The last thing Maxx Crosby wanted to go through in his second NFL season was a new position coach who tried to butter him up with a lot of compliments.
A classic overachiever who has been in doubt since high school, the Raiders defensive end works with an eternal chip on his shoulder.
Doesn’t matter that he fooled NFL evaluators by playing his fourth-round draft pick with 10 sacks, 47 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 35 hurries and four forced fumbles in 10 rookie starts. Or how those airy performances make him one of the league’s most promising young defensive ends.
That stuff is just poison for Crosby. The outside doubt burns him. He thrives on skepticism. Any kind of too much positive feedback would throw that whole balance out of the way, especially from his immediate boss.
Good thing for Crosby then that the Raiders hired Rod Marinelli this year to be their coach for defensive line. An NFL coaching lifter with a history of developing defensive linemen, Marinelli is crustier than a day old place pizza.
And if the first week or so of training camp is any indication, don’t expect a lot of compliments.
For Crosby, it’s a game made in football heaven.
“The thing I love about him is that he really loves it, and he sends it to me every day,” Crosby said. ‘That’s one thing I want. Just because I had one good year, I do not want a coach to be fun and exaggerate everything. That’s not me. That’s not my personality. ”
Marinelli already has an effect on his young student.
‘The number 1 thing is effort. He wants us to jump on the ball like crazy, ‘Crosby said. ‘So I, personally, have tried to emphasize the ball to the ball, and I know the other guys are too. I’m trying to set that example. When it comes to technology, he wants us to get off the ball and react. He does not want us to think too much. He does not want us to worry about this and that.
‘I love his coaching style. I think he will help everyone on this D-line. ”
Monday was Crosby’s third day back since returning from the COVID-19 injured reserve list and speaking to the media for the first time since testing positive August 8th.
Crosby took one question about his experience with the coronavirus, but made it clear that he did not want to go into specifications.
How did it @CrosbyMaxx practice his craft at quarantine?
He cut down a palm tree 🌴
READ MORE from @Raiders training camp → https: //t.co/hY7rehTbe7 pic.twitter.com/NDFrrvps6V
– Vegas Nation (@VegasNation) August 17, 2020
“I’m perfectly fine,” he said. ‘They work with me. I’ll be back. I would like to talk about football. ”
For Crosby, the focus is all football. Specifically how the rebuilt defense can improve to the point that the franchise can legitimately fight for the playoffs.
The turnaround begins ahead, with Crosby and fellow second-year defensive end Clelin Ferrell joined by new interior starter Maliek Collins and supported by free agent pickup Carl Nassib, a prolific passing rusher.
Crosby has already noticed a deeper, more talented group.
“We are now literally completely different,” he said. ‘We have guys who can really run the pass, and guys who play the game at the level we need. … We have a few guys who like the game. ”
The upgrades extend to linebacker, where the Raiders invest in free agents Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, and in the secondary, where safety for free agent Damarious Randall joins young, promising defensive backs Johnathan Abram, Trayvon Mullen, Damon Arnette and Amik Robertson.
“You have to give (and manager Mike) Mayock and (coach Jon) Gruden an enormous shoutout for getting these guys into our building,” Crosby said.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.
