From the Las Vegas Raiders locker room, offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor spoke, and we have it all for you.
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00:00 >> These like bittersweet days, I mean, obviously the season's over.
00:05 Just what's your thoughts?
00:06 >> Yeah, a lot is bothering me.
00:08 I think about last night after the game, after he warned me and
00:12 called me standing out there just taking it all in.
00:14 Cuz I feel like you don't really get the chance to just take it all in.
00:18 >> In this career, kind of just on to the next week, on to the next one,
00:22 the next week, you never really just get to like soak it in.
00:25 Think about how far you've come and how far you have yet to go.
00:28 So it's bittersweet cuz it flies by.
00:31 And that's one thing when I was in Baltimore,
00:34 Washington, I'm telling my peers, I was like, how'd you make it so long?
00:37 I mean, I used to take it every day, day by day.
00:38 But the days go slow, the weeks go a little faster,
00:42 the months go a little faster, but years fly by.
00:44 And by the time you know it's your 13th, 14th, you're looking back like, damn,
00:47 where'd the time go?
00:48 So you just have to take it day by day, like I said, but
00:52 also just be grateful to be in the position you're in and to be grateful,
00:55 to come out to season healthy and just have the season you had.
00:59 Obviously, it didn't go how we wanted it to go, but
01:02 being able to get a winner record for AP, I think meant a lot to everyone in this
01:05 organization.
01:08 >> As a player, how do you approach the next couple of weeks with the coach search?
01:11 Do you watch every rumor that comes out or do you step back until a decision's made?
01:17 >> I'm sure we're in no before, I mean, it's in the middle of the summer for
01:20 the major league, but I hope to be back here.
01:23 But I think that you don't look at Twitter and Instagram,
01:26 obviously people are gonna say what they wanna say.
01:29 I don't know too many people that know what Mark Davis is thinking,
01:31 I've got people who are really strong for something.
01:33 So you can look at Twitter, you can look at Instagram,
01:36 I think that's just gonna stir the party, just confuse people,
01:39 and just kinda make stories that don't need to be made.
01:41 Just enjoy time with your family, your friends, relax.
01:46 It's been stressful, stressful doing this.
01:49 And you put a lot of stress on your body and your mind.
01:51 So just release and relax and just get away for a little bit.
01:54 >> You mentioned a free agent,
01:55 how important is it for you to come back as a Raider again next season?
01:58 >> Yeah, I'd love to be, I've been here for three years and
02:00 me and my wife have been at home here.
02:01 I've had the best years of my career here, especially this year,
02:06 with AP taking over, had the best season of my career by far.
02:09 And now I finally get to share with you one of the best returns in the NFL.
02:12 So I'd love to be back here, but like I said, it's a business.
02:17 I don't know what's gonna happen, but I feel like last year when I was crazy,
02:21 I felt like that just taking it slow and
02:23 just messing up a little bit mentally this year.
02:25 I'm not gonna do it again, so I'm getting my attention back,
02:27 whatever happens happens.
02:29 >> You put on social media last night kind of a post for
02:32 AP trying to support him coming back as a head coach.
02:36 So how do you feel the change was in the locker room, how we galvanized it?
02:40 >> It was huge.
02:41 I mean, I can honestly tell you that I don't know where I would be right now
02:46 mentally and physically if AP hadn't taken over.
02:48 And that's an old shot at Josh and what he was doing.
02:51 But for me, it just wasn't going in the right direction.
02:55 And obviously, you can see that with week four for a performance camp in Columbia.
02:59 So for me, AP taking over and just throwing that confidence in everyone and
03:04 just bringing that dog out of everyone in this locker room has been so,
03:08 I feel like it's been a priority.
03:09 You gotta be a dog, cuz it's tough.
03:11 And so AP brought that out of me and helped me out this season I had.
03:14 I mean, just walking down all the best by some of the best players in the NFL and
03:17 then going against going back again and making him an all factor along with Thayer.
03:21 So without him, I wouldn't be here.
03:23 I think the confidence I have is the mentality I have also.
03:27 So I owe everything to him.
03:28 And that tweet last night was more so just to show my support for him.
03:32 And obviously, I guess I'm a free agent, I'm gonna be here next year.
03:34 But I think that he deserves the job just cuz of what he did for this team.
03:38 And I've said it, you can be the best X's and O's guy in the NFL.
03:43 But that doesn't mean you're gonna have a great team and
03:44 stop and translate to winning games.
03:47 You have to be able to lead them and be able to bring the group together and
03:51 make them play hard for you to run through a brick wall.
03:52 And no one doesn't run the AP.
03:54 But then over seven years, the only guy that does that as good as AP was Coach
03:57 Hallbotton, see how he's doing right now.
03:59 So I think that you can't go wrong with him.
04:02 I think that if you give him a whole off season to really turn this program how he
04:07 wants to turn it into and get the guys he wants around him,
04:10 then I think the Scott's gonna win.
04:11 >> Do you empower the coaches under him too?
04:14 >> What was that? >> Do you empower the coaches under him?
04:15 >> 100%, he let them be themselves.
04:18 It wasn't like they were walking around on eggshells.
04:19 I won't say that.
04:22 I was gonna say another phrase, but I don't think I can say it on camera.
04:26 They were just walking around on eggshells, having to be tight lipped and
04:29 just, yes sir, no sir.
04:31 And that's how you wanna franchise a beef, that's not gonna win games.
04:33 It's gonna create animosity and fear.
04:38 If I say the wrong thing, I may lose my job.
04:40 So I'm gonna have to stay in line and say the right things.
04:43 And with AP, it was more so just be yourself.
04:45 You wanna be a boss, so know that I got your back and we're gonna go out there and
04:50 throw everything, throw the kitchen sink at every single team.
04:53 And we see that the chips are gonna fall, but we're gonna be in every single game.
04:56 So AP, not only let the players be themselves, but
04:59 let the coaches be themselves, and you can see that.
05:01 And that's why we finished, obviously, five before the AP.
05:06 Obviously, we finished eight and nine, but
05:07 We only cut the ends of where they'd be.