Tag: Jermaine Eluemunor

Raiders Ballers & Busters at the Bye

With it being the Raiders bye week, we take a look at their Ballers & Busters so far.

Sitting at 1-4 is not ideal. And though five games leaves a lot of season still to go, it is the bye week so let’s check in on the Ballers & Busters thus far and see how the Raiders got here.

Ballers

RB Josh Jacobs

Four time since this season Jacobs has been a Baller and twice a Top Baller. He has set new career highs in each of the past two games, first running for 144 yards and then for 154 yards. He has averaged nearly 100 yards per game so far, putting him on pace for over 1600 yards this season.

DE Maxx Crosby

Few things have become more consistent than Crosby’s dominant presence on the right side of the Raiders defensive line. He was tied for the league lead in sacks after five games and is also the league’s top run stopped among edge players. So, it’s no surprise he’s been a Baller four times already and once a Top Baller.

WR Mack Hollins

No question Hollins has been the most pleasant surprise among Raiders new additions. He has been named a Baller three times this season and a Top Baller once. Some of his notoriety has come for his work as a receiver, but also as a blocker and gunner on special teams. Having an X receiver who also takes pride in doing the dirty work is a valuable commodity. The Raiders are very lucky to have him.

WR Davante Adams

Also thrice a Baller, Adams has been as advertised as a top target. His work so far has been all the more impressive considering the Raiders have barely tapped his potential. He often gets open and either doesn’t get the ball or the ball is underthrown.

The week five game against the Chiefs saw easily the best pass to Adams all season. If that can continue, there’s no reason Adams can’t take over some games over the stretch run.

Honorable Mention

CB Amik Robertson — Filled in for the injured Anthony Averett and has held his own, including a solid performance in the Raiders win over the Broncos in which he returned a fumble for a touchdown.

T Thayer Munford — The rookie seventh round pick stepped in at right tackle and has been serviceable which is a damn sight better than anyone else has been of late.

FB Jakob Johnson — While Josh Jacobs has been known to create things on his own, much of the time he finds a gap behind his trusty fullback. Especially his 154-yard game last week.

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Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 1 vs Chargers

Those players who contributed most to the Raiders loss and those who gave them reason for optimism despite.

Despite all the talk of how encouraging the season opener was for the Raiders, or all the positive signs, they still lost. Ballers & Busters should do well to call attention to the positive signs while pointing to how it all went wrong.

Ballers

DE Maxx Crosby

No sacks, sure. But a lot of that had to do with just how elusive Justin Herbert can be. Crosby still got plenty of pressure and was stout against the run as well.

His run-stopping prowess showed up on the first drive in which he made two stops and got in the backfield to help lead to a stop on a third play and the Chargers would end up settling for a field goal.

The second Chargers possession was a three-and-out with Crosby getting pressure on first down to force a short completion and then teamed up to make the stop on third and short for no gain.

On the next drive, he had a couple more tackles and another pressure and the drive after that ended when he teamed up to make the stop on fourth down for no gain and a turnover on downs.

The first drive of the third quarter had Crosby all over it, getting two pressures and a QB hit to force an incompletion, but despite his efforts, the Chargers still scored.

To begin the fourth quarter, he started off a three-and-out with a run stuff. And the next drive he made a tackle for loss and the Chargers would miss a 49-yard field goal attempt to keep the game within reach late.

The Raiders offense would get back in the end zone to pull it to a five-point game. All the defense needed to do was stop the Chargers quickly to give them a chance. They did just that, with Crosby making the tackle on a three-yard catch on second down of a three-and-out.

So, yeah, no sacks but Crosby finished second on the team in tackles (10) and added two QB hits and a tackle for loss.

WR Davante Adams

Quite the Silver & Black debut for the All-Pro receiver. He was every bit as advertised, making the first catch of the day and putting up 54 yards on three catches on the first drive alone.

The first pass of the third quarter went to Adams as well as the second pass with Adams breaking wide open and taking the catch for 41 yards and the Raiders scored their first TD three plays later.

With the fourth quarter winding down, the Raiders were in first and goal at the three. Carr went to Adams on the fade, but overthrew it. Then he threw for Adams along the goal on the right. The pass was wide right, but Adams showed off his insane reach to extend to pluck it out of the air for the touchdown.

