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…
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