Las Vegas Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham has done an excellent job with this defensive unit this season.
In 2023, the Raiders rank 9th in points per game allowed, 10th in passing yards per game allowed, and 16th in total yards per game allowed. With few household names on that side of the ball, Graham has maximized his talent and has the Raiders playing like one of the best defensive teams in the league.
However, one household name he does have is defensive end Maxx Crosby, the heart and soul of the Raiders. Crosby is once again playing like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Crosby awarded Graham the ‘Dawg of the Day’ on the most recent episode of his podcast, The Rush with Maxx Crosby, an acknowledgment of the tenacity and hard work a player or coach put in that week.
Crosby lauded Graham’s approach last Sunday, as the Raiders allowed just three points to the Minnesota Vikings.
“You look at our defense, we allowed three points, 3.3 yards per play, 231 yards total, they only had 99 total passing yards, which is crazy, 8-of-20 on third downs, six sacks, nine TFLs, three PBUs, 12 quarterback hits,” he said. “We had a great day overall. It sucks not getting the win, but defensively, I gotta give a big shoutout to Pat because he’s the one orchestrating everything going on on the field. We have a special relationship. It’s not like a normal coach-player relationship. We talk all the time, and it’s very real. This offseason, we talked about a lot. He asked me a lot of questions.”
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“He was talking about confidence and things like that, and I always speak things into existence, I manifest things, and I put the work behind it, and the number one thing that I feel like has allowed me to evolve every single year is building that mental side of it and my mental confidence not only physically. That’s something I really preached to Pat this offseason.”
Chemistry among players can benefit a locker room, but chemistry between coaches and players can be exceptional. The relationship between Crosby and Graham has allowed them to grow and improve in their respective crafts.
The entire podcast episode can be found here.
The Silver and Black will turn around quickly and host their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, on Thursday, December 14, at 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST.
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