Raiders DE Maxx Crosby from Training Camp

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders have opened their 2023 NFL Training Camp, and defensive end Maxx Crosby took to the podium to address the media.

You can watch his entire comments below., and read the transcript:

Defensive End Maxx Crosby

Q: A report came out that you were with Josh Jacobs kind of leading up to his deadline. What has it kind of been like as a teammate trying to support him in his efforts, but also obviously you want him to be here with you guys?

Maxx Crosby: "For me, Josh [Jacobs] is a grown man, he's got to make the best decision for him and his family. No matter what, Josh is like a brother to me. We came in together, we've had a bunch of different coaches together. Josh is a grown man, he knows what's best for him. So I'm going to support him in any way I can. I was at his house. Nobody asked me to go talk to him, I was at his house hanging out with him trying to get him -- selfishly -- to be here, but he's got to do what makes sense for him and his family and it goes both ways. So, I'm just going to be here to support him. Obviously I want him here, but yeah, they've got to figure everything out. But that's above my pay grade."

Q: I know it's not a new thing, but there's been a lot of talk recently about the value of running backs. What's sort of your view -- not specifically about Josh [Jacobs], but just league wide the value of running backs today?

Crosby: "Yea, it's crazy. They happen to be the only market that's gone. That's the reality. It's crazy because those guys take the most damage. They're getting the ball 300, 400 times a year, especially a guy like Josh [Jacobs] and Saquon [Barkley] and those dudes. So yeah man, I want everyone to get paid. At the end of the day, those dudes are ballers. There's a ton of great players, but that's not up to me. The market is the market. I feel like running backs should get paid just like some of the best players in the league as well. It's a different league, there are markets for every position and people value certain things a certain way. So like I said, that's not my determination. But yeah, specifically I think Josh is one of the best players in the league, that's just my opinion."

Q: What throughout the whole offseason has shown you this will be a better defense and also a better defense in terms of creating turnovers?

Crosby: "I can't make any predictions. I know that the guys are showing up and other guys are working. I know we're detailed and doing things together. That's all we can control right now. Taking it one day at a time, being where our feet are. I just try to lead by example in every single way, that's my main focus is being a better leader not only just by example, but vocally at times when I feel like it's needed. So yeah, I want to be the best version of myself every single day, and I'm trying to raise -- the standard is the standard, I want to bring everybody up with me. So, that's my goal every day is just be a light for everybody and just show them how it's done and bring those guys with me, not just do it myself. It's the whole D-line, we're running after practice, try to get everybody going. And that's not just defense, it's offense as well. I don't care who it is. It's O-linemen I've got to talk to, receivers, whatever, I just want to be the most complete version of myself to help this team win and that's my goal every day."

Q: Almost every training camp that we've seen you there's something a little bit different about your physique, your body. Does it become kind of a healthy obsession for you during the offseason to refine the body and figure out different ways that can maximize what you do on the field on Sundays?

Crosby: "Yeah, for sure. Every single year, I try to find that 1 percent I can improve in every single category. So yeah, like this offseason I started two weeks early. I started January 30. I've already put in six months of training, PR'ed in all of the things I wanted a PR in. So yeah, there's always room for improvement. There's always more to do. So for me it's just about how can I eat better, how can I sleep better, how can I recover better, how can I train better, and that's what we've done all offseason. I've got to give a ton of credit to Rick Slate working with me every single day, A.J. [Neibel], the whole staff, Ricky [Ng] the nutritionist, literally everybody in the building has helped me do it. So yeah, I'm just trying to be, like I talk about all the time, I want to be the best. So that's why I literally push myself all year round to get to that goal and I'm not stopping until I get there."

Q: When you get out there and you're flying around do you feel the work that you put in in how you're able to move around?

Crosby: "100 percent. I take pride in it. I know how I feel. Once you feel good and then you find another level to tap into and then you keep finding another level. So, for me it's always pushing and being uncomfortable. This offseason, I talked about it, I went and sparred with Sean Strickland and I went to Miami and ran 10 miles with Hunter Campbell which is crazy, but just putting myself in situations that I don't want to be in and just did it. Once you break past that, mentally you could always tell yourself like: 'I'll be good after just this,' but it's like no, I give myself no option. There's nowhere to run when you're in a cage with another professional assassin and it is what it is. But once you do things like that, and you live like that. Then you get into games and it just becomes like you're the one hunting people. You don't feel, you're not fearing anything, you're not thinking about anything. You don't think, you just go. So, that's how I always try to be all year round."

Q: As somebody pushes like this, when you're dealing with this heat how do you balance that? Or do you think that benefits you in a lot of ways?

