kid is his tackle totals. He doesn't seem to be finding his way to the ball on run plays, and has actually allowed himself to be taken out of position on several runs to his side.

I hope the sacks give him confidence but he has a lot of work to do yet.

I didn't watch as closely as X did, but there was one play were I saw him hold the edge well, one play where he got washed out of it, and a large number of plays where they simply didn't run it to his side. We'll have to see...considering what his role will be this season, I expect sacks/pressure/hits/batted passes to be the significant stats for Maybin, not tackles.

[k-oneputt]

I don't think motivation and work ethis is his problem, I just don't think he is very good at this point. He can still develop though as he is young and will get stronger.
Bad pick for the Bills at the time because of were the team was, the time it is going to take for him to develop, and that is if he even does.

When you pick every year around the top-10 like the Bills have, those players have to step in and play, and play at a higher level. Whitner, McKelvin, and Maybin have all missed the boat at this point.

[stuckincincy]

I shouldn't get mad at Maybin for him sucking. He never should have been drafted #11 overall. Thanks Dick and Co.

Yep. I wouldn't think to say that fans have the inside info, or the plans and judgements of any club. But teams can be mistaken, as well as us. Or fooled.


Still, there is a founded expectation by the fans to see better out of a 1st round DE. That's a high-paid, premium position. And the fans fork over the $ that makes the whole thing go.

[Jan Reimers]

Sounds like Maybin is coming along, and could at least be a situational pass rush guy this season, and maybe a full time OLB in the future.

[X-Era]

I'm really hoping they'll vary the blitzes a little more during the regular season. I just don't see Maybin being terribly effective with his hand(s) in the ground on a 4-man line. On defense in general, I'm just hoping they show a little more creativity than they did in the preseason.

:clap:

Thats exactly what they have been doing. They put him in as a DE with his hand in the ground. Yet his abilities are better suited for moving him in space as a finesse rusher. And, just like you said, they have done the same thing with him every time. He did have one play where they stunted him but it was blown dead. To bad, because he was unblocked right up the middle and was closing fast.

If they utilize him as a pass rushing OLB, he could be very good. If they try to line him up as a DE with his hand in the ground, he will give up ground due to his size and strength limitations.

just my :2cents:

[jamze132]

Yep. I wouldn't think to say that fans have the inside info, or the plans and judgements of any club. But teams can be mistaken, as well as us. Or fooled.


Still, there is a founded expectation by the fans to see better out of a 1st round DE. That's a high-paid, premium position. And the fans fork over the $ that makes the whole thing go.

I would love to see more production out of a #11 overall pick, but when you have idiots like Dick Jauron having a heavily weighted decision, this is what you get.

[TacklingDummy]

Did Maybin celebrate after his 1 tackle last night?

[X-Era]

Did Maybin celebrate after his 1 tackle last night?
I didn't mention it. But, its one of the most annoying things of any player for the Bills. He celebrates on every damn play and walks around with his arms hanging wide like he's a monster. He clapped when Det's OL had a false start. Quit the BS and go to work. Its real annoying. Sometimes he falls to the ground yards away from the play but gets up and celebrates like he was a major part of the effort.

I like his intensity and this isn't the first guy to do this (Marcellus Wiley), but show production first and then let the bravado creep in...pet peeve I guess.