Maxx Crosby: On a Quest to be the Best in the Business

It is no secret what kind of player the Las Vegas Raiders have in defensive end Maxx Crosby. This season, though, he has taken it to another level.

After recording a sack in three straight games for the Las Vegas Raiders, it seems there are no ceilings for defensive end Maxx Crosby. The veteran defensive lineman makes his presence felt weekly, as was the case on Monday night against the Green Bay Packers.  

Through five weeks, Crosby has the second most quarterback pressures in the NFL. After finishing last week with five tackles, including one sack, Crosby earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award. It was his fourth time winning the award, making him the first Raiders player ever to win the award that many times.  

"Maxx [Crosby] has made himself into a defender who is good in each area," Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels said. "The only thing we don't do is drop him into coverage, but if we did, he'd probably be good at that too.

"But with his effort and his toughness, and then you combine that with the fact that he's got kind of an uncanny knack for how he can bend and change the angle of his body to try to avoid certain things and get disruptive plays in the backfield. That's what you're seeing.

"They try to block him with sometimes multiple people, and he's just got enough of that feel and understanding and talent, and then you put the effort on top of that with his toughness and he's bound to make some plays."

By all accounts, Crosby is officially in the elite category.

"Nobody works harder than he does and it's in every area, running game, passing game, the pass rush, containment, etc," McDaniels said. "Does a really good job of working at the things we ask him to do. He's an elite leader, and he's an elite player.

"Yeah, but he deserves the credit for that. Our coaching staff, I think Robbie [Leonard] and Matt [Edwards] do a great job with those guys, Pat [Graham], of working with those guys obviously and doing some things from a technical standpoint, like fundamentals. 

Crosby shared how his mindset has molded his work ethic. 

"I talk about it all the time, I want to be the best," Crosby told Sports Illustrated. "That's what I'm working for on a daily basis."

As good as he's been, Crosby always feels like there is another level that he can reach.

"No question, every single year, I evaluate what I did good, what I did bad and I look for that 100 percent in every single way," Crosby said. "I started training Jan. 30. I put in six months of work before camp even got here."

Crosby and the Raiders' defense worked hard all offseason to grow into a better unit than what they have been in recent years. His leadership, work ethic and mindset have been key factors in this season's defense's growth. 

The Silver and Black will stay home at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to play the New England Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT.

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