Despite being one of the worst teams in the league right now, and they are that until they prove otherwise, the Raiders still have one of the best players in the league.
Even after trading away Davante Adams, they still have one of the best players in the league. Maxx Crosby is one of the best defensive players in the league, sure, but he's also one of the best players in the league.
He's polarizing, not because he talks too much in the media or is a big personality, or anything like that, but because he's a dominant Raider. He plays the game the right way, the way it should be played.
And, he plays every aspect of his job, not just one side. Young players are in awe of him, just like one on the Los Angeles Rams, who the Raiders are playing on Sunday.
"With Maxx Crosby on their d-line, I'm like 'that's a dog,' so it's going to be a good game," rookie edge Jared Verse said. "I'm going to be excited about it. It's just how relentless he is. You see a lot of rushers in the run game and they kind of chill out, and in the pass game if they are getting the slide or the chip, you know some of them chill out, he's just relentless every play.
"If that ball is being thrown, if that ball is being run, if that ball is being snapped or anything, he's going to do something. So I'm excited to not only play them but excited to see his game in person. But, I'm confident in my team and everything we have going on, it's going to be a very good game."
Crosby is one of those players that does reach out to and talk to, as well as mentor, the young players coming into the league. He's probably already talked to Verse before, who is one of the best rookies in the league so far, having won the Defensive Rookie of the Month Award last month.
But, Sunday is business. They both know that. However, after the game, we could see the two dap each other up and maybe even do a jersey swap, which would probably be an insane moment for Verse.
The Raiders need to get this win against the Rams, desperately, before they go on to play some tough teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, and Denver Broncos, who just beat the New Orleans Saints and are looking like one of the hottest teams in the league right now.
