Raiders' Defensive Line Beginning to Work as One

It is no secret how good a football player, defensive end Maxx Crosby is. However, what might be somewhat of a secret is exactly how good his teammates are on the defensive line.

While they may not all be household names, they have all played admirably alongside Crosby.

"Yeah, I think our overall communication and the execution of some of the things we're trying to do up front, it's hard to say it's ever perfect, it's not," Coach Josh McDaniels said.

"But I know that it's much like an offense when they put a lot of attention on one player, then there are other opportunities for the other skill players.

"When you're talking about pass rushers, certainly they work in unison with each other much of the time. And a lot of that is centered around how the protection is built. If the protection slides this way, then these guys have other opportunities."

McDaniels, Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, and the defensive linemen themselves understand that while they might not always get the attention they deserve, the success of the defense as a whole is what matters the most.

"I think they've been really good about not all of them are going to get to the quarterback, somebody's got to kind of take one for the team and do the dirty work," McDaniels said. "All of them have been willing to do such, which is really what you need if you're going to have a rush that affects the quarterback."

Las Vegas' coaching staff has stressed that there are many ways to impact the game that might not show up on the stat sheet.

"You're not going to sack him every time, that's clear," McDaniels said. "But if you can impact the quarterback or just affect his timing or his rhythm or his ability to stand there comfortably, then you're making an impact in the rush."

The Raiders kept more defensive linemen on the roster than any other position on cut-down day, enabling them to rotate players as needed.

"So, just really like their attitude and their approach," McDaniels said. "We're trying to play as many guys as we can, so we're fresh and go in there and contribute."

The Raiders defensive line, aside from Crosby, getting additional pressures, run stops, and sacks, would take this defense to a level not seen by a Raiders defense in quite some time.

It is Week 6 in a 17-game season; if Bilal Nichols, Malcolm Koonce, John Jenkins, Adam Butler, and Tyree Wilson can start to be even more disruptive, anything is possible, including the playoffs.

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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