Adams finished with 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. Nice introduction to the Raider Nation.

CB Nate Hobbs

The final big play of the day for the Raiders to give them a chance to make the comeback came from Hobbs. In third-and-three, Hobbs swatted down a pass over the middle intended for Mike Williams and the Chargers went three-and-out.

That was just the final play for Hobbs, who was all over the place in this one. On a play on the first drive, he shot into the backfield to make a tackle for loss. He did it again early in the second quarter. And a few plays later, he put his helmet into the ball on a tackle to force the fumble that might have been a turnover had it not went out of bounds.

The Chargers would score on that drive, with Hobbs giving them a first and goal because he hit Justin Herbert on his slide. But that was an extremely tough play to gauge because Herbert hesitated on his slide and Hobbs had already committed.

Hobbs would finish third on the team with nine tackles, adding two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

Honorable Mention

C Andre James, G Dylan Parham — The ground game for the Raiders picked up late in this game and these two had a good deal to do with that.

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Once cloudy competition on Raiders Offensive line gaining some clarity

Raiders offensive line if the season started today

It was just over a month ago when the Raiders took the field for this year’s training camp. At that time, the only settled spot on the Raiders’ offensive line was Kolton Miller at left tackle. It would appear the rest of the line is taking shape as well.

Let’s look at each position and how it has changed, going from right to left.

Right tackle

At first, it looked like 2021 top pick Alex Leatherwood would get the first crack. Then it was Brandon Parker who was running with the first team. Both of them had dreadful performances in the preseason — first Parker at left tackle, and then Leatherwood at right tackle.

Rookie seventh-round pick Thayer Munford was given a look at right tackle and held his own, while Eluemunor played at left tackle. Munford is now out injured, and with Miller at his left tackle with the first team against the Patriots, Eluemunor was the first team right tackle while Leatherwood came in with the second team.

Eluemunor started at right tackle for Josh McDaniels in New England and he is getting a real shot to grab that job with the Raiders as well.

“I hear about what he’s been doing and the workouts he’s been doing and he looks great,” Derek Carr said of Eluemunor. “Really proud of where he was, where he’s come from, and where he is now. I’m excited to see him just keep growing.”

Right guard

It initially seemed like Lester Cotton Sr was a placeholder until Denzelle Good returned from injury. Then Good returned and promptly retired and Cotton has remained. The former undrafted free agent has drawn praise for showing vast improvement this year, going from practice squad player to projected starter.

Center

The only other offensive lineman besides Miller who has held onto the same spot he had when camp began is center Andre James.

Left guard

As recent as a week ago, it appeared John Simpson was going to return as the starting left guard. Now it’s not looking that way.

In last weekend’s game in Miami, it was rookie third-round pick Dylan Parham who got the start, with Simpson coming in later and Parham moved over to center with the second team.

That continued in joint practices with the Patriots on Tuesday, looking like Parham has passed up Simpson as the favorite to start at left guard.

“He’s got some areas that I’m sure he’s going to want to continue to improve in, but from where he’s started he’s come a long way,” Carr said of Parham. “He’s come a long way. He’s trying to do it the right way and at that position, you’ve got to do it the right way. He’s doing that and I’m proud of him. He’s working really hard and our coaches are pushing him to get everything out of him and he’s accepting it really well.”

Projected lineup

If the season ended today, the starting offensive line would be:

LT Kolton Miller
LG Dylan Parham
C Andre James
RG Lester Cotton Sr
RT Jermaine Eluemunor

This is, of course, barring any additions to try and upgrade the starting lineup with under three weeks until the start of the season.

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Jermaine Eluemunor sees shot at Raiders RT job as his last chance

Jermaine Eluemunor opens up about squandering many opportunities and how he sees his shot at Raiders RT job as his last chance

Most of the time when you ask a player about what he might be doing different in his preparation for the season than he had previously, you get the same answer. It’s almost always something to the effect that they are doing the same thing and that they’re always preparing as if they’re going to start. It’s so cliche it rings hollow, especially for a player who you feel needs to try to up his preparation in order to improve his chances of earning a starting job.

Then there’s Jermaine Eluemunor who Thursday gave one of the most refreshingly candid answers to that question. Namely, that he’s been dogging it for years and has finally decided to take his preparation seriously.

