Raiders training camp: Maxx Crosby on creating turnovers, building leadership

As he prepares for his fifth NFL season, star Las Vegas Raiders pass-rush Maxx Crosby is the undisputed leader of the team’s defense.

Crosby has seen this unit struggle to create turnovers and have overall success in his first four NFL seasons. Yet, Crosby is cautiously optimistic that the unit can start turning things around after what he has seen in training camp thus far.

“I can’t make any predictions. I know that the guys are showing up and other guys are working,” Crosby said earlier in training camp. :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.”

Crosby is enjoying his role as a leader and working younger on how to properly prepare for the season.

“I talk to George Tarlas the rookie literally every day about it, but it doesn’t just happen overnight,” Crosby said. “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.”

Perhaps this is the year Crosby gets some help on his side of the ball.