The Las Vegas Raiders defense helped the team get back on track after they picked up a Week 6 win against the Denver Broncos.
Heading into the 2021 season, all eyes were on the Raider defense as they added several players in free agency and the draft. However, the story of the year has been the improvement of Maxx Crosby who has turned into one of the league’s best pass rushers.
Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia had nothing but good things to say about Crosby and his development as a player.
“Yeah extremely exciting to see how he’s playing,” Bisaccia said. “It’s not a surprise to anyone because we’ve all got a chance to watch him practice and mature over the years that he’s been here. We loved him coming out of the draft and he’s had a big influence on me as well.
“A lot of things that he’s gone through and conversations that we’ve had; they’ve helped me grow as a man, they’ve helped me grow as a father and husband, and I know he’s doing that with a lot of other guys. Him and Darren Waller, the story they have, the people they’re helping; it’s inspiring to all of us. So, he’s awful kind with his words but he’s done it to me as much as I may have done it to him.”
Bisaccia added that he believes the defense has been a big part of Las Vegas’s 4-2 start. “Certainly. Obviously, some key acquisitions in free agency getting Yannick [Ngakoue] and certainly getting Q [Quinton Jefferson] and Solomon [Thomas]. They’re a great group together and we’re just building off of what we had to some degree, but those guys have added not only a veteran dimension but a size and a quickness and a urgency to practice and a urgency in meetings and they do everything right in the weight room.
“So, I think they’ve given us a little bit of an identity up front of what it’s supposed to look like from walk through to meeting to practice and now into the game, and they feed off of each other. So, I think it’s been a good identity for us as we go forward on defense.”
Under Bisaccia, the Silver and Black are 1-0 and if the defense continues to play as well as they have they can definitely make some noise in the coming weeks.
