Maxx Crosby deflects praise, attempts to shrug off 4-sack day ‘on to the next game’
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Over the first nine games, rookie Maxx Crosby was leading the Raiders with 25 pressures, but he didn’t have the sacks to show for it. It took just one big game from Clelin Ferrell last week against the Chargers, and he passed up Crosby for second on the team in sacks (3.5).
A strip-sack in the first quarter kept the Bengals from scoring and brought Crosby back to a tie with his rookie draft classmate for second on the team.
At that point, you’re thinking good for Crosby to get back into the sack race on the team. Three and a half sacks are pretty good and nearly matches the most sacks by any Raiders defender last season. But Crosby wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.
Crosby still had just the one sack heading into the fourth quarter. On the second play of the quarter, on third and 7, he got his second. Next drive, Crosby got his third. And the final Bengals possession, Crosby got into the backfield for his fourth.
His four-sack game is a new Raiders rookie record, surpassing Greg Townsend, who had 3.0 sacks in a game in 1983. It also ties him for the second-most in NFL history by a rookie as only the fourth rookie in NFL history to have four sacks in a game.
That may seem like a difficult task, but perhaps not a difficult a task as trying to deflect praise for it.
Crosby went from saying “it was a collective unit” to “We owe the offense” to taking a page out of Bill Belichick’s book and twice saying, “it’s on to the next game.”
He did manage to say, “It was good to finally get some sacks” and added that “It was cool” and “It was an awesome day and an awesome win for us.” so that’s something. Though he brushed off the idea that having 25 pressures lead to just 2.5 sacks was in any way frustrating.
“Not really. The stats are stat,” said Crosby. “I’m just trying to do what I can and help my team, so if it’s getting pressures or making a stop on first down, that’s all that matters. The numbers are going to come if you just keep playing and working hard.”
Come, they did. And they came in bunches. It’s called being in the zone. Which, of course, he had to quickly turn the attention to his teammate who was in his own zone last week.
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” Crosby said. “Being a player, but. It’s like last week, Cle got his first one, and it was over from there. He knew he could be the guy all day. When you get in that rhythm, you’re feeling it, and the sacks start rolling in.”
Also, just like Ferrell, it took a few games for things to really click. Oddly, despite Crosby coming from Eastern Michigan and Ferrell from the National Champion Clemson Tigers, some of the NFL game seemed to come to Crosby much quicker. Even still, there’s something to be said for turning pressures and hits into sacks. Crosby broke through that barrier like a freight train Sunday. Yet again, Crosby credits someone else for his turnaround. His defensive line coach, Brentson Buckner.
“I think it comes down to coach Buck on the mental side of things,” Crosby added. “At first, I felt like everything was going so fast, and I was thinking too much, and my technique wasn’t all there. Having him, there is super helpful.”
It’s ok. Crosby doesn’t have to admit it or take credit for his unreal performance Sunday or how the signs were all there that he was headed for a big day like this. He can downplay it. We’ve seen it. We know. We’ve written the stories already about his potential and the pressures and how he has affected the game even without the sacks. Now we just get to write them about seeing that potential and those pressures seeing the reward of an incredible, record-setting performance.
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