Las Vegas Raiders Maxx Crosby Talks Opening of Training Camp
HENDERSON, Nev.--Every year when training camp opens around the NFL, optimism is running high. That is no exception in the desert as the Las Vegas Raiders had the best off-season of any NFL franchise.
Superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby stepped to the microphone to discuss expectations for the Silver and Black, and much more. You can watch the video below, or read the entire transcript as well:
Defensive End Maxx Crosby
Q: Going into a year four, a lot has changed in this organization and the talent level in that room is much higher than it was when you first got here. Do you feel a different buzz about this team and with the expectations coming off a playoff year?
Crosby: “You know, the thing I've learned in this league is never get too high and never too low. We have obviously a ton of great talent on both sides of the ball, but at the end of the day it’s a one day at a time approach. We got a ton of work to do. Last year was last year and next year is next year. But we got to stay in the present and just get better one day at a time.”
Q: What’s been your first impressions with working with defensive line coach Frank Okam?
Crosby: “He's been awesome. It's cool. We have a good collective, Frank and Robbo [Rob Ryan] and Matt Edwards. We have a big group and everybody's working together to achieve a similar goal. We want to be the best and we're working to be there every single day.”
Q: I think last year before the Pro Bowl you made some comment like you weren't even sure what to expect because you only had eight sacks or something like that. I think we've moved past the point where we know that sacks aren’t the be all, end all show of what a great year you had. Does that mean something to you? Did you want to have bigger sack totals?
Crosby: “That doesn’t matter to me. At the end of the day, it's what you put on film. When you turn on the film, you can't hide. That shows who the best is and who isn't. So, at the end of the day, regardless of my numbers, it doesn't matter to me. I know what it looks like and what it doesn't look like. And Coach [Rod] Marinelli used to tell me that all the time. It doesn't matter what numbers you have; you can have zero sacks, but your film is what's going to stand out. And that's what the coaches will realize, that’s what the players will realize, and that's all that matters at the end of the day. So, opinions are opinions and all that. But it's all about the film to me. So, no matter what it is, I just got to be on my best every single play.”
Q: Are you enjoying the teaching that this coaching staff is doing in the classroom?
Crosby: “Yeah. It's been awesome. Every coach is different. Everybody has their own approaches, all the way from high school to now. Every coach has a different philosophy, but it's all because all football at the end of the day. So, I enjoy it. We have a great group. I mean, our room alone, we just have a great energy in there. Rob Ryan is in there cracking jokes and also is a great teacher at the same time. And you got to have both. You got to have fun with it. At the end of the day it’s a game and we're all in it together, man. We spend hours and hours every single day, so you just got to keep learning and get better.”
Q: Last year, you and Yannick Ngakoue pushed each other all season long. How do you anticipate you and Chandler Jones doing the same thing?
Crosby: “Yeah, you know last year coming into camp, it was a little bit different. Me and Yann had a great connection. And this year it's the same thing. Me and Chandler, we have an awesome connection. I've known him for years. I'm super excited. This offseason being with him was incredible. I try to push him every day. He tries to push me. So, we just look forward to doing that every single day. No matter what, just finding new things to get better at and keep picking each other's brains and lift up everybody around us.”
Q: Since this team made the playoffs last year, there's been a lot of expectations. How is the locker room handling the high expectations?
Crosby: “At the end of the day, all that stuff is great. Davante [Adams] is incredible. He's a great teammate, a great player. Chandler, all these guys, it’s all the same. But it doesn't matter. Preseason hype is preseason hype. There's always going to be teams that get hyped up and things like that. But for us, we got to show up and do the groundwork. We got to do the footwork every single day or we're not going to get to where we want to be. So, at the end of the day, we're just trying to work to get better as a collective. I think we have the people to do it. We have great coaches, great players. We just got to keep working to get better as a unit every single day.”
Q: At this stage of your career, are there still nerves and anxiousness and excitement on the eve of training camp?
Crosby: “Oh, of course! Last night I'm watching Last Dance, like I did last year before camp and the year before. It's the same thing. So, yeah, I try to get my mind to a different place because once you start training camp, you've got to be in a different place mentally. It's here now. So, it's super exciting. Every single year it's always a new challenge, new goals, new things going on. But it's football at the end of the day. So, there’s nothing more I'd rather be doing on Earth. So, we’re fired up.”
Q: How important is accountability to this coaching staff?
