Las Vegas Raiders starter reveals he wants to beat out Maxx Crosby for a Defensive Player of the Year award
The Las Vegas Raiders made one of the biggest free-agency steals last offseason. The old regime of Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels may not have been great at many things and got a lot of things wrong, but signing Robert Spillane in free agency was one of the best things the team did that offseason. […]
The Las Vegas Raiders made one of the biggest free-agency steals last offseason. The old regime of Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels may not have been great at many things and got a lot of things wrong, but signing Robert Spillane in free agency was one of the best things the team did that offseason. He became one of the best linebackers in the league and was a captain of the defense.
Crosby, the best defensive player in the league, missed out on the Defensive Player of the Year award last season. He should have won it but still came in third in voting, which is pretty insane, honestly. If they win enough games, he can come for that title.
Crosby will eventually be a DPOY, and it could even be this upcoming season. But he has some competition because one of his teammates wants to win the award, too.
"I think Maxx [Crosby] deserved the Defensive Player of the Year last year," Spillane said on The Rush podcast. "I think that comes with winning games as well. We win 13 games, 14 games, or 12; we show that we are forced to be reckoned with, and he has that type of year. I feel like this is his time to win Defensive Player of the Year. I feel like it's the next few years for sure. I'm excited to be alongside that journey and want to try and win it, too damnit. Who's to say I can't get ten interceptions in a year and show that?"
I love the confidence, and while I'm not saying it can't happen, ten interceptions would be a record for a linebacker in a season. According to Google, as it was pretty hard to find the answer, the current record is nine by Bob Smith in 1952. So, that would be pretty wild considering all of the amazing linebackers we have had since, who haven't been able to break that record.
Spillane's saying that he also wants to win means that he wants to beat out Crosby because you know Crosby will be in the running every single year until he retires. But that's okay. You heard Crosby say in the background that he agrees and shake his head. Yes, he wants his brothers to succeed as well.
First, though, I think Crosby needs to win it, and he probably will. Then we can talk about Spillane.