He went into lengthy detail about how he has squandered several previous opportunities by not keeping his weight down and doing proper conditioning.

“If I’m being honest, this is my third or fourth chance,” said Eluemunor. “Because I was starting in Baltimore my rookie year and if I did what I needed to do, I would’ve kept that spot, but it was taken from me. Third year in Baltimore I started at left guard, but I was overweight and ended up getting traded to New England. And then my second year in New England, I was starting at right tackle and once again I was overweight and I wasn’t really doing what I needed to do, and as soon as I got hurt, they replaced me. Because I didn’t earn that job. And then last year I was in there but I didn’t fully commit to it and I didn’t do what I needed to do on the field and I got replaced again, so in my eyes, this is my last opportunity to become what I want to become or I’m just going to be a backup role player the rest of my career.”

A big reason, Eluemunor sees this as a real opportunity for him was the approach from the start of this year’s camp that everyone had a clean slate and there was an open competition at most positions.

The veteran journeyman has bounced around the line as the team tries to find the right fit and combination in order to put the best five on the field. In most cases, Eluemunor has lined up at right guard and at both tackle spots.

The ideal situation for Eluemunor would be to start at tackle. The right tackle spot is still up for grabs on this team and he is very much in the mix for it.

In last Sunday’s preseason game against the Vikings, with Kolton Miller not playing, Eluemunor got his chance to start at left tackle. That’s an important opportunity for Eluemunor because the Raiders don’t just need a right tackle, they need a swing tackle.

In the first preseason game, Brandon Parker showed he was out of his depth moving to left tackle, getting beaten for several sacks. Eluemunor performed considerably better in his opportunity.

“It’s the NFL, you have to be ready for any opportunity you get. And for me to start at left tackle during that game was a hell of an opportunity to show people in this organization and around the league that if given the chance, I can do that as well and play right tackle also,” Eluemunor added.

“I got the opportunity a couple years ago and I didn’t really take full advantage of that when I was in New England. Like I said I was overweight, I was real sloppy and it left a bad taste in my mouth and everyone else’s mouth of me playing left. So, I took that as an opportunity to show people I’m doing this again, but this time I’m completely different, I’m a new player out there and I’m going to keep trying to show them every single week.”

That shot he had in New England was, of course, with his new head coach Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator. So, it’s very interesting that it’s McDaniels who is showing faith that Eluemunor is talented enough that should he get his weight and preparation in order, he could push for a starting job.

McDaniels has reiterated that every player has a clean slate and a shot to earn a starting job, saying “The best thing that you can tell them is that they’ll determine how this goes. If you’re a player, that’s all you’d ever want is an opportunity to compete to play.”

It’s that clean slate mindset that has Eluemunor with a renewed focus.

“A clean slate is especially good for me because I feel like the last five years of my career I kind of just wasn’t as serious as I should have been,” said Eluemunor. “There was nutrition, weight mentality that I wasn’t involved in and Josh coming on and knowing who I was and who I am, I’ve benefited a lot from that. I was able to recreate myself this year, recreate the type of player I am and the person I am. It’s been really good for me having him and Dave [Ziegler] here, just showing me how confident in me they are and what I can do and just keep pushing me forward has been really dope.”

Eluemunor is approaching this as if it will be the last chance he will ever have. And he could be right.

“So, I’m doing everything I can to make this happen and doing everything possible to achieve everything I want to achieve in this game, because not everyone is lucky enough to get as many opportunities and chances as I have. Josh came in here and Dave came in here and they didn’t say it, but in my mind this is my last opportunity. So, if I don’t achieve what I want to achieve this year, that’s my fault.”

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Thayer Munford gets the start at right tackle for Raiders vs Vikings

Thayer Munford starting at RT for Raiders while Jermaine Eluemunor gets a shot at left tackle

After seeing his snaps increase in practice this week with the injury to Brandon Parker, rookie seventh round pick Thayer Munford got the start at right tackle for the Raiders in their second preseason game vs the Vikings Sunday.

It was becoming pretty clear that Munford was going to see a lot of snaps in this game, but the question was whether he would be the first on the field. That proved to be the case.

