Since the 2009 NFL Draft, Bills fans have been waiting to reap the benefits of first-round
pick LB Aaron Maybin. He shot up the draft board after a standout 2008 season for Penn State. But the spectacular pass-rushing skills Maybin showed in the Big Ten haven't transferred to the NFL yet. That is not stopping Maybin. His dedication and commitment to
getting better each and every day is refreshing to see . As you will see below, it's hard not to root for
the guy, and 2011 may be the season everything comes together for him.
Blog Blitz: What have you been doing to keep busy during the current NFL lockout?
Maybin: I mainly have just been focusing on staying in shape and spending time with the family. One of
the primary difficulties of any lockout situation is that it severely cripples the affected teams' off-season
training schedules, so the responsibility falls on us as players to make sure that we are in shape and
ready to go when it’s time to play football again. By now, I'm back up to training five days a week. Mostly
powerlifting and cardio, to improve my core strength, while maintaining a high motor. I also mix in
some yoga, boxing and pool workouts to get creative. Yoga has been a great help in terms of balance
and control, two things I'm working on.
I'm also really taking this time to enjoy being a dad. My daughter is
almost 1 now and the off0season is the time where we get to spend the most one-on-one time together
with her. Of all the things I have done in life, the title I wear most proudly is that of being a dad. The free
time has also given me the opportunity to spend a lot more time working with children through my
foundation, Project Mayhem. We have been doing workshops and activities every month and I'm just
finishing up our first children’s book so I still stay pretty busy. All in all, when you're dealing with a
situation such as this lockout you just have to do your best to stay productive. That’s never been a
problem for me.
Blog Blitz: With the re-signing of veteran LB Shawne Merriman this off-season, do you plan on speaking with
him and getting some advice from a guy who was so successful at the position before his injury?
Maybin: Shawne has been like a big bro to me, and a good friend for a few years now, so I was excited
to finally have the chance to play with someone that I had known for so long. And the fact that he
happens to be one of the best young outside linebackers the NFL has seen in some time, is
an added bonus because I pick his brain every chance I get. Even in the off-season, he probably gets tired of me
hitting him up to ask him about stuff sometimes, lol. But that's how I am. I'm a sponge and when you
have someone like Shawne around, as a young guy you got to use him.
Blog Blitz: In a recent interview with Tim Graham of ESPN.com, head coach Chan Gailey was asked about
you personally. He had this to say: "He's got to understand about pass-rush. He's got to understand
about leverage and changing direction and not running past the quarterback and all those little things
that go into a great pass-rusher's feel for beating an offensive tackle and getting to the passer. He's got
to be a better special-teams player. He's got to be better versus the run." What is your response?
Maybin: Whatever coach Gailey says is what it is, period. Coach obviously feels he has not seen what it is that he needs to see out of me thus far in order to have the confidence to rely on me to be the dominant piece of the puzzle that this organization needs in order to help us move in the right direction.
I’m fighting to show him that that’s exactly what it is that I have to bring to the table. It's a trust issue,
and whenever you’re dealing with a head coach, it’s my responsibility to earn his trust, plain and simple.
Blog Blitz: Through all the criticism so early in your career, you have still held your head high and remained
positive throughout it all. What do you attest that to?
Maybin: My whole career, my mindset has been the same. Work as hard as you can, harder than
anyone else is willing to work, and let the rest take care of its self. Control what I can control and put the
rest in God's hands, that’s all I know. I've been playing the game of football since I can remember and
have faced criticism at every level. Whether it be my size, strength, experience, whatever; the one thing
that never gets questioned is work ethic. And at the end of the day that’s always what pays off. I only
have time for the positive in my life, there’s always going to be more than enough people around to root
against you, lol. Whether it is praise or criticism, I pay the press no attention. My mind never strays from
my goals. God blessed me with a gift that I believe in. I love this game and I love the organization that I
represent and its fans. So I’ll keep working until I make that my reality.
Blog Blitz: The Bills added an important piece to their coaching staff by nabbing former NFL head coach Dave
Wannstedt. Have you spoken with him yet? If so, what are your first impressions on him and what he
can add to this defense?
Maybin: I have not yet had the opportunity to speak with coach Wannstedt at all due to the lockout
stipulations but I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with him along with the rest of my
staff this year. I have been a follower of his teams from his days at the University of Miami under coach
Jimmy Johnson, to his days as coach of the Bears and the Dolphins. He has a great reputation and I'm
excited to work with him. This will be the first season that I can start with primarily the same core staff
that I finished with the year before. Being comfortable with a system is very important for an athlete at
any level, but none bigger than the professional arena. And with a year under the scheme we have in
place already, making the adjustments that this year's staff wants to make going into this year will be
much easier to grasp and implement.
Blog Blitz: Finally, your foundation "Project Mayhem" has been busy. Tell the fans what you have been up to
and how they can get involved.
Maybin: We have been very busy, this is our third year of work and it has continued to grow year after
year. Our annual Commitment for Change youth Camp was a big hit last year as we expanded to
Woodlawn high school, working with former Bills/Falcons cornerback Keion Carpenter. He has been a
big bro to me for some time also and we have collaborated to do a lot of charity work over the past
couple years. Were also taking a group of inner city youth down to Dallas, Texas, to compete in Deion
Sanders' annual tournament. We also hosted our second annual celebration of the arts week, which was a big success for the youth of my hometown. And I also just finished up the first draft of our children's book that I am writing and illustrating, set to release this winter as a part of our literacy program. Big
things to be excited about on that end as well. All info on my foundation's activities and news can be found on my website, AaronMaybin.com, and my Twitter, @AaronMaybin58.
Follow Blog Blitz on Facebook and join the conversation.
For Bills news on Twitter, follow @Bills_Live.
-- TERRY LONG
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com
Drayton Florence (above) was re-signed and will be coming back into camp and will be fighting for a starting job. It's going to be an interesting battle with Terrence McGee, Leodis McKelvin and Florence fighting for the two starting cornerback positions. The other thing is that rookie Aaron Williams has already impressed at camp and is leading the team with two interceptions. So there's a chance that the loser of that battle might be traded or cut. There's no way that Williams will be fourth on the depth chart, especially after the Bills used a high second-round pick on him.
Shortly thereafter, a deal was struck with Barnett. It was reported to be a three-year deal worth around
$12 million.
Now that the lockout is officially over, it's time to focus on re-signing the UFAs. Linebacker Paul Posluszny should be a priority. He's only 26 years old and is the Bills' best linebacker. Posluszny finished third in the NFL for tackles last season with 151 total tackles, two sacks and four passes defensed. And keep in mind that was in only 14 games. In 2009, he had 111 tackles, along with one sack, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and four passes defensed. He's been one of the most consistent linebackers on the team and is definitely underrated. Plus, with Marcell Dareus in front of him, his stats are bound to get even better.
Bills OLB Chris Kelsay discusses the lockout, his take on the new uniforms unveiled last week, and how he balances life as not only a player in the NFL, but as a husband and father.
