Just as quickly as Aaron Schobel seemed to have a change of heart and want to return to Buffalo (going as far as seeking a house to rent in the area), the Bills themselves changed their mind. On Monday, GM Buddy Nix announced that the team was moving on without the Bills' 2nd all-time sack leader and defensive anchor. It's pretty sad news from the perspective that Schobel's been so good for this team for nearly a decade but I think with the new front office taking the reigns they wanted to a) Do what's best for the team and develop the players who naturally play OLB who were already at camp, b) set the tone that you come to Bills camp to work, and c) end the speculation.
I, for one, like the disciplinarian move Nix did in going ahead without Schobel. However, as a big fan of Schobel's it'll be a change to see the Bills D without one of their most tenured and productive players on the field. I have to say, with the back and forth Favresque escapades that have surrounded this little story in WNY, I'm glad to see a conclusion to it and I hope Schobel will still remain a strong supporter of the Bills organization as he goes on to either play for another team for a year (as he's stated he would only want to play one more season) or do whatever it is he chooses. If he does play, recent reports say he would prefer to be traded to the Texans if he does play but due to his expensive contract and the defensive line depth of the Texans that may be a far-fetched scenario. If the Bills can trade him that would be ideal right now as presumably they could get a draft pick or perhaps a reserve linebacker from someone for him but regardless, his release would free a large sum of money that could be used to lure other much needed talent to Buffalo. Whatever Schobel chooses to do, I wish him the best. Maybe we'll see you on the Bills' wall of fame down the line.
As for the rest of the Bills, it did not take long for the injury bug to bite and bite it does. Off the top of my head I'll rattle off some names of injured players: Paul Posluszny, Chris Kelsay, Danny Batten, Kawika Mitchell, Keith Ellison, Ed Wang, Demetrius Bell...who am I missing? Notice, the majority of those injuries come at LB which on the interior is one position the Bills seem to have some depth at; At the very least the ILBs don't seem to be too banged up. Pos is rehabbing from minor surgery and both Ellison and Mitchell are still not 100% since last season's injuries.
I've read reports saying that at OLB Kelsay and Batten's injuries are not too severe, however in Batten's case for one, Gailey has stated that the injury to his shoulder is "fairly significant" and that he'll miss some time. Gailey seems to keep a lot left to speculation unlike Dick who would give you all the information about injuries first thing whenever he'd speak to the media so it's hard to assess how severe these injuries actually are. We'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully, with Kelsay learning a new position and Batten trying to learn football at NFL speed, we'll see them both back on the field soon as they both need the practice to be effective come September.
Wang's injury is the one that really worries me for a few reasons. First, it's his second injury and he has yet to play even a preseason game. That does not bode well for his future as a starting lineman in the NFL. Second, this injury, unlike that to his ankle in June, is reportedly fairly serious and could likely require surgery and for him to be out of practice for some time (weeks at least). Third, if team doctors do assess the injury to be as serious as presumed then the Bills, already weak at OT, have lost another tackle and will likely have to pick up a free agent to fill his shoes if he can't return before the start of the season. Does this mean another season of Buffalo's frankenline? Not necessarily. Bell and Wood are both still rehabbing but practicing and Wang was not expected to start in the first place so things could be worse. The only issue is if Bell goes down then the already lacking talent on the offensive line is spread as even thinner.
Last note: Spiller seems poised to sign a deal any moment now and I'm in a contest where I guessed it would be reported that he signs at 3:15pm on August 5th. Cross your fingers for me that I'm closest to the exact time of his reported signing 'cause then I'll get a dope T-shirt.
Best picture of Marshawn Lynch so far this offseason:
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