Raiders RT Jermain Eluemunor From Training Camp

 Tackle Jermaine Eluemunor 

Q: Jakob Johnson said beans on toast is actually okay. 

Eluemunor: "Oh, I have a text of him saying that too. He sent me a text and I was like, anytime you talk trash on Twitter, I'm going to post it. So, I've been waiting for it and the fact that he wants to say that now, I think he's trying to soften the blow. But no, don't worry there's going to be a time where he tries talking smack, I'm going to bring that up and just expose him." 

Q: I know obviously you're locked in competing at right tackle. I know that's something your familiar with throughout your career, but what's kind of your mindset going into this year? Last year you kind of talked about going back and forth between positions but you need to make a name for yourself at right tackle. How's that kind of come to fruition for you? 

Eluemunor: "Yeah, it's been dope. This is the first training camp in my career I've been able to come in as a starter, but then that adds more pressure. In this camp, it’s more about solidifying my spot than it is earning it. But then also we have talented guys in the room, Thayer [Munford], Brandon [Parker], even Justin [Herron], all of them can play right tackle also. So, it's more about improving everyday myself and solidifying my spot, but then also finding ways to get better. I have to go against Maxx [Crosby] every single day and [Malcom] Koonce is developing, he's getting better and better, and I'm excited to go against Tyree [Wilson] whenever that is. So, that's what it's really about this year, more so not really hanging on to last year because that was last year. This year is a brand-new year, it's a new challenge, and with that challenge comes a lot of people in my face. But first of all, it starts with camp just to solidify my spot." 

Q: What's it like having continuity with the guys that you're playing alongside last year coming back? 

Eluemunor: "Yeah, it's dope. Playing next to [Alex] Bars, there's a certain way I like to play and having him next to me he knows how I like play, whether it's setting a five technique or how I am on a deuce block or how I am on like a backside cutoff. There are certain ways I like to do things and having him know what I like to do makes it way easier. So, it's less communication because you trust the guy next to you." 

Q: You talked about the different mindset entering camp. As somebody who's returning from last year in that position, was the offseason different? Do you have a different mentality in the offseason being that this is kind of a different year for you? 

Eluemunor: "I think this offseason was more so healing because last year was my first year starting all 17 games, and I got pretty banged up. I mean, I've been banged up my entire career. So, it's more so just recovering and then also trying to maintain my fitness and keeping my weight off, which I did, and try to maintain my strength." 

Q: Talking about what you did this offseason, you also got married and you did a football camp in London and things like that. What were some things that you feel like attributed to your mental health and healing this offseason? 

Eluemunor: "Definitely going back to England, that's something I've been trying to plan for let's say six years now. And going back there and being able to host a camp on the same field I actually started playing football on was an amazing experience. But then also the fact that I'd say about 90 percent of those kids have never played football before and being able to introduce them to the sport and put a smile on their face and just let them be out there and be kids was amazing. And going back home and seeing my friends and my family. I got to see some guys I went to school with 14 years ago and that definitely hit different because it showed me how far I've come and how far I have left to go. And it just made me want to be successful in this sport even more so I can bring it back over there on a bigger platform. I had about 55 kids in my camp this year. Hopefully, next year I plan to have around, let's say, 150-200 and then do it in multiple locations in England. So, growing that, that's a huge thing for me mentally because that's one thing I'm really passionate about and I feel like in this game you can get stressed about the little things and if you don't find something to somewhat help relieve your stress then it will just consume you. And going back to England was one of the things that helped just mellow me out and really put my mind where it needed to be given the motivation I needed to this season." 

Q: How long has it been since you've been back? 

Eluemunor: "So, I went back my rookie year when I was in Baltimore, but I didn't really get to go around London and go back home to see some of my friends because we were really busy with the season. And when I went there, the media bombarded me to where I had to do multiple things over there because it was my first time going back in a while. So, really this was my first time going back in I’d say 14 years, like truly going back and being able to just do what I want to do, so it's been a while." 