Meanwhile getting the start at left tackle was Jermaine Eluemunor who saw most of his snaps at right tackle in the Hall of Fame game last week.

Parker had started at left tackle in the preseason opener and had a rough go of it to say the least. While starting at right tackle was Alex Leatherwood and Eluemunor came in later.

The Raiders not only need to find someone to be their starting right tackle, but they are looking for a reserve swing tackle as well. Should Munford and Eluemunor play well at their respective positions in this one, they could make a strong case to fill those two roles.

Raiders still have a big problem at tackle

Surprise! Tackle is still big problem for Raiders

It was apparent a year ago and pretty much every moment since then that the Raiders had a real problem at tackle. Despite this glaring issue, they did next to nothing to address it this offseason. So, it should come as no surprise the problem has not magically fixed itself. If anything, it’s worse now, because the season is fast approaching.

This issue is mainly about finding a viable starting right tackle. But based on what we saw in the Hall of Fame game last week, it extends even farther than that.

The Raiders used their first round pick in 2021 on Alex Leatherwood who lost the starting job four weeks into the season and has never gotten it back.

Thus far in camp, reports have Brandon Parker lining up as the first team right tackle more times than not. Despite countless chances over his first four seasons to develop into a starting caliber tackle, and never showing it, he is getting yet another shot and appears to be the leader in that race.

In reality, the Raiders should not be going into the season with Parker as the starter. It’s not just risky, it’s a risk that they’ve taken and been bitten by on more than one occasion already.

The problem there is should Parker take a backup spot, the ideal situation would be that the backup is a swing tackle. It was his performance in the Hall of Fame game that proved he is simply not the answer at swing tackle. 

With the Raiders sitting Kolton Miller for the game, Parker got the start…and he was completely destroyed. This included getting worked over by journeyman former Raiders edge rusher Arden Key.

Josh McDaniels said he will be trying out a few others on the left side for this Sunday’s preseason game against the Vikings.

“You’ll see a few different people over there,” McDaniels said of the left tackle spot. “We did some of that against Jacksonville. It’s an important opportunity. It’s like the backup quarterback; nobody talks about him until it’s the most important person in the organization. The same thing is true for the left tackle and the person that would swing on either side. Once you have an injury all of a sudden that position becomes really important. It’s not easy. So, to have the ability to do that, and we flop some guys during training camp to give them opportunities to work at that. It’s something that takes a lot of reps. It’s something that you’re getting a lot of calls on the right side that you’re not getting on the left side, so you’ve got to think very quickly on both sides. We’re going to gain more knowledge on that for sure on Sunday.”

Parker has been missing practice all week, so naturally other guys will have to get a look. But the mere fact that through last week he was leading the way among the tackles tells you something about the group as a whole.

They clearly don’t see Leatherwood as the answer if he’s playing behind Parker. And Josh McDaniels made it clear that while rookie Thayer Munford has gained a lot of confidence, the seventh round pick has “a long way to go.”

That leaves just Jermaine Eluemunor who started at right tackle for McDaniels for a season in New England, but who otherwise has spent much of his career lining up at guard.

Either someone on the roster needs to really step up soon or more drastic moves must be made. The prospect of going into the season with no starting right tackle and no trusted swing tackle is a very scary proposition, especially for the hopes of a high-powered offense.

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Day 2 of Raiders minicamp brings some shuffling at right tackle

Some shuffling at right tackle for Raiders on minicamp day 2

Through two Raiders OTA practice availabilities and one minicamp practice, the situation at right tackle was relatively unchanged. Day 2 of minicamp practices, for the first time we saw some changes.

Most notably Alex Leatherwood had been working as the first team right tackle up to this point, with Brandon Parker working at RT with the second team. Today, however, it was Parker who got the bulk of the first team work at RT, with Leatherwood stepping across the line to hold blocking pads.

The expectation has been that if Leatherwood was not working as the first team RT, he would be moving inside to guard where he started the final 13 games of last season. But even today with him not working with the first team, he still didn’t work at guard.

Despite Leatherwood’s consistent work at right tackle, he and the coaches have time and time again insisted the former 17 overall pick has been playing multiple positions.

“This spring I worked multiple positions,” Leatherwood after Wednesday’s practice. “I feel it’s all about getting that value of versatility, being able to play wherever the team needs me.”

