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Time out with ... Jake Grove, Oakland Raiders third-year center
By Vince D'Adamo, SPORTS REPORTER
Thursday, August 10, 2006 1:17 AM PDT
Editor's Note: This is a special edition of "Time Out" with Oakland Raiders players who came from small-towns to become NFL players. These editions will run throughout August while the Raiders are in Napa for training camp. This week, center Jake Grove is featured. Grove, who has been in the NFL since 2004 -- all as a Raider -- is from Forest, Virginia (population 8,006) and attended Jefferson Forest High (1,252 enrollment).
D'Adamo: What stood out about growing up in Forest, Virginia?
Grove: It's a great small town. There's great people there. It's a good place to raise a family. I just bought a home there myself. It's small-town America.
D'Adamo: What position did you play on your high school team?
Grove: I played center, guard and defensive tackle.
D'Adamo: Which other sports did you play besides football?
Grove: Nothing really. I wasn't very athletic (laughing). I couldn't play basketball or baseball. I lifted weights a lot and just played football.
D'Adamo: In one respect that's unusual, in that many small-town athletes play multiple sports.
What did you like about playing primarily one sport?
Grove: It gave me a chance to really focus on that. In the offseason, I spent my time in the weight room. If I hadn't done that I don't think I'd be here today. I was able to get bigger and stronger. It gave me a leg up on everybody else.
D'Adamo: What was it like on gameday on a Friday night in Forest, Virginia?
Grove: It was great. The whole town turned out. We had the support of the community. I really miss those days. In college (at Virginia Tech), I used to get back there and see my high school team play about once a year. I haven't seen them play in a few years. I'll look forward to that in about 10 years when I get done playing.
D'Adamo: Do you think it's tougher for small-town athletes to get recognized whether it's from media or scouts?
Grove: I think if you're talented enough, I think they'll find you. We had lots of college scouts in and out of our high school from all over the country. If you're good enough, scouts will find you. I don't really buy that theory too much.
D'Adamo: Do you think there's a prejudice against small-town kids in that outsiders might scoff at the competition they face?
Grove: It depends on the competition. Where I played we had good competition. We've had a lot of guys from my high school at least get on a (college) team.
D'Adamo: What was it like after you left Forest, Virginia and got to Virginia Tech, seeing the world beyond the small-town bubble?
Forest: Blacksburg is a fairly small town, too. It was the biggest shock coming from Blacksburg to Oakland, California. That was culture shock right there, but I enjoy getting out and seeing the country.
D'Adamo: What was it like when you got to college? Do you find that you had to work even harder for your success?
Grove: That was tough. I think the jump from high school to college was a lot tougher than from college to the pros. Everybody in college is good. It took me a couple of years to really get adjusted to that, but then I started to do really well.
D'Adamo: What advice would you give to small-town kids from St. Helena and Calistoga regardless of whether they go on to play sports?
Grove: You've got to commit yourself to whatever it is that you're doing. It doesn't get any better than playing in a small town where the community supports you. You've got people that you know and people that care about you. That's the stuff you remember.
D'Adamo: Whether it's sports or community-related activities, how much of a sense of oneness and togetherness did you feel?
Grove: It's great. The community really unites behind certain things. Sports is kind of a focal point. You don't necessarily have that in bigger cities. That's something I miss.
D'Adamo: What would you do if you were not playing football?
Grove: I might be in real estate. I might have gotten into coaching.
D'Adamo: So is coaching a possibility for you down the road?
Grove: I think so. We'll see what happens, but I think it's something I'd like to get involved in.
D'Adamo: Is there any level in particular?
Grove: I don't know yet. We'll see where the pieces fall.
D'Adamo: As you have been through the various levels of football, how much have you found the playbook verbiage to be different?
Grove: I think the higher you go, the more mental it becomes, which may sound strange to some people. It really doesn't matter how strong you are. If you know how to play the game mentally it really doesn't matter.
D'Adamo: What do you enjoy about coming here to the Napa Valley for training camp?
Grove: You can't beat the weather. I love that. It's cool in the morning. I love that fog during training camp. Unfortunately we don't really get out enough to see much of the country up here, but I come up here with my wife sometimes to some of the wineries. She likes doing that.
D'Adamo: Which ones have you had the chance to visit?
Grove: We hit up Beringer, Mondavi and Andretti. We go to that as a team.
