Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby is not a fan of the Denver Broncos and will likely be rooting against them in the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots on Sunday. However, count him among those who believe in Jarrett Stidham.
Though Stidham has only made four starts in his career, Crosby was on one of the teams that he started for as they played together in Vegas.
Speaking on Sirius XM's "Let's Go" podcast, Crosby had nothing but positive things to say about his former teammate.
"Obviously, Bo (Nix) being out is tough. He's been their guy for two years. Everyone's used to him running the system, the whole nine. But I will say, to speak on Jarrett Stidham, he was a teammate of mine. He's a great friend of mine and he's a competitive individual. I witnessed him go against the 49ers, I think it was Week 17, we go against the 49ers in Vegas, he threw for like 340 yards and two, three touchdowns. That was one of the top defenses in the league at the time. He was out there slinging the ball, confident, breaking tackles.
He's tough as hell, and I got to go against him all the time in practice because he was a scout look quarterback. We got into it all the time cause ya know me, I can't help myself. I'm hitting the backup quarterbacks every time. The one thing I respected most about him is that he didn't back down. He didn't back down whatsoever. He was talking s--- back to me and was like, okay, I like this guy, I know I can go in the foxhole with him.
Denver did a great job by bringing him in, having him as the backup because he's not just gonna go in there and dink and dunk and play it safe. He's gonna go out there and play quarterback and try to help them win the game. They already have a top defense. They already have a good running game. They got a good O-line. I think he just needs to be himself. Don't go out there trying not to lose. You gotta go out there and let it rip", said Crosby.
Those last two lines may be the most important thing that Crosby said. It's clear in his voice that he believes in Stidham's ability and there is no doubt that coach Payton does as well. But the line about playing not to lose and instead going to "let it rip" is spot on.
Stidham can't be overly aggressive, but he can't be timid and too careful either. He has stated that he believes he should be a starting quarterback in this league and now is his time to show that. Playing timid and afraid to take shots in order not to turn the ball over against a team coached by Mike Vrabel will lead to defeat. Instead, Stidham needs to draw on his experience and let his natural talent take over. He should pick his shots and be aggressive in throwing the ball when he gets them.
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The Broncos' best path to victory is not to try and grind out a victory over the Patriots with Stidham being a game manager. The way they win this game is by Stidham having an incredible performance that catches New England, his former team, off guard, along with the majority of people out there writing the Broncos off before the game even starts.
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