To be the best, you have to train like the best. Maxx Crosby understands this. And with a few new teammates and coaches who once played with Tom Brady, Crosby set about getting some advice on what TB12 does to prepare himself for each season.
The answer in the simplest terms is a question — what’s an offseason?
“I have a teammate, Duron [Harmon] who was telling me about it and I’m asking him like, how does [Tom] Brady work and what are the things he does that’s been able to do it for so long?” said Crosby. “And he said when he first got to New England, Brady told him, ‘There’s no such thing as an offseason.’
“So, for me, that’s kind of been my approach is just no matter what, even after the Bengals game, still for me it was like, okay, there’s a lot of guys that go on vacation for a month and eat whatever and then you have to cut weight and do that. Like for me, I was still doing my normal routine, still meal prep and still doing that because that’s what the great ones do.
“So, for me, if I do that and show the younger guys that I’m doing this and if I can do it and I’ve had success, I’ve got a second deal and things like that. If I can show a guy who’s in his first or second year like this is what it’s supposed to be like and inspire others to do it, I feel like it’s going to help the team. So, to answer your question, I don’t really think there’s an offseason when you’re trying to be the best at what you do.”
Crosby had success with his previous approach, which is to take a month off after the end of the regular season. But, as you can imagine, he has to keep raising the bar for himself. Now that he’s considered one of the NFL’s top pass rushers and is getting paid like it.
Granted, it’s a lot easier for a QB to have play at a high level for a very long time the way Tom Brady has than it is for an edge rusher. But even for a QB, Tom Brady has defied all expectations in terms of his longevity and level of play. So, if Crosby could learn from that, he could defy some expectations at his respective position as well.
His head is certainly in the right place.