“I don’t give a [hoot] about the pick, to be honest,” Crosby said at his locker earlier this week. “I don’t play for that. That’s not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world. That’s what I focus on every day. And being a great leader.
“That’s their job – the front office, the coaches. They do that. That’s got nothing to do with me.”
Which begs a more-than-fair question for first-year Raiders coach Pete Carroll – how do you block out the noise about the No. 1 pick being on the line against the Giants?
“I do it really well,” said a stone-faced Carroll. “Yeah, I’m not really that concerned about any of that, and don’t think you want me to be. We’re going to go play, play the best we can play and see what happens.”
Asked if he’s talked with his players about that, Carroll was succinct.
Indeed, it would appear as though the only “tank” the Raiders players and coaches would be agreeable talking about is former Raiders training camp body Tank Booker.
Repus Bowl 2025 has every opportunity to be an entertaining affair, one with, again, far-reaching implications.
More facts? Lose out and the Raiders should get the No. 1 draft pick.
Win out against the Giants and the suddenly-depleted Chiefs, to end an 11-game losing streak against AFC rivals, and the Raiders’ draft slot could potentially be as late as No. 7 overall.
So before you crash out, remember, players play, coaches coach and they do it all to the best of their ability on a specific day…as they are paid to do.
Plus, the draft is a crapshoot and you can still get the guy you want, er, need, later on, right?
Paging the likes of Marcus Allen, who dropped to 10th overall in 1982; Tim Brown, who went sixth in 1988; Charles Woodson, fourth in 1998; Bowers, 13th in 2024; and Jeanty, sixth last spring.