“People Clowned Him At First”: Maxx Crosby Praises Dan Campbell For Making Detroit Lions “Super Bowl Contenders”

Maxx Crosby grew up in a Michigan suburb called Lapeer, a tiny town of just about 9,000 residents. The closest major city is Detroit, just an hour’s drive south down the I-75. His mom and his siblings were all born and bred Michiganers too. So, you could probably guess that the Crosby clan were diehard Detroit Lions fans. The only shame is Crosby’s now playing across the country for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Crosby spoke about the bittersweet nature of the current state of the Lions. They were awful throughout his entire childhood. Now that he’s in the league and he can’t cheer for them (at least not wholeheartedly), they’re Super Bowl contenders, which he joked makes him “kind of mad at them.”

“It kind of bothers me because I had to wait my whole childhood for them to be good, and now that I’m in the league they’re Super Bowl contenders. Selfishly, I’m kind of mad at them… My mom was born, raised in Detroit, my aunts and uncles. I grew up in Michigan right down the street.”

It’s not just that this run for the Lions is “incredible to see for the city because it’s been some long years”, but it’s the way they’re doing it. They’ve found the perfect mix of toughness and flare, and that’s all thanks to head coach Dan Campbell. The beloved coach has come in and instilled a shocking level of grit and doggedness into a team that is defined by offensive flash. Crosby can’t help but be a little jealous.

Maxx Crosby’s former teammates are recruiting him to Detroit

Maxx Crosby has more than just a childhood connection to this Lions team. He’s also got several human connections, chief among them are former teammates Pat O’Connor and Amik Robertson. Apparently, everybody “says the same thing” when it comes to Dan Campbell and his locker room.

“In all realness, seeing what Dan Campbell has built, hearing what those guys say about him… They’re like, ‘I hope one day you get to be in that locker room with coach Campbell.’ He’s incredible. They said he’d literally die for the players. He lives by that.”

Another thing that Crosby appreciates about Campbell’s style is how authentic he is despite getting “clowned” a bit when he first arrived and performed a fiery introductory presser. He’s not hiding anything behind a mask or coachspeak. He says what he means and he means what he says. He backs that talk up with action, and his excitement and passion for this Detroit Lions team are anything but inflated.

“The things you see in the locker room postgame and the interviews, that’s who he is. People kind of clowned him at first, they’re like, ‘The kneecaps stuff and all that is out of this world.’ It’s incredible to see for the city of Detroit.”

There is a potential out in Maxx Crosby’s contract in 2025. But even with the Raiders tanking for the next few years, we can’t imagine they’d deal him unless he demanded it. He’s pretty much the only decent asset on their roster at this point. If he wants out, he’ll have to set those gears in motion.

While it could be in the cards down the line for Crosby to line up with Aidan Hutchinson in a filthy Lions defensive front, he’ll have to content himself with cheering for them to make a run to the Super Bowl from the comfort of his own home for now.