Fear Not Buffalo Fans: Even His Teammates See Maybin's Lack of Progress

There are so many great things about the NFL season. Whether it’s the storylines, the week-in week-out developments, or just personalities and teams that make the league, there’s simply something that draws us as fans everywhere you look. Training camp quarrels definitely fall amongst that list.

As surprising as the fights normally are, (And why are they? With 300 pound men running into one another in 90 degree weather) it seems as though there are about five to ten across the NFL every year. Normally sparked by some type of collision or post-play activity, the players proceed to usually grapple with one another until they are broken up by teammates.

Another aspect that enhances the mystique that comes with a training camp fight are the characters involved. While typically it is a rookie or backup trying to make his presence known, there have been incidents where teammates of a lengthy time have played the feud. (See Ken Lucas’ Eye vs. Steve Smith’s hand 2008, after three years as Panther teammates) It is all of these intricacies that make what happened at St. John Fisher College and Buffalo Bills training camp, all the more telling.

The events preceding The Incident, (Unlike Season 5's Finale of Lost) were fairly normal.

  Fred Jackson (In shoulder pads and shorts) took a hand-off from Trent Edwards and ran off tackle to the right. After about a five yard gain, he was pushed to the ground hard from behind by Bills 2009 first-round pick Aaron Maybin.

 From the outset, it didn’t help Maybin’s cause that Jackson was the Bills MVP in ’09, while Maybin’s biggest impact was being offside’s on a recovered onsides kick.

Now here is telling story number one, the first person to challenge Maybin after the hit wasn’t victim Fred “The Head” Jackson, it was center Geoff Hangartner. To legitimize Hangartner’s actions, one need only look at his resume. Not only has he been in the league since ’05 , but the guy also scored a 47/50 on his Wonderlic test, so he is far from a stereotypical oaf-ensive linemen.

After a wrestling match which had Hangartner performing his best “Great Khali” impression on the smaller Maybin, certain remarks were heard ringing out from the Bills sidelines, most notably from second-year guard Eric Wood, who was heard saying few snaps later: “

"Give back some of that money you ain't [expletive] earned!"

Now, the urge to defend their running back and teammate are obvious reasons for the guys on offense to get a little teed off. However, you can realize the attitude Wood and perhaps other players on this Bills roster have towards Maybin. Eric didn’t tell him to “Go out and earn it!” or “How about you keep working towards that money!” He simply told him to give back money he wasn’t earning from the organization.

Wood’s comments were very telling, perhaps mostly because of where he was drafted, right behind Maybin in 2009’s first round. They were telling also because aside from booing and a reputation for partying with strippers, Maybin hasn’t “earned” much of anything in his young career. What does Eric Wood know about earning it though? He’s just a guy who had a good rookie year, still rehabbing from an unbelievable injury (which had some saying his career was over) way ahead of his timetable, working to get back on the field.