By Vince D'Adamo, SPORTS REPORTER
Thursday, August 10, 2006 1:17 AM PDT
Editor's Note: This is a special edition of "Time Out" with Oakland Raiders players who came from small-towns to become NFL players. These editions will run throughout August while the Raiders are in Napa for training camp. This week, center Jake Grove is featured. Grove, who has been in the NFL since 2004 -- all as a Raider -- is from Forest, Virginia (population 8,006) and attended Jefferson Forest High (1,252 enrollment).
D'Adamo: What stood out about growing up in Forest, Virginia?
Grove: It's a great small town. There's great people there. It's a good place to raise a family. I just bought a home there myself. It's small-town America.
D'Adamo: What position did you play on your high school team?
Grove: I played center, guard and defensive tackle.
D'Adamo: Which other sports did you play besides football?
Grove: Nothing really. I wasn't very athletic (laughing). I couldn't play basketball or baseball. I lifted weights a lot and just played football.
D'Adamo: In one respect that's unusual, in that many small-town athletes play multiple sports.
What did you like about playing primarily one sport?
Grove: It gave me a chance to really focus on that. In the offseason, I spent my time in the weight room. If I hadn't done that I don't think I'd be here today. I was able to get bigger and stronger. It gave me a leg up on everybody else.
D'Adamo: What was it like on gameday on a Friday night in Forest, Virginia?
Grove: It was great. The whole town turned out. We had the support of the community. I really miss those days. In college (at Virginia Tech), I used to get back there and see my high school team play about once a year. I haven't seen them play in a few years. I'll look forward to that in about 10 years when I get done playing.
D'Adamo: Do you think it's tougher for small-town athletes to get recognized whether it's from media or scouts?
Grove: I think if you're talented enough, I think they'll find you. We had lots of college scouts in and out of our high school from all over the country. If you're good enough, scouts will find you. I don't really buy that theory too much.
D'Adamo: Do you think there's a prejudice against small-town kids in that outsiders might scoff at the competition they face?
Grove: It depends on the competition. Where I played we had good competition. We've had a lot of guys from my high school at least get on a (college) team.
D'Adamo: What was it like after you left Forest, Virginia and got to Virginia Tech, seeing the world beyond the small-town bubble?
Forest: Blacksburg is a fairly small town, too. It was the biggest shock coming from Blacksburg to Oakland, California. That was culture shock right there, but I enjoy getting out and seeing the country.
D'Adamo: What was it like when you got to college? Do you find that you had to work even harder for your success?
Grove: That was tough. I think the jump from high school to college was a lot tougher than from college to the pros. Everybody in college is good. It took me a couple of years to really get adjusted to that, but then I started to do really well.
D'Adamo: What advice would you give to small-town kids from St. Helena and Calistoga regardless of whether they go on to play sports?
Grove: You've got to commit yourself to whatever it is that you're doing. It doesn't get any better than playing in a small town where the community supports you. You've got people that you know and people that care about you. That's the stuff you remember.
D'Adamo: Whether it's sports or community-related activities, how much of a sense of oneness and togetherness did you feel?
Grove: It's great. The community really unites behind certain things. Sports is kind of a focal point. You don't necessarily have that in bigger cities. That's something I miss.
D'Adamo: What would you do if you were not playing football?
Grove: I might be in real estate. I might have gotten into coaching.
D'Adamo: So is coaching a possibility for you down the road?
Grove: I think so. We'll see what happens, but I think it's something I'd like to get involved in.
D'Adamo: Is there any level in particular?
Grove: I don't know yet. We'll see where the pieces fall.
D'Adamo: As you have been through the various levels of football, how much have you found the playbook verbiage to be different?
Grove: I think the higher you go, the more mental it becomes, which may sound strange to some people. It really doesn't matter how strong you are. If you know how to play the game mentally it really doesn't matter.
D'Adamo: What do you enjoy about coming here to the Napa Valley for training camp?
Grove: You can't beat the weather. I love that. It's cool in the morning. I love that fog during training camp. Unfortunately we don't really get out enough to see much of the country up here, but I come up here with my wife sometimes to some of the wineries. She likes doing that.
D'Adamo: Which ones have you had the chance to visit?
Grove: We hit up Beringer, Mondavi and Andretti. We go to that as a team.
