The Las Vegas Raiders finally got a little edge in camp Friday, and it came from two of the biggest names on the roster.
During a padded practice in Las Vegas, Maxx Crosby and Kirk Cousins got into a dustup that went well beyond jawing. Hands got involved, though it stopped short of punches. For a team that had mostly kept things tidy through camp, it was a jolt of fire that showed up right when the heat was building.
The sequence started in a two-minute drill. Multiple reports said Crosby hit Cousins on the arm as the quarterback was throwing, leading to an interception by Jeremy Chinn.
It also wasn’t the first time Crosby had gotten to Cousins’ arm during the session. Cousins took issue with it, the two started arguing, and Cousins even grabbed Crosby by the collar.
That kind of moment stands out in camp, especially when it involves a starting quarterback. Still, Klint Kubiak didn’t sound alarmed when asked about it.
"That's training camp," Kubiak told reporters. "Those are two leaders of our team going at it.
So, that is part of camp. Obviously, you fight in the game, you throw a punch in the game, especially, you're out of the game.
So, we got to be smart. Treat it like a game."
Cousins had a rough stretch in that practice, throwing multiple interceptions, and Crosby’s pressure on his throwing arm clearly didn’t help. But the veteran quarterback responded, and The Athletic’s Sam Warren said Cousins looked "surgical" the rest of the way through the two-minute drill.
The exchange also seemed to win Cousins some respect in the huddle. Michael Mayer made it clear he liked the edge.
"It's energy, man. It's energy," Michael Mayer said to the media.
"That's our starting quarterback right now, and you want him to defend your team. You want him to have some edge to him, which he does.
He's always had that, since the first day I met him when he came in here. I don't want him getting thrown out, I don't want him getting a flag.
But you gotta defend yourself."
Crosby was later pulled for the rest of practice, according to Silver & Black Sports Network’s Jesse Merrick. But by then, the message had already been sent. The veteran leaders had brought some heat, and both sides of the ball felt it.
There was another skirmish later in the day, too. Warren also reported that guard Caleb Rogers and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu got into a scuffle, and Laulu threw a punch at Rogers before it was shut down quickly.
For a camp that had been mostly about ordinary training camp business - positional battles and injury absences - Friday brought a different kind of tone. Kubiak may not be the loudest voice in the room, but his veteran players clearly picked up the slack.
That includes Crosby, who has built a reputation for being a constant nuisance in practice. Cousins got a taste of that on Friday, and while nobody wants it to spiral into something bigger, Raiders fans probably won’t mind seeing a little more of that kind of bite.
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