Maybin sees Rex's defense as right fit

Aaron Maybin’s no Fred Dean.

But the Jets see enough potential in the former Bill to take a chance.

Shortly after passing a physical and inking a one-year deal, Maybin was on the practice field Wednesday afternoon. He hadn’t had time to even open the playbook.

“He has no clue, he doesn’t know a single defense, but it’s like, “Hey just turn that corner,’” Rex Ryan joked after practice. “He did that pretty well. That was great. …We’d settle for if he was Fred Dean. That’d be nice. I don’t think that’s going to happen, but he has that body type, that long, lean body type of those great pass rushers. He can get off the football now. I think it’ll be interesting to see him in this system. I think he has a chance. You look for these kind of guys that can have that burst to the quarterback. We’re really excited that he’s here.”

Labeled a “bust” during his two season in Buffalo, Maybin – who had just 24 tackles (15 solo) and zero sacks -- said he’s looking forward to a new start under Ryan. The pair met years ago when Ryan, then a coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, worked out the Penn State alum before the draft. Maybin also went to the same high school (Mount Hebron in Maryland) as Ryan’s oldest son, Payton.

“I just felt really comfortable and I really didn’t want to play for anybody else,” Maybin said of his phone calls with the Jets head coach. “Coach Ryan has that affect on a lot of players. But I’ve known him for some time, he knows me, he knows my family, he knows the kind of player I am. So it felt like a great situation for me to come to get a fresh start.”

Asked if he thought the Bills gave him a fair shot, the 23-year-old skirted around the question, saying only: “That’s not for me to say. At the end of the day, that’s the past and I’m looking forward. My complete and total focus is on the New York Jets and helping us get to the Super Bowl.”

In Rex he sees a proven track record; a repertoire of defensive schemes that falls in line with his underutilized skill set.

“They don’t just rush the passer, they have a great track record of getting home and getting to the quarterback,” Maybin said. “And for somebody like myself who really tries to take pride in that aspect of my game, there’s not a better scenario that you want to come into, especially with a coach with that defensive mentality.”