The other day I asked whether or not Berger could in fact replace Grove as the starter at center in 2010. This idea wasn't met with a great deal of acceptance. As such, I thought the best way to analyze this would be to actually watch the two players compete. Jake Grove missed the final 4 games of the 2009 season and was limited in 2 others as he did not start them. Joe Berger filled in for Grove down the stretch. I am not going to talk about my stance yet, I'd rather let the videos speak for them selves by allowing you to decide which side of the fence you fall on; if at all. The coaching staff has been giving Berger a good number of reps with the first team thus far during camp. I don't know if it is a reward; which some coaches do for players who are the stars of Voluntary Workouts and such. Or, if there is an open competition going on at the pivot. Enjoy. Jake Grove [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lc9WFs7ric"]YouTube- Universal Draft Presents - Jake Grove - Center - Miami Dolphins‎[/ame] Joe Berger [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qe_I_S7EU4"]YouTube- Universal Draft Presents - Joe Berger - Center - Miami Dolphins‎[/ame]
....and if Berger beats him out,he deserves to start. The main thing is "staying" healthy also and Berger has the upper hand in that category to.I've felt that Joe will(and has) been given the opportunity to unseat Jake.He's doing a fine job,we'll see how it pans out. Nice to have some depth there no matter who wins out.May the best man win.
i don't think we go wrong either way. both anchor well and get to the 2nd level really well. joe handled wilfork really good and jake handled jenkins and puha really good. i went in the the videos thinking grove was way better but joe surprised me.
Berger came into the NFL as a Guard, it would not surprise if Berger won a Starting job and Richie Incognito moved to backup C/G.
I like Joe but I just dont see any part of Berger's game that truly outshines Grove's. IMO Grove is better in virtually all aspects including awareness, getting to the 2nd level, explosiveness out of his stance, agility, pulling, and pass pro. I see Grove doing things that Berger needs help from double teams at times to accomplish. Maybe they just want Berger seeing more reps b/c Jake's injury history is no secret.... making sure the backup is well prepared while at the same time limiting the snaps of a an injury prone player so he's healthy come season. ?????? I love seeing Jake downfield leading the way for Ricky at the 9:05 mark.
Jenkins skews the grading scale. Berger looked to be the better blocker in those videos, but Jenkins was a monster compared to Wilfork for some reason.