Raiders’ Maxx Crosby breaks down how he transformed into a complete defensive force [Ted Nguyen The Athletic] [paywall]

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1. Before anyone complains, if you’re on mobile you can use the “reader” mode of you’re mobile browser to read the article usually.

2. Maxx Crosby was an undersized defensive end when he was drafted out of Eastern Michigan in the fourth round in 2019. His athleticism and movement ability jumped off the tape, but his size was a legitimate concern (11th percentile in weight). He quickly put those concerns to rest by notching a 10-sack season in his rookie year, but his pressure rate, which some consider to be more important because it reflects down-to-down impact, was low. His pressure rate dropped the following season and his sack total went down with it. He was seen as a very good, potentially disruptive player who could disappear for stretches.

   In 2021, his third season, he flipped the script. He notched 101 pressures but only five sacks. Despite the low sack total, he’d clearly become an elite-tier edge defender. He consistently affected the quarterback but had trouble finishing. He was noticeably better against the run as well. Last season, despite teams game-planning for him, he put it all together. Crosby amassed a high pressure rate, finished with 12.5 sacks and became an elite run defender, finishing with 57 stops, according to Pro Football Focus, which is defined as tackles that result in a failure for the offense.

   To understand how Crosby made the leap to become one of the league’s premier defensive players, I talked to him about his process and watched some film with him. In the offseason, aside from getting bigger and faster, two keys Crosby highlighted were flexibility and grip strength. Crosby says he stretches 365 days a year. That commitment allows him to get into some awkward positions to slip blocks while maintaining his balance. We’ll see how it translates in several of the clips reviewed in this article.

   “For me, I just got better and better and better because I’m just paying more and more attention to the details. And it’s not just on the field, it’s off the field as well — like my nutrition, my grip strength after every single workout. Like this morning, I did a grip workout and my arms are literally about to fall off my body, but things like that matter in the run game,” Crosby said. “It takes a million practice reps to get one game rep right, so that’s how serious I take it, and that’s something I learned from (former Raiders defensive line coach Rod) Marinelli, who just ran everyday drills that I’m constantly repeating and fine tuning.”

   I was particularly interested in how he became one of the best run defenders in the league. You usually don’t see lighter, athletic rushers become as dominant as he is against the run. His ability to anticipate and read the different types of blocks coming at him is remarkable.

   “For me, it’s reading my keys. I’m not just looking in the backfield and predicting what is going to happen or whatever. I’m reading my keys, and there’s certain little tendencies I can pick up watching film like the O-linemen’s feet, like if they’re staggered a certain way. Certain guys give away running plays all the time, so if I could pick something up like that from watching film, I’ll do that. But for me, my main focus is my keys.”

   Before watching our first clip, he already knew exactly which play I was going to pull up right when I opened it.

   Week 7 vs. NO, 7:56 remaining in the first quarter, second-and-5

3. i hope Crosby can be a force that the OL has to double-team. I remember Ramczyk from the Saints shutting him down… Crosby was good vs everyone else tho