Here's a question to ponder as you await Sunday's epic clash in K.C.: How come the 11th

pick in last year's draft, a defensive end who pocketed $14 million in guarantees, can't get

on the field for a team that's last in the NFL in run defense?

"I'm not a coach," Aaron Maybin said Wednesday, "so I can't answer those questions and I

won't try to. As far as that goes, you have to talk to them."

"Them" would be Perry Fewell, the Bills' defensive coordinator and interim head coach.

Fewell was blunt when asked about his rookie end. He said that Maybin will be a "dynamic"

player in the league one day. But that day hasn't arrived. Fewell said the kid isn't good

enough to help him win right now.

So Maybin has to be content with his 10-15 snaps a game, filling in as his coaches see fit,

trying to make an impact in limited playing time. Last Thursday night in Toronto, he had three

tackles against the Jets. It was a career high.

You can't blame Fewell for playing the guys who give him the best chance to win. He's on a

seven-game trial for his dream job. This isn't about the future. Fewell is not going to play a

raw, undersized lineman just because he was a high draft pick.

Of course, this was supposedly a must-win season at One Bills Drive. That's why it was

curious when they took Maybin, who had started 10 games at Penn State. Maybin's shortcomings

were no secret. He was small for an end. His run defense was suspect.

Maybin was a project. They took him, anyway. Jobs were at stake, but they acted as if they

were a perennial playoff team that could afford to be patient. Maybin held out for 27 days,

then signed for five years, $25 million. The Bills have 11 tackles to show for the investment.

Meanwhile, defensive players taken behind him in the first round are flourishing: Brian

Orakpo with the Redskins; Brian Cushing with the Texans; Robert Ayers with the Broncos; Clay

Matthews with the Packers.

I'll spare you the names of the offensive picks who have been instant producers.

In time, Maybin might turn into a star. But it's disconcerting to watch so many other

rookies having good years while the Bills' top pick struggles to find himself. Well, they're

4-8. Maybe someone up top should tell Fewell the time has come to find out about Maybin.

"We'll see how things go," Maybin said. "I'm not a coach, so I just do what they ask of me.

I'm working as hard as I possibly can. When they put me in there, I've done what I can to make

plays and put us in position to win football games."

Maybin has the word "mayhem" shaved in the side of his head. He hasn't created much of it

in his limited opportunities. He has no sacks and one tackle for a loss. Mainly, he's been

manhandled by blockers with the size and savvy to toss him aside like tissue paper.

A lot of scouts saw Maybin as a rush linebacker. The Bills insist that he's an end, at

least for the moment. Matt Millen, who broadcast the Toronto game for NFL Network, said Maybin

needed size, strength and an inside rush move. Maybin is listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. He

looks a lot thinner than that.

"Right now, I'm around 245," he said. "I may put on some weight after this year, I may not.

We'll see how I feel. As long as I feel good, that's what I go by."

Defensive ends can be slow to develop. It's too soon to judge Maybin. But you can harbor

suspicions. We're talking about the Bills, after all; they haven't drafted an elite defensive

lineman in the first round since Bruce Smith. If fans smell a bust, it's because their senses

have been sharpened by history.

"Truthfully, I don't listen to much of it," Maybin said.

"Because I know I'm going to have a successful career in this league. I know the kind of

player I am. If I don't listen to it now, when things are going bad, it won't allow me to get

a big head when things are going good."