Bills castoff Maybin thrilled to be a Jet

Aaron Maybin's face might mirror the Joker's pretty soon.

"I'm as happy as I've been," the new Jets linebacker said. "It's been a great experience so far."

An experience that's been keeping the former first-round draft pick beaming daily.

"I had expectations that I really felt I fit in here and that I would feel at home here," Maybin said. "But honestly, it's even exceeded my own expectations. I told our GM, I told our coaches, I'm as happy as I've ever been in my entire career. That whole family atmosphere, the fact that guys are really out here having fun playing football, it's great.

"It's refreshing to have that around again, where the whole team is really excited about what's going on."

Signed by the Jets to a one-year deal two days after Buffalo unceremoniously dumped him last Monday, Maybin hasn't had much to get pumped up about in his short NFL career. The Bills drafted him No. 11 overall out of Penn State in 2009, believing the defensive end was the perfect fit for then-coach Dick Jauron's 4-3 defense.

However, Maybin played only 21 percent of the snaps, raising more than a few eyebrows. When Buffalo shifted to a 3-4 alignment upon Chan Gailey's hiring last season, the Bills moved Maybin to outside linebacker, thinking that was more of a natural fit for him because of his athleticism and speed.

But Maybin saw action on a mere 87 plays, was on the inactive list for five consecutive weeks, and failed to record his first pro sack -- leading to some calling him the biggest draft bust in franchise history. Buffalo cut ties with Maybin despite owing him $2 million.

Still, the 6-4, 240-pound Maybin said he doesn't feel any added weight on his shoulders to show he can play in this league, especially since he's going to be strictly a pass-rushing specialist with the Jets and not one of the main cogs.

"At the end of the day, it's no pressure," said Maybin, who's trying to shed comparisons with Vernon Gholston, a No. 6 overall pick who was a major disappointment in three seasons as a Jet. "I come out here every day trying to do the same thing, and that's try to help the team win any way possible."

The Jets condensed the playbook for Maybin before sending him onto the field against the Bengals on Sunday night, figuring the best way to get him up to speed with their complex 3-4 defense and all the terminology was to give him a package of plays. Maybin, 23, showed some of his potential late in the fourth quarter of the Jets' 27-7 win, even though it came against Cincinnati's third-string offense. Maybin beat tackle Matthew O'Donnell and flew in for a strip sack of Dan LeFevour.

"That was a situation where it's the end of the game, something needs to happen in order to make sure the nail is in the coffin, and the victory is in the bag," Maybin said. "So the fact I was able to go out and get a sack on a play like that, it definitely feels good.''

"I think it's good for his confidence," linebacker Bart Scott said. "I'm sure it's well documented that he hasn't had a sack in a regular-season game, and it's always good to come in your first week and do something positive, something to build off for the next week.

"He's still in the audition period as far as trying to show the team that he's a good player. So, as with anything when you are a guy who gets traded for or signed with a new team, your first thing is trying to prove your worth to your teammates."

That's exactly what Maybin is attempting to do.

"I'm never one to get complacent," Maybin said. "There's still a lot even in those handful of plays that I could have improved on. I had three opportunities to get to the quarterback. In my mind, I should have had three sacks. So until I'm literally that dominant of a pass rusher, I still have a lot of work to do."