Geno Smith eager to join with Maxx Crosby as leaders in Las Vegas

New Las Vegas quarterback Geno Smith wants to be the same kind of leader of the Raiders’ offense that Maxx Crosby is of the Raiders’ defense.

Smith said on a video released by the Raiders that he has admired Crosby since playing against him, and is now eager to play with him.

“When we played them in Seattle two or three years ago, he was such a pest,” Smith said. “I felt like every play he was hitting me some way, just finding a way to get to the quarterback. I’ve always been a big fan of his. When we were on the field playing against each other we were kind of laughing, joking with each other. I told him, ‘You’re not getting a sack today.’ He was like, ‘I’m coming. I’m going to get to you.’ He played hard the entire game. I was really, really impressed by that.

“Then you get a chance to meet him, to see the kind of guy he is, that’s the way you want to lead the organization. A guy who’s going to work, he’s going to play hard, be professional, do all the right things, set the example, set the tone for the other guys, for the young guys. When you’ve got a guy like Maxx, the sky’s the limit.”

This is an offseason of major change in Las Vegas, with Smith arriving as the starting quarterback and Pete Carroll as the head coach. But one thing that won’t change is that Crosby will be a captain and an unquestioned team leader. Smith wants to lead with him.