Q: And what were those emotions like? I know you posted the flats that you grew up in, and to see where you are now, the city you're in now, what were those emotions like? Eluemunor: "It was real surreal. For me, leaving England, I had a mission and a goal, and I was real determined to achieve that. And I'm still on the road to achieving what I truly want to happen. And just going back and seeing where I used to live and where I used to play and the streets I used to walk, like I said, it was real surreal. It definitely hit different because when you're that young you don't really expect that the goals you have that young to come true when you're older. And although I wanted to play in the NFL, I definitely had no idea how I was going to make it happen. And as a kid everyone has dreams, I'm sure some kids want to be astronauts, some kids want to be firefighters, some kids want to be pro English football players, or soccer players as they say in America. I'm saying English football players now because I went back there, and I have to say it. Everyone has dreams and aspirations at that age, but you don't really know how to achieve them. And along the way you have to have help, and I had so much help growing up to get to where I'm at now. And it made me think of all of that, all the help we've had along the way, all the people who really truly believed in me, and all the people that have sacrificed a lot of things to help me get here. And that's kind of what this season is for, all those people who truly believe in me and helped me get here. I want to just go out there and dominate this year for them and truly show my appreciation for them helping me get here." 

 Q: You talked about the challenges of sometimes sweating the small stuff and today with social media, everybody is a film expert. There's Pro Football Focus, there's all these grading systems and everything like that. Do you feel like you're doing better at dealing with that or do you just not care anymore about it? 

Eluemunor: "I think I'm doing better. The first couple of seasons in the NFL I kind of let that affect me, especially in New England during the COVID year when I had to move to left tackle. I was dealing with some things mentally and physically. So, I wasn’t in the right place and in that state of mind it only takes one thing to really knock you off your seat and really affect you. And that was a really bad year for me mentally, and so I've learned from that. And then I also have people here, Daryl [Nelson], he is one of the new staff here. He was with me in New England, and he helped me get through a lot of things mentally. I mean a lot of things. And to have a guy like that here is huge for me and huge for a lot of guys because this sport can take a toll on you on the field and off the field. And I tell all the young guys, you got to have some sort of release when you get home. Everyone says you have got to focus on football 100 percent of your time, and you got to give everything you have to this sport. If you do that, it's going to consume you. I tell the young guys because I went through it, I let this sport consume me, I let social media just destroy me from the inside out and mentally put me in the worst state I've ever been in. And so, I tell them don't look at social media. People are going to say what they're going to say, it doesn't really matter. If you flip scripts, they definitely couldn't do what you're doing. And you just go out there and just play ball and have fun because you're doing that, you're going to be the best you. And if you're the best you, you're going to do your thing on the field. And then all those people talking negative about you are going to be saying a bunch of positive things about you and by that point that who really cares, it's just words on your phone. And it took a while for me to get to that state of mind and that mentality, but I truly feel like this year I really have a grip on that." 

Q: With that said, was there some vindication last year, t the end of last year, when you look there and your name was pretty prominent on pro football focus? The Raiders offensive line, I think finished number 10 by Pro Football Focus. So, do you feel was there some vindication for you guys? 

Eluemunor: "Yes, but no. It was cool having Josh [Jacobs] and him being a leading rusher in the NFL, but it also puts a target on your back, because now if we don't play up to that standard - and not even playing up to that standard, we want to play higher than that standard. We want to be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. We're returning all five starters, and we want to take that next step and truly be one of the lines that everyone talks about. And I feel like some people will really just let all the things on social media get to their head and that's just a recipe for disaster. If you go out there and you're like, 'Pro Football Focus is saying we're this or we're that. Me and Kolton [Miller] are this, and 'Dre [Andre James] is that.' If you really look into that and let that blow your head up, you'll go out and you get smacked in the mouth Week One. All those ratings and everything will just go away." 

Q: Carmen [Bricillo] you guys respect him and you like him. I'm just curious. He can be a coach to chew you out and then turn around and laugh with you and joke with you. What is it about his dynamic with you in particular in the offensive line? 

