Maxx Crosby: The King of Effort

The Las Vegas Raiders have one, if not the best defensive players in the National Football League. Maxx Crosby since entering the league has gotten better each season and his work ethic is unlike anyone's in the league. Crosby's message is simple, getting better by one percent each day has gone a long way for him since entering the NFL.

But before coming into the NFL no one believed he could have been the star he is now. Crosby played his college ball at Eastern Michigan. Crosby went unnoticed during his time there and he was not a big name coming out of college, even at his position.

Former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden selected Crosby in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Gruden took a chance on Crosby, and it was a big one for the Raiders.

"If I did one thing for you, it was hiring Rod Marinelli (former Raiders defensive line coach)," Jon Gruden told Crosby. "And he taught you one word, and you have taken that one word to a level I have never seen, and it called effort. And I see a lot of linemen now, they are good players they have great games, but they do not have great effort every single play, every week. A lot of these guys are tapping out, playing 66 percent of the plays. I see you go on a nine or ten game run and not come off the field."

Crosby said it was the best thing that has happened to him [getting coach by Marinelli].

"It is funny because when I first got with coach Marinelli you know how he is, like he is going to test you as a man first and foremost," said Crosby. "At first, I looked at it as like a threat, I felt like oh he has something against me but the first thing I told him was I want to be the best. No matter what coach I want to be the best. Coach me that way, whatever. He was like alright. So, every day we were on my a-- like made it miserable for me."

"It took a year and a half until I went up to his office, it was the first day of OTAs. I remember going into my third year I was in the best shape of my life, you were saying like I completely dedicated myself to what I am doing to this day, across the board locked in ... I went to show coach Marinelli I am in the best shape of my life ... Everything he said nope. Too high, not good enough, get low pad level, killing me ... I wanted to freak out. I told him what is the problem?"

"He told me, remember what you told me when you first got here, you want to be the best ... if you want that I can take the foot off the gas just like everyone else, or if you really want to be that I am going to push you like that every day."

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