Other players have been moving around a little, however. Day one of minicamp Jermaine Eluemunor was lining up with the second team at right guard. Today he slid over to right tackle quite a bit.

It’s worth noting that Eluemunor was the starting right tackle in Josh McDaniels’s offense in New England for eight games in 2020. They went 5-3 in those starts, so clearly McDaniels thinks he can do the job if called upon.

The consistent presence at right tackle has been round seven rookie Thayer Munford lining up with the third team.

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Raiders right tackle job is up for grabs with many suitors

Right tackle is shaping up to be a free-for-all in Las Vegas

To say the Raiders’ right tackle job is up for grabs would be an understatement. Predictions on who will be the starter come the season as well as opinions on who is should be are vast.

There are probably about five guys who could potentially take this spot. They include last year’s top pick Alex Leatherwood, incumbent Brandon Parker, journeyman Jermaine Eluemunor, guard Denzelle Good, and rookie seventh-round pick Thayer Munford.

One could make a case for any of these guys to stand out from the rest. But the truth is no one really knows how it will shake out. And that includes the coaching staff.

Leatherwood was selected at 17 overall in the 2021 draft to be the team’s right tackle and was moved inside after just four games. Could he have developed since then and reclaim the right tackle job? That is the primary question for him. He also wasn’t great at guard, but he has a high salary and that could prompt the team to try to get him on the field in some capacity.

Parker stepped into the right tackle job after Leatherwood was moved inside. He wasn’t great, but the team brought him back anyway which suggests they see something in him. Perhaps a backup swing tackle?

Eluemunor’s three starts last season all came at the right guard spot. But started eight games at tackle in 2020 with the Patriots and Josh McDaniels. That could give him a leg up in this competition.

Good slid over from guard to tackle early in the 2020 season and played quite well for a couple of games. He may be best suited at guard, but if he is one of the best five options to be on the field, tackle could be where he lines up.

Munford may be a seventh-round pick, but he has a lot of tackle experience and was projected as a mid-round pick. Being a draft pick of the new regime means they have high hopes for him and could favor him over holdovers from the previous staff’s roster.

Honestly, any of these guys have a legit shot at the right tackle job depending on how things shake out in camp. The next step is to see who is getting first-team reps come minicamp in June.

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OL Jermaine Eluemunor says he’s been re-signed by Raiders

Jermaine Eluemunor started eight games at tackle for Josh McDaniels in 2020. So, naturally, he’s been re-signed by the Raiders

After spending the first week of free agency adding outside free agents, Monday they began sifting through what was left of their own free agents to see who would like to come back. They hadn’t dabbled much in adding talent on the offensive line, so they looked there first, announcing the re-signing of offensive tackle Brandon Parker.

They also appear to be bringing back offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor as well. The journeyman utility lineman tweeted out “I’m back”.

 

Last season for the Raiders, he appeared in 14 games, starting three at right guard after the injury to Denzelle Good.

Not surprisingly, Eluemunor has ties to the Patriots. He played there in 2019 and 2020, appearing in 22 games, starting eight games — five at right tackle and three at left tackle.

So, it would seem Josh McDaniels has at least some faith in Eluemunor’s ability to hold things down at the right tackle spot. Or at the very, least offer versatile depth there.

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Raiders get CB Brandon Facyson, two others back from reserve/COVID-19 list

Raiders got starting cornerback Brandon Facyson back from reserve/COVID-19 list along with two others.

While Wednesday saw TE Darren Waller and DT Kendall Vickers head to the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Raiders did get three players back as well. Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor, CB Brandon Facyson, and S Roderic Teamer all came off the list today.

Facyson is the starter in the bunch. He was starting in place of the injured Trayvon Mullen much of the season and was expect to resume those starting duties last week when Mullen headed to a second stint on IR. But the positive COVID test mean the Raiders looked to fourth string cornerback Desmond Trufant.

Teamer may have started last week in place of Johnathan Abram who was lost for the season to a dislocated shoulder. Instead Dallin Leavitt played every snap at strong safety.

Other transactions today included sending guards Jeremiah Poutasi and Lester Cotton to the practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list. There are also 11 Raiders roster players on the reserve/COVID-19 list.