Eluemunor: "I think that the position we play, it's a lot of moving parts. One time your blocking a five and you're blocking a 4i, and then you have to go out and block the safety if he's blitzing on the edge. Like there's so much that you have to do in this position that sometimes in the heat of battle, you can just overreact to some things. If he's shouting at you, you say something back and then - just having that relationship with him where it's like, we get off on the sidelines and we're like, 'Yeah, we're good.' We just let bygones be bygones and let's just move on. It's kind of like having a next play mentality. When things are said, you just let them go because at the end of the day, you know you don't truly mean them. We have a relationship off the field. I've known Carm [Carmen Bricillo] for five years now, and he was one of the first people I told I'm having a kid. And just that relationship I've built with Carm over the years, because I was with him in New England when I was going through all of the like I said, the mental stuff of this game. He's been with me through everything. At times on the field it can look like we're just fighting and arguing, but at the same time, we both have the same goal in mind. We both have a high standard, a really high standard for the way we want to play the game here, and we both know what we want. So, heads are going to clash in this game, but at the end of the day, we know what it is." 

Q: As much continuity as there is upfront with you guys. There's a lot less behind you, especially without Josh Jacobs here in training camp. You guys paved the way for so many yards last year. What's it like blocking for Zamir [White]? What have you seen out of him? 

Eluemunor: "Yeah, I talk to him all the time. He is a hell of a back. I don't think anyone is like Josh [Jacobs] in the league. I think Josh is one of a kind, and I can't wait to get him back. But Zeus [White] is definitely a guy. We're lucky to have him because, like him and Josh are two different guys. Josh can run you over or juke you out. Zamir is just going to run head first and run you over, he doesn't care, and it's cool playing for guys like that because you know if you open up a hole and he gets to the safety, nine times out of ten, he's going to run him over and score. So like I said, Josh is - there's no one like him - but we're lucky to have a guy like Zeus and even the other backs too like Brandon [Bolden], Ameer [Abdullah], Brit [Brittain Brown] a lot of them bring something else to the game. And like we always say, like Josh [McDaniels] always says, it's next man up mentality. You can't let one guy not being here affect the way you play out there. We've got to keep going. Like I said, I hope we get him back and I can't wait to get him back because it will just add on to this offense that we have here.' 

Q: Going through what you went through in New England and getting past it, and a lot of people were helping you out, do you remember a time when you kind of turned the corner where you felt better or is it just having success on the field that does that? 

Eluemunor: "If we're being honest probably the Jets game, the last game of the season. I went through a lot that year, like I said, a lot. And the Jets game, like I said, when I was able to talk to Daryl [Nelson] that year before that game, and he really pulled me off the cliff and mentally just helped me reset. And the Jets game that year was truly the first game where I felt myself. It was a long year, the COVID year kind of sucked. There's no fans and you're dealing with a lot of different things. I was dealing with injuries, not being able to play the position I wanted to play, having to switch over to left tackle. But the Jets game that year was truly the first game I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I had a lot of people to thank for that."  

Q: I know from time to time, you push back on social media or bitten back a little bit here and there. What kind of discipline does it take not to just really..? 

Eluemunor: "It takes a lot. Definitely because I don't like some fans out there. I can't name the teams, but I just don't like their fans. Some of them just try to bait me. I'll be writing something on Twitter and then I'm like, 'Ah, I probably shouldn't say that because I know I'm going to hear about it the next day,' because we have spies on Twitter, I'm not going to say where. There's a lot of spies on Twitter. So, I have to really hold my tongue. I have a lot of drafts, let's say that. I made a couple bookmarks last year too. It was 2021 when the Chargers, I think we lost that first game, and they sent out that stupid tweet with the crying emoji. I don't know what it was. And then when we beat them, I said something back and it blew up. Sometimes I forget how much power players have on social media with the fans. And if you say one little thing, it can turn into something huge, and sometimes I forget that, but most times I remember that because I like to really stir the pot. But I kind of, like I said, I've cooled down a little bit, especially since I'm about to have a kid, so I've got to set a good example. But they're not going to have twitter for a while, so I still have a little bit of time left to have fun." 

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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