Brandon Parker From Las Vegas Raiders Training Camp

Brandon Parker is a solid, and reliable offensive lineman for the Las Vegas Raiders who is ready to expand his role in 2022.

HENDERSON, Nev.--Brandon Parker is a reliable offensive lineman for the Las Vegas Raiders, but for the Silver and Black to reach their expectations this season, they need more from him.

Parker spoke about those expectations, and much more after training camp practice you can watch the entire press conference below, and read the transcript:

Tackle Brandon Parker

Q: You got a lot of reps last year as the starting right tackle. What changed for you in terms of not just starting, but holding on to that job?

Parker: “It’s just been a gradual progression over the years. As you know, kind of took a lot of lumps my rookie year. My second year, I didn’t play a lot. Played when I was needed. Third year, kind of the same thing. Just kind of learning behind the guys who were ahead of me. And then when it was my turn, using what they taught me and trying to just be the best that I can for my team.”

Q: Are you looking at yourself as the starting right tackle for this team?

Parker: “I’m literally competing every rep I get. He told us it’s outright competition. We got [Alex] Leatherwood, myself, Jermaine [Eluemunor], Jackson [Barton]. We got a lot of good guys that could do it as well. When they put me there, they put me there, but as for right now, I just do the best I can.”

Q: Is there an overall sense across the line of something to prove this year?

Parker: “We kind have been the butt of jokes a little bit, so we all kind of have that chip on our shoulder anyway. Andre being undrafted, John being in the third, Lester being undrafted. Kolton, kind of the same thing as me starting out rough. We all are just trying to be the best we can. Like I said, we have been the butt of some jokes. We see it.”

Q: Does that push you more?

Parker: “It does. We see it and a lot of us are on social media. We try not to let us affect us, but there is still that chip on our shoulder that we can be the top dogs.”

Q: What do you want to improve on the most out of your game?

Parker: “For one, way too many penalties. Way too many false starts last year. I hurt my team in that way. And with the new staff coming in we have a lap every false start we have, which helps to kind of straighten up. A lot of holdings, too many sacks. And a lot of that stuff is just finishing that last little bit, so that’s what I’ve been trying to focus on. Just finishing with better emphasis.”

Q: What have you been seeing from Lester Cotton?

Parker: “From day one he stepped in, he’s always kind of had that want to, that dog about him. He kind of had to shape up a little bit. He was much bigger when he came in, but he’s kind of dedicated himself again. He won the award with us, the Sampson Award, for being a dog in the weight room. And we expect the same mentality from him on the field and he’s been stepping in right away.”

Q: What was your initial reaction to Denzelle Good announcing his retirement?

Parker: “It’s always bittersweet, man. Same thing with Richie [Incognito]. Those are kind og my OG’s. He came in midway through my rookie year and stepped in at right guard when Gabe [Jackson] went down and I leaned on him a little bit, kind of picking his brain. He went to war with me and all these years he’s been right by my side. It’s kind of like seeing your brother go. But I understand we can’t play this game forever. Eventually you have to transition, and he just picked now to transition.”

Q: What have you seen from the young guys like Dylan Parham and Alex Leatherwood in their development?

Parker: “It’s hard to kind of pinpoint, man. We all kind of make mistakes here and there, but what I’ve seen is just the hunger, the will to learn and they come to work every day. I guess you kind of have a young body, so you feel like working which is kind of a benefit to them. I mean, they come in and put their best foot forward and just keep grinding, and that’s all we can ask.”

Q: Do you feel like you are stepping in as a veteran leader for this offensive line?

Parker: “Yeah, I try to be that role. I try to keep us going when we have those dog days in camp. We feel the 100-plus heat, we all do. So, I kind of try to keep us all positive. A lot of guys look up to me. Somebody has got to be the uplifting guy, so I try to be that even when I’m not having my best day. Even when I might take an ‘L’ here or there, I’m always just trying to through it behind to show that don’t let that play effect the next play. Just trying to be the leader that we need in our room.”

Q: Has the transition to the new offense been subtle or drastic in terms of what you guys are doing?

Parker: “It’s kind of hard to call it either way. I mean there is only so many concepts in football. It’s either inside or outside zone…I mean there is multiple ways to skin a cat, but it’s the same cat. So, a lot of it is just learning their terminology, learning how to speak their vernacular and then translating it to the field. And then once we all buy into it, it’s kind of been meshing together really good.”

Q: What are you kind of looking forward to with getting the pads on?

Parker: “That first click-clack, man. You get the butterflies like it’s a game. You’re like, ‘Oh man, here it comes.’ And then you just make that collision and you’re like, ‘Alright, let’s play football.’ And I think there is a little built-up tension, and it always is between brothers. We all want to prove we are the best on the field, so it might be a little testy. But that’s a part of the game, we all want to be great, and iron sharpens iron, so if we keep pushing for greatness, eventually we will achieve it.”

Q: Do you guys talk amongst the offensive line about maybe the pressure that is on your unit?

Parker: “I mean, in the beginning of spring someday said they have us as the weakest link on the team and stuff like that, you can’t let it control your whole mentality. But it does kind of put a little bit more of a chip on your shoulder. If it wasn’t already there, it just makes it bigger. Like for me this year, I deleted my social media. I don’t even want to see it, I don’t want to hear it. Like I just want to be with my guys, e the best I can be. Within these walls, let’s band together and do what we got to do. I don’t know if they did, but I think we all kind of have that mentality of, man, it’s just us at the end of the day. We got to be the best we can be, and we’ll be fine.”

Q: Were you seeing a lot of negativity on social media?

Parker: “I wasn’t seeing it a lot. It was not like if somebody was coming every day and saying, ‘Hey, you suck.’ A couple times you’ll get it. And you know fans, sometimes you’ll get it after the game, ‘Oh, you suck.’ Meanwhile you are blocking a Hall of Famer who might make a play or two. That’s just the nature of this game. So, I don’t want to see that this year. A lot of that is making sure they can’t say that, but also if they feel like saying it take away the way they can say it.”

Q: What have you liked in this first week from the rookies?

Parker: “Just everybody keeps kind of grinding through it. Like I said, there has been some mistake. We’ve all kind of had that tired moment. We had five days straight. Yesterday was the off day, but today we are right back it and we came out to work today. A lot of guys looked like they took care of their body and did what they had to do. They came in focused, and we picked it right back up and we are going to keep getting better.”

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