When the New York Giants went in search of weapons to bolster the offensive line this offseason, Jermaine Eluemunor was at the top of the list. There were others, but Eluemunor signed a two-year contract to help protect the Giants’ quarterbacks.
On Wednesday, Eluemunor was baptized by fire when he took a huge hit from defensive stud Dexter Lawrence.
“I thought I was dead, at one point,” Eluemunor laughed. “No, I’m just playing. It was painful, let’s just say that. I don’t really know how to diagnose injuries and stuff but it just sucked. It wasn’t fun.”
Getting hit by the 6-foot-4, 340-pound defensive lineman probably did suck. Eluemunor quantified his statement, too.
“It’s a big man hit. It’s like you get hit by a truck,” he said.
Sounds about right. Which is also why he was on individual drills Thursday rather than practicing with his teammates. His ribs are bruised, but nothing is broken so the Giants are easing him back onto the field to make sure it doesn’t get worse.
Being on the sideline has given him some opportunity to watch the rest of the offense, though, and Eluemunor likes what he sees.
“We can be as good as we want to be and I’m excited to be in it because you have a bunch of young receivers, you have Dev (Devin Singletary) back there,” he said. “Our tight end room is a really good room in my opinion, and like I said, I think it can be a real explosive offense as long as we do what we need to do and the offensive line does their job and everyone else around them will do their jobs too. Like I’ve been saying, I’m really excited to be a part of this team.”
Yes, everyone needs to do their job if this team is going to be successful. Two days of training camp aren’t yet enough to give us a glimpse of what this team has to offer, but day two was better than day one. Improvement is positive, and there is plenty of room for further improvement.
Aside from his positive review of the offense, it bodes well that Eluemunor took a hit from Lawrence without pads and only walked away with a bruise. Durability has been lacking along the offensive line, so it’s good to have a player who can hold his own.
