The NFL is a true fraternity with many looking to pass down the knowledge they have acquired to the next generation. Over the past decade, there has been a rise in position-specific camps led by NFL stars, which are attended by younger players. for defensive linemen, that camp is known as the Sack Summit, which this year was hosted by Von Miller, Cameron Jordan, and Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby.
Crosby has actually been an attendee of the camp in previous years, but Miller and Jordan wanted him to host and be a speaker at this year’s edition which Crosby gladly accepted. And Crosby grows into an absolute beast, and cornerstone of the Raiders franchise is something Jordan has been happy to see, via Levi Edwards of Raiders.com:
“You could feel the anxiety for him to be great since Year 2,” Jordan said. “But when you have a guy like that who’s like, ‘I’m doing the most that I can, how can I get better?’ you literally just tell him, ‘Relax bro. Everything will come in due time.’ Now he’s a monster. He’s had such great success over the last four, five years, and now he’s so willing to give everything that he has in all phases. The same Maxx you see on gamedays is the same Maxx that you’re going to hear talking at the Sack Summit.”
One of the main points Crosby spoke about was not being hung up on statistics. He admitted he struggled with that himself early in his career but realized that it is all about how you impact the game, which doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. Now the Raiders star is recognized as a truly elite defensive lineman, finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season.
But Crosby is about more than just himself, he wants to lift his teammates as well which is why he made sure all of the Raiders defensive linemen were in attendance at the Sack Summit as well so they could put in more work to make each other better:
“I told these guys a few months back I wanted them to be there. Trying to get everybody here and just get to work with your guys, share and talk,” Crosby said of inviting his teammates. “They get to work with me every single day, we have conversations on and on and on, but them getting around Von or Warren Sapp, some of the bigger guys. … That’s invaluable, that information. That’s what it’s all about, doing it together.
“We’re on a mission. We’re trying to be the best in the world as a front so having those guys with me is an honor. They didn’t second guess anything, they just said, ‘Where’s the address? We’ll be there.'”
This level of leadership is why Crosby is so invaluable to this Raiders team. If he is able to drive this Raiders front to be dominant, the entire team benefits and Crosby can get the team success he is so desperate to bring to the franchise.
Raiders legend Howie Long calls Maxx Crosby the most disruptive lineman in football
What Maxx Crosby is accomplishing on the field isn’t just noticeable to those in the league but also to everyone watching, including some of the greatest to ever play the game. And that includes Raiders legend Howie Long.
Long appeared on a recent episode of Crosby’s podcast, The Rush, and called the current Raiders captain the most disruptive lineman in football. Considering Crosby’s numbers over the past few seasons, it is hard to argue with that statement.
