Las Vegas Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby is finally getting the recognition he truly deserves after another outstanding season. The defensive end finished with 90 total tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks and 31 QB hits while finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and being named a second team All-Pro as well as making his third straight Pro Bowl.
The Pro Bowl now is more of an event than an actual game, with different competitions between the AFC and NFC, as well as a flag football game now instead of players actually putting on the pads. And Crosby isn’t a big fan.
While the Raiders star understands why the league has turned to this format, Crosby told Ryan Gaydos of Fox News that he would rather just play an actual football game:
“It is what it is at this point,” he said. “I totally understand. It’s about the accolade. It’s not about the game itself anymore, and I totally get it because, I mean, realistically, there’s a lot of money on the line, and guys don’t want to get hurt. So, I get it. But, at the same time, I’d rather play football.”
Crosby would also reflect on his first Pro Bowl selection and how much fun he had in the actual game even though the players obviously weren’t going all out:
“On my first Pro Bowl I got in 2021, it was an actual football game wearing full pads. We took care of each other, but we were also pass rushing a little bit and getting after it when it mattered,” said Crosby, who spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of Invisalign.
“I had an absolute blast out there. So, I prefer that. That’s how I grew up watching it. That was an actual football game. But, I mean, where the world is now is not where it was two years back. So, it is what it is.”
The Pro Bowl Game is very difficult to figure out. Football is such a dangerous sport, so for players to go full speed just doesn’t make any sense, as an injury could cost them greatly. The right solution still hasn’t been found, and while Crosby will go along with it, he clearly would prefer something different.
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby has undergone two offseason surgeries
Even with it being a flag football game Maxx Crosby didn’t participate as he had a pair of surgeries this offseason to repair injuries he had been dealing with.
The first was surgery to his knee to repair a bursa injury he had been playing through since Week 2, then just two weeks later, he underwent surgery on his right hand to repair an issue there.
For Crosby to have put together an All-Pro season while dealing with multiple injuries all year long just shows how unstoppable he is on and off the field.
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