Raiders DE Maxx Crosby explains what he is doing to lead a young group up front
The Las Vegas Raiders' star defensive player is doing the extra to lead his young group up front.The Raiders need some guys that aren't afraid to lead by example. They need dawgs, as Maxx Crosby called it in the 2022 exit meeting. They need guys who can lead the team on and off the field. […]
The Las Vegas Raiders' star defensive player is doing the extra to lead his young group up front.
The Raiders need some guys that aren't afraid to lead by example. They need dawgs, as Maxx Crosby called it in the 2022 exit meeting. They need guys who can lead the team on and off the field. Luckily they have a few already, and Crosby is one of them.
What he is doing to mentor what is a pretty young group in the trenches is going the extra mile. He is doing whatever he has to with one of his hardest jobs – being a leader.
"I think a big part of what we're doing right now is just becoming closer as a unit, especially D-line wise," Crosby told the media on Thursday. "We're meeting together, we're doing everything together. We're going out having dinners together, a couple of guys went to power slap last night together. But just getting out of the building and spending more time and building those relationships, because that's the stuff that people don't really notice on the field.
"You watch the Chiefs, everyone knows [Travis] Kelce and [Patrick] Mahomes are on the same page. You watch the Bills, you know Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, there's a reason they're on the same page because they're doing more than just playing football together. They're doing things off the field together as well. So, that's kind of my main focus as a leader, taking that next step and just trying to bring the guys together, not only with the D-line but as a defense as a whole and just as a team as a whole, holding everybody to that standard."
Being a leader is by no means easy, or everyone on the team would be a leader. You have to not only be good enough for people to listen to, but you have to know how to get people to listen to you. I think Crosby's game backs that up, as well as his actions on and off the field.
This is a guy who has been through just about as much as one can go through, yet he is one of the best in the league at what he does. The leader position is perfect for him, and the Raiders. They are somewhat young on the defensive side of the ball.
They have two rookie defensive linemen in Tyree Wilson and Byron Young and two sophomore defensive linemen in Matthew Butler and Neil Farrell Jr.. They will need a guy who is dominant, has seen it all, and walks the walk as Crosby does. Seeing, or hearing, everything Crosby said about how he mentors, builds chemistry, and acts as a leader is something you want to hear from one of your best players.
