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The NFL is finally taking a backseat with the NBA playoffs in full swing. Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has cemented himself as a big NBA fan over the years. He typically stumps for the Philadelphia 76ers but he had an issue with a quote that came out about the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Athletic recently surveyed players around the NBA and granted them anonymity so that they could get honest answers. One of the topics they asked was who talks the most trash on the court. The Grizzlies are notorious for being a young team that talks a lot of trash. While every team has players who talk trash, one player had an issue with how Memphis goes about it.
“They’re frontrunners,” one player said of the Grizzlies to The Athletic. “They’re just extra. They talk when they’re winning. They don’t say s— when they’re losing. Their whole thing over there is just annoying.”
Many people around the NBA likely agree with what the anonymous player said, but some were upset that he wouldn’t put his name on the quote. Crosby didn’t respect the fact that the player hid his name and said that he shouldn’t say anything if he isn’t willing to put his name out there.
Crosby Has Developed Into a Top-5 Pass Rusher
Crosby has become a household name in the sports world in recent years but it wasn’t always that way. Coming out of Eastern Michigan, Crosby wasn’t expected to have much of an impact in the NFL and fell to the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He quickly changed opinions about him and is now regarded as one of the best defensive players in the NFL.
In a recent ranking of top pass rushers in the league, Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus ranked Crosby was the fourth-best:
Crosby was the only defensive lineman in the NFL who played more than 1,000 defensive snaps in 2022, and he did so at an incredibly high level, earning a 90.0-plus overall grade for the second consecutive season. Crosby dominated as a pass rusher, with 12.5 sacks (tied for eighth) and 81 pressures (third), and did the same against the run, with an 82.5 run-defense grade that ranked third among qualifying edge defenders. As a result, Crosby generated more wins above replacement (0.62) than any other player at his position.
Crosby Needs Help
Crosby is an elite defensive player and should be for a long time. The biggest issue facing him is that he’s on a team that has been incapable of fixing the defense for two decades. Despite that, he has still been able to put up good numbers.
However, he’s going to need help eventually. He plays a ton of snaps and rarely comes off the field. He has been able to stay healthy and hasn’t missed a game in his career yet but the Raiders need to give him some help. Keeping him fresh and healthy only makes him more impactful. Also, one great defensive end won’t make a defense elite. Once he does get some help, he could move even further up the list of best pass rushers in the NFL.
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