Raiders' Maxx Crosby, Rams' Cam Akers spar on the field during joint practice: 'I was just doing what I do'

Nick Brinkerhoff

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Raiders' Maxx Crosby, Rams' Cam Akers spar on the field during joint practice: 'I was just doing what I do' image

The Autumn Wind might be a Raider, but the summer wind is too. 

Maxx Crosby has been known to be an agitator on defense. He wears the silver-and-black with great pride, embodying the toughness and fearlessness of the stereotypical Raider.

And Crosby's boisterous swagger isn't just just for the cameras on Sundays in the fall. It's the real deal — something that the Rams' Cam Akers learned on Wednesday.

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Both sides lost their cool following a play in practice where Crosby attempted to jar the ball loose from Akers when, as The Athletic's Tashan Reed says, "The play was basically dead."

Punches were thrown and Akers was ejected from practice, while Crosby was banished for the rest of the drill. 

Crosby addressed the incident after practice and proceeded to take a shot at Akers when speaking with reporters. In typical Raiders fashion, the star pass rusher will try to knock you 'round and upside down, and laugh when he's conquered and won.

"S— I was just doing what I do," Crosby said of the run-in. "He didn’t like that. So he got what he got."

So, to Crosby, he was only doing what he normally does. As with anything, there are three sides to every story — each side's account and the truth, typically somewhere in the middle.

Regardless, Akers fired back on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Unfortunately, video evidence appears to be lacking of the encounter. While reporters have given their point-of-view on what happened, perhaps this is an opportunity to let imaginations run wild. 

When the former California neighbors met up for joint practices in advance of the preseason's second week, it was expected that tensions would boil over in the summer heat — because it's happened before.

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The Rams have been known to be a feisty group during these offseason activities. Head coach Sean McVay typically likes to save his players for the regular season by limiting their preseason action. As a result, tempers flare more often as players just can't wait to hit someone else. 

According to the LA TImes' Gary Klein, the Rams have fought the Chargers, Cowboys and Bengals, in addition to two previous instances with the Raiders. 

Maybe the Rams should market these joint practices as, "Fight Night," going forward. Or at least ring the bell a few times. 

Nick Brinkerhoff

Nick Brinkerhoff Photo

Nick Brinkerhoff is a content producer at The Sporting News covering the NFL, NBA and other sports. A proud New Jerseyan, Nick is also a graduate of Rutgers University. He is always in the mood for a good joke, the day’s best bets, or a debate about the mediocrity of the New York sports scene.