Buffalo Bills Aaron Schobel: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Here is a picture of Aaron Schobel returning an interception of a Tom Brady pass for a touchdown during the 2009 season opener on Monday Night Football against the Patriots. For Bills fans, the question is: Will we ever see him strapping on the Bills uniform again?

Just like the song by The Clash, Schobel is trying to figure out if Should I Stay (come back to the Bills) or Should I Go (hang up the cleats and retire)? When the season ended, Schobel announced it would take him two months to sort through the issues and come up with a decision to return or retire.

Well, those two months have now turned in to six months. You would think that would have been enough time for Schobel to have done some reflecting, time to talk to his family and friends, and time to see all the developments with the Bills to determine if he still wanted to be part of this organization, or not.

To be sure, Schobel has been one of the most consistent performers for the Bills year in and year out. If it turns out that Aaron has indeed played his last season for the Bills, he will have retired as going out on top, so to speak.

I am referring to his being graded out as the number one defensive end in 2009 by Advanced NFL Stats in play-making ability. (http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2010/05/10/schobel-tops-in-playmaking/). Schobel had 10 sacks in 2009 and has a lofty place in, not only the Bills history books, but in the NFL's as well.

Schobel trails only Jason Taylor for the most sacks in the league since 2001. Schobel ranks second all-time for sacks for the Buffalo Bills, trailing only Hall-of-Famer Bruce Smith. Schobel has registered over 600 tackles during his career. Very lofty numbers, indeed.

But will he return for one more year? Personally, I see reasons for both sides of the argument. Right now, he is still healthy and can enjoy spending time with his children and family being physically able to do things with them. Another year of pounding his body takes from NFL offensive linemen is something hard for us to appreciate.  The wear and tear he must be going through could catch up with him.

Schobel will be faced with learning a new position if he returns. Another new defensive coordinator to learn from, a new system, and a new head coach are things he has done before, but this year would probably be as difficult mentally as it would be physically. With each passing week of missing out on OTAs, mini-camps, etc., he is just going to be falling further and further behind on the learning curve.

Schobel sold his home in Western New York last month, a possible indication that he is going to move on from Buffalo. The team is out there working hard, and the injury to Ed Wang proves it. I don't believe that he is being a prima donna, ala Brett Favre, but he is wrestling with the family issues and the definite possibility of another losing season.

For the Bills, they continue to say the right things, and state that they are leaving the doors open for him. However, the signing this week of linebacker Reggie Torbor, an ex-Dolphin, was a deal that suggested the Bills bought themselves a little Schobel retirement insurance.

I have long admired Schobel's play, work ethic, and ability to compete. But for the sake of the Bills 2010 season, Schobel needs to let them know if he is going to play or not. If he is, he needs to get into camp and start learning the new schemes and new responsibilities. If he decides to retire, then God speed.

What do Bills fans think Schobel will do?