Crosby: “Absolutely. At the end of the day, there's a standard and that starts with your individual group, the defense as a whole, the offense, everything. So being accountable for your group, there's got to be people who set the standard every single day. And personally, I try to be one of those guys that if we're running, we're doing conditioning tests, we're doing whatever; I am always going to try to max out in everything I do and try to elevate everybody around me. And we got to have a bunch of guys that do the same, and I feel like we do. Chandler is another guy like that. He's 32 years old. He was here at every single OTA, and you don't see that often. And that's rare. Davante Adams, same thing. He was here all offseason. The dude is the best receiver in football. Derek Carr, same thing. Dude is going into year nine and he's here every single day. So, yeah, we have great leadership on this team. We have a ton of guys that have done it at a high level and the more people we get like that, the more leaders that come into it. Nate Hobbs, that guy has been working his tail off and getting better every single day. That's going to attribute to getting this team better. And I think we're definitely going in the right direction.”
Q: Did you even have an offseason? It seems like you were here working every day.
Crosby: “I always take a little break after the season. Obviously, it's a ton that goes into this but 11 months out of the 12, I'm training and in football mode. I have a teammate, Duron [Harmon] who was telling me about it and I'm asking him like, how does [Tom] Brady work and what are the things he does that's been able to do it for so long? And he said when he first got to New England, Brady told him, ‘There's no such thing as an offseason.’ So, for me, that's kind of been my approach is just no matter what, even after the Bengals game, still for me it was like, okay, there's a lot of guys that go on vacation for a month and eat whatever and then you have to cut weight and do that. Like for me, I was still doing my normal routine, still meal prep and still doing that because that's what the great ones do. So, for me, if I do that and show the younger guys that I'm doing this and if I can do it and I've had success, I've got a second deal and things like that. If I can show a guy who's in his first or second year like this is what it's supposed to be like and inspire others to do it, I feel like it's going to help the team. So, to answer your question, I don't really think there's an offseason when you're trying to be the best at what you do.”
Q: You've implemented some MMA work into your routine. How does that help and is there some transition or ways that as a defensive lineman you can utilize some of those skills?
Crosby: “Yeah, this offseason it was mostly boxing. I've worked boxing all offseason, implemented that into my training. I felt like last offseason was it was really good for me, but there were certain things I wanted to take to another level. Like as simple as just getting up earlier and being here earlier and then on off days, not just getting in the tubs and then going home. I'm going to do boxing; I'm going to do some core and just add little things into my routine. And that's what I've been doing. I think boxing is incredible when it comes to timing, speed, conditioning, all those things, movement. I feel like that's definitely going to help going into this season.”
Q: Has the MMA training you did at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas inspired you to do more of that kind of training during the offseason?
Crosby: “Just being in the gym, seeing those guys. Like last offseason, I got to see [Sean] Strickland and those guys spar and everything like that. Just being in that presence. I feel like I'm a hard worker and everything like that, but you go in there and watch these guys train, like it's different. They push themselves every single day. So, like that inspires me. And just being around them and seeing how they work; it makes me try to pick up my level of intensity and pick up my training. I know there's always more you can do, and that's always going to be my approach. It's another Rod Marinelli thing. He's just like improve and there is more. Even when things are going good or things are going bad, there's always more you can do. So, that's kind of my approach. Seeing those MMA guys, the things they go through is incredible. They beat each other up, they’re getting beaten up all the time. They have long training camps, and they still are going and working and working and working. So, yeah, I just love that mentality, getting to actually work with them and working with boxers and things like that. I think it's just as important on the mental side, just putting that into my game and taking me to another level.”
Q: What small details does Chandler do so well on the field that impresses you that others might not notice?
Crosby: “I don't even know how to describe it. Even in college, people would ask me what pass rushers do you look up to and Chandler was always one of those guys that I looked up to just because of his unorthodox approach. And seeing it on film is one thing and then when you see him on the field just like talk about it and explain what he's thinking about when he's moving, and then you see him move and he’s so long and bendy and he's just a different, one-of-a-kind type rusher and talent. Being around that, I don't even have to say anything. I just literally sit there and listen because it's like it's such a different approach, like the way he thinks about it. But that's what makes him great. And so just being around him and just soaking up that information is incredible. He definitely inspires me every day to do the things he's done, win a Super Bowl, 100-plus sacks, like he sets the standard. He's been doing it for years and years. He's somebody I definitely look up to and I can't wait to get out there with him.”
Q: You mentioned after you signed your contract extension, you want to be a Hall of Famer. Going out to the Hall of Fame, what does it mean to you to be able to see it? And also, celebrate Cliff Branch?
Crosby: “Yeah, it's huge. I've never been there before. And so, I'm definitely looking forward to it. At the end of the day, there's no more talking. I just got to go do what I do on a daily basis. Down the road, we can look back and see where I'm at. But it's definitely a big inspiration. Obviously, Cliff Branch, him being a Hall of Famer, it's incredible. Mr. Davis is going to be the one introducing and doing the whole breakdown and everything. I know he's fired up about that, but it's just going to be a big day for the Raiders. We have so many great Hall of Famers and getting to celebrate Cliff and the Raider organization is going to be a lot of fun.”
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