Maxx Crosby's leadership comes at a critical time for the Raiders

Published Nov. 8, 2023 8:35 p.m. ET

Associated Press

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Linebacker Robert Spillane, known for having a strong inner drive, thought he could match Maxx Crosby's intensity after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason.

Then came the first practice in April.

Crosby ran full sprints up and down the field, over and over again.

So much for matching Crosby's energy.

“He's in midseason form, sprinting 23 miles an hour,” Spillane said. “I learned that day what type of intensity he carries with him. He's never changed, never faltered one day. It's exciting to be able to work with somebody like that.”

Crosby, in many ways, has emerged as the face of the Raiders, or at least he's right there with wide receiver Davante Adams. That has been especially true over the past two weeks.

The team had an emotional meeting leading up to the game at Detroit on Oct. 30 in which players and coaches shared their feelings about the season's struggles. After the Raiders were beaten 26-14 by the Lions to drop to 3-5, the club fired coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler the next night.

On Saturday, the day before the Raiders were to play the New York Giants, Crosby asked an equipment manager to buy about 100 cigars. Then Las Vegas went out and beat the Giants 30-6, and afterward the locker room was filled with smoke as the players celebrated after the difficult stretch.

“It was kind of spur of the moment, but I’m a big cigar guy,” Crosby said. “So we’re going to keep doing that.”

Crosby said he prefers to lead by example, which gives him the credibility in the locker room over anything he could say otherwise.

As a fourth-round draft pick in 2019 out of Eastern Michigan, Crosby wasn't going to just walk in and make his voice heard.

“It takes time and growth and maturity to be a good leader,” Crosby said. “So for me, it’s a process every single day. Every day I show up, I’ve got to give it my best. It’s something I’m growing at and I’m still at it, trying to improve in any way.”

Crosby is tied for second in the NFL with 9 1/2 sacks. Even when he's not getting to the opposing quarterback from his rush end position, Crosby often still disrupts the play by forcing a quick pass.

Opponents do what they can, but Crosby fights through double teams and chips and whatever else comes his way. His motor doesn't stop.

Crosby is the same way in offseason workouts and on the practice field.

When interim coach Antonio Pierce became the Raiders linebackers coach before last season, one of the LBs, Denzel Perryman, told him, ‘AP, you haven’t seen nothing like this.’ Pierce had played with his own share of outstanding defensive players when he was a linebacker for Washington and the Giants in the early 2000s, so he brushed off Perryman's comment.

Then Pierce watched Crosby practice.

“(Perryman's) right," Pierce said. “I have not ever seen a player be consistent like Maxx Crosby. ... I was with the linebackers (in practice), but I was always next to Maxx and I could feel his energy. It reminded me of when I played.”

That effort — and the results that came with it — easily won over the locker room, and not just on the defensive side.

“He's the ultimate lead-by-example guy,” Adams said. "He does everything the right way as far as the way he goes about being locked in and in meetings speaking to the team. He kind of embodies what it means to be a captain. He pushes me at times where I'm in a drought or whatever and it's kind of hard to get going. I go out there sometimes and just watch him.

“It'll give me some juice seeing how hard he plays. For him to be as good of a player as he is and have that motor and that type of tenacity and intentionality with what he does, it's really unheard of. I've seen it from Aaron (Rodgers), but the strain is different for a quarterback than it is for a defensive player. It's definitely fun to watch.”

SPILLANE PLAYED INJURED

Spillane broke his left hand in the Monday night game at Detroit last week, had surgery the next morning and played against the Giants on Sunday. He led the team with nine tackles and had half a sack.

“I knew I was going to play,” Spillane said. “Me and my friends always joke (the hand's) a long way from the heart.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl