Raiders' Maxx Crosby is probably sick of something by now
The Las Vegas Raiders' best defensive player may be getting sick and tired of something by now.Let's face the music, the Raiders have one of the worst defenses in the league, and they have for quite some time now. They used to be known as a franchise that always had a tough, hard-nosed defense, dating […]
The Las Vegas Raiders' best defensive player may be getting sick and tired of something by now.
Let's face the music, the Raiders have one of the worst defenses in the league, and they have for quite some time now. They used to be known as a franchise that always had a tough, hard-nosed defense, dating back to Charles Woodson and others. Now, they are a team with the potential to have an elite offense and a really bad defense.
But they do have guys on the defense who are alright. Specifically, they have Maxx Crosby, who is one of the best edge rushers in the league and just had an amazing season in 2022. Yet, as most would, he may be getting tired of carrying the load on that side of the ball.
Crosby just finished his 2022 campaign with 12.5 sacks and a league-leading 22 tackles for loss. However, the defense ranked 26th in 2022, allowing the league's seventh-most total points. They couldn't get off the field a lot of times. But Crosby always seemed to be doing his job. He has been the MVP of his team.
Think about this: He is the most valuable to his team. You take away Josh Jacobs, and the Raiders still have other running backs who can execute this system. They won't be as good, but I don't think it would be bad. You take away Davante Adams, and the passing game isn't as good, but they still have some other really good weapons.
You take away Crosby, and the defense goes from 26th to dead last. That's why he is the most valuable to his team. One NFL analyst agrees as well.
There's absolutely a strong case to be made for either receiver Davante Adams or running back Josh Jacobs in this spot. Jacobs arguably was the Raiders' overall MVP last season when you consider just how much he did, and with Jimmy Garoppolo already coming in as an injury risk at quarterback, Jacobs figures to be plenty busy again. But Crosby is pretty special, too, and the Raiders have more questions on the defensive side of the ball again. He's not good enough to clean up everyone else's mistakes, but that won't stop him from trying. There aren't ten players in the league who play with a hotter motor, and arguably not that many who make more of an impact on their defense. Chandler Jones fell off significantly last season, especially early on, and 2023 first-rounder Tyree Wilson might come in a bit behind, given that he has not yet practiced while continuing to rehab from foot surgery. That puts an enormous burden on Crosby, but he's been up to the challenge almost since the day he set foot on an NFL field. – Eric Edholm, NFL.com
That's why he may be getting tired of it. He may feel like he is the only one on that side of the ball who is doing anything good. Not to mention the fact the Raiders just spent a ton of money on Chandler Jones, and he was almost non-existent. They were giving up huge touchdowns every game; that shouldn't happen.
That can be demoralizing if he carries his weight and the rest of the team isn't. That can make a player want to change, whether a coach fired or hired, a player signed or released, or even wanting to go somewhere else. The Raiders need to try and get that corrected as soon as possible.
The good news is that you can tell Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler are trying to improve the defense. They just drafted six players on that side of the ball and signed a few more in free agency.
So while Crosby may be tired of it, we know he will do it because that's who he is. He is a great player and an even better teammate.
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 youg group up front.
Featured Image Via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
