Las Vegas Raiders' Maxx Crosby Talks Potential Rule Changes

Las Vegas Raiders star DE Maxx Crosby discussed rule changes in the NFL.

The NFL undergoes rule changes every offseason. 

This offseason, the league passed a rule to ban what’s known as the "hip-drop tackle," a defensive maneuver when a player grabs a ball carrier around the waist and twists them to the ground, creating a higher risk for potential serious injury. 

If a player is caught using the maneuver, an official will give them a 15-yard penalty. The rule change was met with pushback among defensive players who feel there is nothing wrong with the tackle. 

The subject of rule changes arose on Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby’s podcast, "The Rush with Maxx Crosby." He spoke about the rules he may want to see changed in the NFL. 

“There’s certain things that you just can’t avoid on a football field,” Crosby said. “You have dudes running a hundred miles an hour, flying around. Your whole objective is to stop them from gaining yards. There’s certain things, like guys run across the middle, you’ll see them get hit in the chest, but it’s somewhere near their head, and they’ll still throw the flag. You can’t do s--- like that.”

Crosby said officials should only call certain penalties, like roughing the passer, if the player obviously committed the penalty with flagrant intent.

“I feel like the main thing is, it has to be egregious,” he said. “Especially even roughing the passer. Someone gets pushed into the quarterback’s legs, they’ll throw a f---ing flag for roughing, which is crazy. You can’t control that. I think things like that need to be – it needs to be a little gray area. Even though it’s hard, at the same time, unless it’s egregious, that’s the only time you should call it.”

According to nflpenalties.com, Crosby was called for five penalties during the 2023 season, including a roughing the passer call against the New England Patriots. The penalty against Mac Jones came as Crosby hit him in the back after he had already released the ball.

Roughing the passer has been a widely debated issue in the NFL, and as the league continues to evaluate its rules every offseason, that likely won’t change any time soon.

Click here to watch the full podcast episode.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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