word is from the herald that we are about to sign the former raider's center to a pretty sizable contract. I remember he was the top center coming out a few years ago and hoped we drafted him then. however, OAK's OL has been nothing special, so I don't know how good a pro he's been.
we are now truly in position to take BPA in the draft

He is good enough that Satele either moves to guard or the bench.

he's only 300 lbs (listed) which is smaller than satele. I though the issue was satele wasn't big enough

Very Solid move, hopefully reasonable CAP space hit.

Perhaps even another center in the draft to accomplish depth on the OL (with Satele as back-up guard or trade bait).

Of course I'm happy to see a VT-Hokie on the Phins!

The issue with Satele was not just size but strength and short arms.

Here is a scouting report on Groves from 04....

Grove is arguably the best center in this year's draft. He set a school record for the power clean lift when he lifted 360 pounds. He also has a team high in bench press at 490 pounds. At times he has been compared to Chicago Bears center Olin Kreutz. He has a mean streak that is evident in the running game. Grove also shows a knack for leading, which is extremely important at the center position. For such a big man, Grove has enough athletic ability to play guard as well. He is also an extremely smart person who can learn new schemes quickly. Grove has a good combination of strength and explosiveness. He does need to work on perfecting his pass blocking skills, but he should be the first center chosen.

Combine....weighed in at 6035, 300 pounds... 4.32 short shuttle... 35" vertical... 9'9" broad jump... opted not to run or bench press... previously, had run between 5.12 and 5.18 in the 40... 31 reps of 225 pounds

He has battled injuries though. He had microfracture knee surgery.

He is 29 years old as has played 16 games ONCE in 2006 where the team ranked 29th in the league with 1500 yards rushing. He is projected for a zone blocking scheme as he ran with the Cable guy.

I'm not too excited.

.....................................................................................
“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

eesti Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> He is projected for a zone
> blocking scheme

Sounds like Satele #2. Makes no sense, unless we're just getting him for depth and he's coming really cheap. This might be the Wilford of next season.

Well, they're paying him pretty well, so they'll expect him to start. And this means we won't be drafting Mack or Unger in the first round. First round is leaning toward linebacker now. (Or shock of all shockers, maybe WR).

Jake Grove was the 4th best FA Center on the market. All the Centers above him were unavailable. The injuries do concern me, and he'll also be expected to put on weight.

We have two Chads and now we have two Jakes.

Where's the news story about this? You guys seem to have a lot of info on it.

DolphinSam Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We have two Chads and now we have two Jakes.

and possibly the Allen "twins" at CB.

Oakland's o-line isn't that good??? Look at their RB's ypc over the last 3 years. Most are near 5 yards per carry!!!! Their o-line has been the ONLY good thing about Oakland

Fins just signed him to a 5 year deal.........

Its about competition. There needs to be a competitive battle for every position during TC.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

That makes more than a couple players competing at the C position.

They are sending a clear message to Satele....get better, mover over or get going.

I presume Berger and Groves will compete with the rookie they draft this year. There are about 6 Centers in this years draft that have the potential to start.

.....................................................................................
“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

We signed Groves to be our starting CENTER. Make no mistake about that.

MikeO Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We signed Groves to be our starting CENTER. Make
> no mistake about that.


Uh huh...riiight. I'm sorry, but BP would never sign anyone to be their starting ANYTHING. He wants competition. Nothing is guaranteed.

This is from PFT.com

"Though the Dolphins have been quiet for much of free agency (after re-signing three of their own), they’ve made a big splash on the offensive line.

According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Raiders center Jake Grove has agreed to a five-year, $29 million contract. The deal includes $14.5 million guaranteed.

Grove was a second-round pick of the Raiders in 2004. Has 46 career starts in five NFL seasons."

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

14.5 mill of his contract is garaunteed. That is a pretty big number. Maybe they actually do think he will be the starter. We'll see.....

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

He has missed 24 games in 5 years, so I hope something squashes his injury bug thats been bitting him throughout his career.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

of course he is going to start. $14.5 mill guarnteed!! That isn't to sit on the bench. They gave him the starting C job with this signing

It wont be uncapped. I am willing to go out on a limb and say something will happen to keep that from happening.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

A while ago, we (collectively) discussed whether the Phins would spend big money on a center after giving Carey his new contract.

Now that we can be certain that they would have, since they did, I question the difference in what was paid vs. projected value between Jason Brown and Grove. Brown got 5 years, $37.5 mill, $20 mill guaranteed. Grove - 5 years, $30 mill, $14.5 mill. However, Brown is 3+ years younger and 20-25 pounds heavier. I can't seem to easily find his games played stats, but I don't think he's had the durability issues that Grove has. Why would it not have made more sense to open up the purse just a bit more and get the center that seemingly 'fits the mold' so much better?

Based upon the money that was spent on the OL in Dallas, I figured that philosophically the Phins would be willing to put a lot of their cap to the OL. I guess I'm just surprised that they ended up spending so much on a guy that may be about the same as Satele, who is a ton cheaper. It seems a bit like overspending on a consolation prize. Am I missing something? Is he a marked improvement over Satele in spite of of their similarity in measurements?

This makes no sense to me. Brown would have been more value at those prices. This has Ernest Wilford written all over it except Grove will be on IR instead of the bench.

.....................................................................................
“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

Ive read that grove is exceptionally strong and is considered a very agile Center... two things that Satele doesn't possess. I agree that in retrospect coughing up the dough for Brown may have been a better move, but i am in no way upset with this move.

"I don't really care what happened in the past, I'm not afraid of challenges. I look forward to them." - T. Sparano