The Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos may not have piled up the most collective wins over the last decade, but the rivalry has seen one of the best individual competitions in the sport take place twice yearly when Silver and Black pass rusher Maxx Crosby squares off with left tackle Garett Bolles.
Bolles, like most around the league, was stunned that Crosby was traded from the Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this offseason. He was then equally stunned when the trade was nullified at the 11th hour by GM Eric DeCosta and Co.
In an exclusive interview with FanSided as part of his partnership with USAA for Memorial Day, Bolles said that he was originally saddened that Crosby was not going to be in the division. Not only does he have a close personal relationship with the Las Vegas star, but he believes that Crosby is one of the best in the business and relishes every opportunity he gets to go up against someone of that caliber.
"Me and Maxx, we have a close relationship," Bolles said. "I respect the hell out of him. I think he's arguably one or two [among] the best pass rusher[s] in the NFL. Just his high motor and his high demand and his attitude and his effort and all those things that you can't take away from a player. You got to know exactly where he's at on the field. He can wreck any game, any moment, any situation."
Denver Broncos OT Garett Bolles is looking forward to facing off against Las Vegas Raiders' Maxx Crosby
Crosby remains one of the best run-stuffing edges in the game, and his ability to get to the quarterback while playing on subpar defensive lines has been one of the main reasons the Raiders have clawed out what minimal success they have had during his tenure.
Things might be starting to turn around, however, even when they face stacked offensive lines like what Bolles has in Denver.
With the continued development of Malcolm Koonce, the trade of disappointing former Top 10 pick Tyree Wilson, and the signing of former Indianapolis Colts first-rounder Kwity Paye in free agency, the Raiders can finally go after players like Bolles without having to rely on Crosby pulling off the Herculean task of getting all of the pressures himself.
Of course, Denver might be the stoutest challenge the Raiders' defensive line will face this season. With Bolles having been named an All-Pro last year, Mike McGlinchey provided even more quality play on the other side, and Quinn Meinerz is one of the best guards in all of football.
Crosby will have his work cut out for him this year, as will the rest of the Las Vegas defensive front.
Bolles sounds like the same type of competitor that Crosby is, as they both love nothing more than to prove themselves against the best. No matter how the game results shake out this year, football fans who love to watch great trench play should get a kick out of Bolles and Crosby dueling it out once again.
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