Crosby: "The heat out here is different, it's 115, 120 degrees, so you've got to push yourself on a daily basis, you can't just, you know, train in the air conditioning and then go out and feel like you're going to be fine and in the heat. So yeah, we've done back and forth. I've trained inside, I've trained outside this offseason, just doing a bunch of different things to get ready for training camp. So yeah like I said, the strength staff did an incredible job of acclimating not only myself but the guys that have been here to get ready for it."

Q: What does Marcus Peters bring to the mix?

Crosby: "He's an alpha. I love Marcus [Peters]. I've known him since my rookie year, we've got the same agent. So, Marcus is my guy. Marshawn [Lynch] is his cousin, so yeah, Marcus is like family. I love Marcus, he brings that attitude that we need in the secondary, and I can't wait to see him get out there and keep competing because he's a dog for sure."

Q: You have an unquestioned work ethic. Some of the younger guys who might not have that, what kind of things do you do to kind of bring those guys up and set the example?

Crosby: "I talk to George Tarlas the rookie literally every day about it, but it doesn't just happen overnight. When I was a rookie, a second-year guy, in my head I'd always seen the future and how I think I could be as a player and what I could do, but my actions and everything weren't fully aligned with that. So you can think about, you can talk about it, you can do it sometimes, but if you're really trying to do it at the highest level, you've got to do it every single day. It's got to be a way of life. Like I've said before, there's no balance when you're in it like this at this level. You can't be 50/50 and that's just the reality. So yeah, that's I try to tell the young guys, like some people don't want to sacrifice certain shit, but if you don't want to sacrifice certain things then you're not going to get what you want. That's just the truth. I've talked to Tim Grover, he says the same exact thing. He's one of the greatest trainers, trained with Michael Jordan, and he talks about it all the time, there's no balance, you've got to be relentless. There's a difference, you can be good, you can be great or you can be unstoppable. So for me, I want to be unstoppable in everything I do, so that's what I try to show the guys."

Q: How unique was it to look up there and see a new quarterback back there on the other side of the ball?

Crosby: "It's a little different. Jimmy [Garoppolo] is cool as hell. I've been here all offseason with him, he's been training and working his ass off to get back, so I'm fired up that he's out there with us. Literally before practice started he's already talking shit. I love it, that's kind of guy I want to compete against."

Q: What was he saying?

Crosby: That's between us, but he's a competitive dude, I love him. He's a dog, and I'm not just saying that because he's my quarterback. There's certain guys that are dogs and he's definitely one of them. So, I love it. I'm definitely looking forward to competing and getting after his ass."

Q: Speaking of going back and forth with quarterbacks, I don't know if you saw QB on Netflix, but you and Patrick [Mahomes] had some memorable exchanges. Were your friends hitting you up on that one and talking to you about it? And what were your memories of all that?

Crosby: "Yeah, for sure. I had so many people reaching out, but I love it. Honestly, it's cool that the fans kind of get to see the other side of it. Obviously, KC [Kansas City] fans are like, 'f*** Crosby, he's this and that.' I really don't care, I love it, I'm going to keep going harder, so they're going to have to get used to it. But it is what it is. Honestly that's who I am, now they get to see it a little bit more up close. But I think it's incredible, it's cool. I was telling some of the people, I'm like: 'Y'all should mic me up for a whole year.' It would be a straight crazy ass documentary.'"

Q: Has Netflix come to you?

Crosby: "They need to because it would be crazy. But no, in reality it's awesome getting to see [Patrick] Mahomes. The dude is a dog, there's a reason why he wins. That's the type of guys I want around me. That's why we compete. I know I'm one of the best, he's one of the best and that's what brings that competitive nature out of us. So, people getting to see that is pretty cool."

Q: Even though it's extremely early, what's been the chemistry like on the defensive line room and trying to get the young guys that are coming in up to the standard that you're trying to set?

Crosby: "Yeah, the standards already been set. We already made that very clear what our goals are and what we're doing on a daily basis, the non-negotiables. So yeah, it started yesterday, conditioning test went great, everybody did well. And then today we're running after practice, not just half of us, it's all of us every single day and that's not changing. So, we've got certain things that we set out that, like I said, non-negotiables and we've got to do that every single day. It's up to me, it's up to the leaders to hold everybody to that standard. I think Robbie [Rob] Leonard, Matt Edwards, all those guys are doing a great job of leading that group as well. They're doing an awesome job of building this room up. We've got a ton of guys. We have like 18 dudes in the D-line room. So, it's been awesome. It's a good mixture of everybody, and everybody's just embracing it, so it's a good start."

