He remembers veteran players back then saying the same things he does now, that the most important part about this crazy world of the NFL is having confidence.
To trust the work. To prepare while also having the arrogance that no matter who stands on the other side, you’re going to figure it out.
Maxx Crosby begins his eighth year in the league Sunday when the Las Vegas Raiders host the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium, and there are certain traits that have never changed from the star edge rusher.
He wants to win as much as anyone in the building. Wants more than anything for the Raiders to finally reach a contender’s status in his time with the club.
It won’t be easy this season, although there are signs that the future under new coach Klint Kubiak could be brighter than it has been for some time. We will see.
Highest level
Crosby, then, forges ahead, maintaining his space as one of the league’s feared pass rushers.
And, best for him and the Raiders, he appears healthy.
He missed last season’s final two games — certainly not by his choosing — with what was deemed a meniscus repair.
You also know about the botched trade with the Ravens that ultimately collapsed. What a disaster that was.
But an offseason of recovery has placed him here, ready and oh-so-excited about the possibilities of a new season. Not many believe the Raiders can make much of things when it comes to their record, but never suggest to the team’s best player that anything is predetermined.
“You bring everything you can to football at the highest level,” Crosby said. “The good, the bad, everything. I’m just ready to go. Every day, you’re trying to get better and not staying stagnant. It’s Week 1. You’ve put in all the work the whole offseason and training camp and now finally get to show the world. I know the guys are fired up. There’s nothing better.
“It’s crazy how time flies. Going into my eighth season, it’s like, ‘Damn, it happens just like that.’ I’m more energized and excited as ever. Every year is different. Unfortunately, I’ve had a lot of different coaches and schemes and regimes. The whole nine (yards). But if you look at it through a positive lens, it has allowed me to see and hear a lot of different views on the game and learn a lot of things.”
He wants to continue evolving as a pass rusher and run stopper. Thinks only about being a game wrecker. Says that while a lot of people focus on the one-on-one matchup of who might be assigned to block him, being able to wreck a game lifts you into a whole different category of player.
That if you slow him down in one area, he is still able to dominate another. That the other guys need to know where he’s at every single snap. That’s his goal. It has been for a long time now.
He is also high on Kubiak’s way of doing things. The coach who is never going to win any stand-up competitions has this way, Crosby said, of balancing daily life in football and the pursuit of success. Even without much personality.
‘A little awkward’
“We haven’t had this level of detail in a long time,” Crosby said. “He creates an environment where guys want to go out there and learn and grow. He also isn’t afraid to hold me or anyone else accountable. He’s really good at that.
“He just won a Super Bowl (in Seattle). He knows what it looks like. He’s just himself and allows his players to be themselves. He tells us all the time, ‘I want to see your personalities shine. Just because I’m a little awkward, I don’t want you guys to be.’”
Maxx Crosby is about to begin his eighth NFL season. Yeah. It goes fast. He wants to win now more than ever. Whether that’s in the cards for the Raiders this season — and you won’t find many who believe it is — his goals never change.
“Our expectations are to go out and win football games,” he said. “You can’t look too far ahead or in the past. Just have to be present. Maximize every single day.”
Sort of the same stuff those veterans told him back then.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
