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Red jerseys, few brakes: Maxx Crosby’s return puts Raiders QBs on alert
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Maxx Crosby went through a full-team practice on Wednesday for the first time since December, and everyone on the Raiders seemed keenly aware of that.
Las Vegas coach Klink Kubiak and defensive coordinator Rob Leonard let Crosby — who doesn't seem to know any speed other than fast — know that the quarterbacks wear no-contact red for a reason. Crosby said coaches all the way back to his days at Eastern Michigan warned him to leave the QBs alone and that he was regularly kicked out of practices even then.
New Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins is well aware of Crosby's reputation.
“I’m just a little bit nervous that he’s got to respect the red jersey these next few weeks, so I’ll try to make sure that happens,” Cousins said.
All in all, the Raiders will take this version of Crosby rather than one who spent the previous six months recovering from knee surgery in January and the arduous recovery that ensued. Crosby said he couldn't bend his left knee for two months and had difficulty sleeping, relying heavily on his wife, Rachel, to assist him with common physical tasks.
Now that he's back, the Raiders are counting on Crosby to return to the form that made him one of the NFL's best pass rushers, someone who brings an edge and routinely throws off opposing offensive game plans. If Wednesday's practice was any indication, Crosby indeed looked back.
He is a five-time Pro Bowler and has made first- or second-team All-Pro three times. Since his rookie year in 2019, Crosby is first in the league with 133 tackles for loss, sixth with 69 1/2 sacks and fifth with 164 quarterback hits.
Crosby was so fired up to get back on the practice field that he joined the rookies when they reported last Thursday.
“I was actually really excited about that just so I could get a head start on the vets,” Crosby said. "I didn’t have any OTA reps. I haven’t played football since literally last year, so I was excited to get back in the building and kind of get warmed up again, get back out there. I did a walk-through on Friday with all the rookies and doing all the workouts and stuff with the rookies, so I felt like a rookie again, which was a little weird, but it was awesome.”
Crosby said he also was excited to remain in Las Vegas, which didn't appear possible when the Raiders traded him to Baltimore in March. Just four days later, however, the Ravens backed out of the deal , sending Crosby back to Las Vegas.
He initially was angry , but quickly rededicated himself to excelling for the Raiders.
“It’s been a long offseason, but it’s a blessing in disguise," Crosby said. "There’s a lot of things that I learned and grew from, and that’s the beautiful thing about life. You have an opportunity every day to either feel bad for yourself and make excuses and be a victim, or you can stand up and rise and build and grow from those types of experiences. I feel like that’s what has built who I am and I try to inspire the people around me.”
That includes Cousins, a veteran of 14 NFL seasons with his own standout resume that includes four Pro Bowl invitations.
He didn't know what to expect from Crosby after signing with the Raiders and was impressed new teammate consistently arrives at the team facility early, setting the tone by the way he approaches the day.
“It’s not by accident that he’s an All-Pro level player,” Cousins said. “I just feel like he relates well to everybody. He’s not aloof, he’s hardworking, he wants to be here, wants to be engaged, brings positive attitude every day.”
Mendoza moves up the depth chart
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza , the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 pick in this year's draft, ran the third-team offense in organized team activities and minicamp.
But when the team reassembled for training camp, Mendoza had moved ahead of Aidan O'Connell to guide the second unit while Cousins handled the starters.
Offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko said Mendoza has progressed in a number of areas.
“Just the command of the offense, him being able to articulate things, how he sees it,” Janocko said. "He sees it in real time, takes it from the meeting room and on the board in the film, brings it out here and is able to see the picture. Then tie his footwork to that.”
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