Q: Speaking of goals, without obviously throwing any numbers, is there goals for sacks, pressures for the whole room, not just you? And then turnovers, is there some kind of goal is maybe thrown on the board where everyone could look at and say: 'Hey, that's what we need to achieve this year?'

Crosby: "Honestly there's no number. We don't put a number on anything. When it comes to that we want to be the best version of ourselves, because sometimes people put numbers on things and you’re putting a ceiling on yourself. Like I don't ever put a number on my sack total, pressures or whatever. I just try to improve literally one day at a time. So yeah, two years ago I didn't know I was going to get 100 pressures. I could've said: 'All right I'm going to get 70,' and then you end up with 100 and you're like: 'Well I'm setting my bar too low.' For me, I know where I want to be and I know where I'm going, so I'm never going to put a ceiling on myself, and I don't want any of the guys in the room to do that either. So yeah, if we're all on the same page and flying around, you never know what you could do. The sky is the limit."

Q: You've got to tell us about the new artwork that you got?

Crosby: "I got more tattoos a couple days ago too, so I've been getting blasted. Yeah, I love it. I love tattoos. And it wasn't painful. I got knocked out and went to work. So, it's all good."

Q: Today was your first practice with your daughter in the stands. How different has this offseason been as a father and how special was it having her there?

Crosby: "It was incredible. She's in that stage now, she's nine months, she's starting to try to walk, she's taken a couple steps so far. But yeah, just seeing her and seeing her personality come to life is honestly the coolest thing ever. She's always smiling, she's got all the personality in the world, and she's definitely got her parents genes. She's aggressive, she's grabbing, throwing stuff all over the place. Other babies she's like grabbing them by their face and stuff. I'm trying to slow her down, but I'm going to just let her be. It's honestly incredible. She's so damn cute. It's a blessing every day I get to see her, so it's awesome."

Q: Tyree [Wilson] has talked a lot about trying to learn from you. What kind of things can you pick up and learn without being able to practice right now?

Crosby: "Right now obviously he can't go with us, so it's all mental. That's just as important though. The classroom, the being on the field, watching reps, learning every single day as much as he can because as a young guy you want to just go,go,go, but right now he's got to lock in not only physically getting ready to get back on the field, but he's got to be locked in mentally just as much. We're looking forward to getting him back, Byron Young as well. We want everyone out there, but it's a process. There are always going to be injuries and things like that. So, we got who we've got, and we're going to just roll."

Q: I saw you at a fight with Nate Hobbs. I was kind of curious about that relationship, he seems like somebody that you guys would kind of vibe a little bit. He's facing a pretty big year and we've seen what he can do. As a rookie he had a really good year, had some injuries last year, but do you feel like he's on the cusp of taking a step forward?

Crosby: "I think Nate [Hobbs], like I said, Nate's obviously great friend of mine. He's an awesome dude, he's relentless, he works hard, he's young, and he's got a lot of room for improvement. He knows that. But like I said, I don't put a limit on anybody. I think Nate could be a great player. There's no doubt in my mind, I've seen him at his best and he's scary good. So yeah, for me with him, all I care about is consistency. I want him to be the same guy every single day show up and keep getting better. He's had some little obstacles, injuries, little things like that, but he's been working hard. So, I wish nothing but the best for him. I want him to be his best. I know he wants to be the best, but on a daily basis it's just about being consistent. And as a young guy, that's the hardest thing to do. So, for me I just tried to -- like even bring him to a fight, take him to a fight, we're talking ball, talking life, and just trying to make him realize how much potential and how great he can be. That's what I try to instill in him, and he's always competing. We freaking shadowbox everywhere we go. He's just one of those guys that is constantly competing, and that's what makes him really special. So yeah, like I said, he's limitless, his potential, he can be great."

Q: Just maybe not the best softball player?

Crosby: "Yeah, I was just talking to the guys about him, Nate Hobbs in like two innings, he ran through the fence, he hit a home run, did a back-flip, and then took a pop fly off the top of his head all in the matter of like 10 minutes. So I'm like, this dude, he's a little bit all over the place when it comes to softball. He's got some work to do, but he's like I said, he's talented."

Q: How does Jose Canseco play for the Raiders in a softball game. How does that work out?

Crosby: "He's an Oakland guy. He was with the A's, so I guess that's how they tied [him] to our team. But yeah, that dude, I felt bad I think he blew his shoulder out, his knee was falling apart. Poor dude was going through it. So yeah, he had to stop early. He was struggling."

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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