Joe Berger

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For other uses, see Joe Berger (disambiguation).

Joe Berger
Newaygo (MI)
College:Michigan Tech
NFL draft:2005 / Round: 6 / Pick: 207
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:145
Games started:84
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Joseph David Berger (

2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan Tech
.

Early years

Berger attended

offensive lineman, and linebacker. He finished with 238 tackles and one interception
.

As a senior, he was the team captain, an All-Western Waterways Activities Conference selection, and an Academic All-State honorable-mention.

College career

Berger was a

left tackle as a redshirt
freshman.

As a junior in 2003, the football program was terminated due to budgets cuts made by the school, but through alumni funding, it was brought back in 10 days. He was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury in a game against Grand Valley State University. As a senior, he contributed to the team win the GLIAC championship.[1]

He finished his college career with 28 games started at

All-Star
game.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split
20-yard shuttle
 Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5 in
(1.96 m) 		303 lb
(137 kg) 		5.20 s 1.86 s 3.04 s 4.62 s 7.77 s 27 in
(0.69 m)		 8 ft 0 in
(2.44 m)		 30 reps
All values from
NFL Combine[2]

Carolina Panthers

Berger was selected by the

1977 NFL Draft
.

He was waived on September 3 and was signed to the practice squad one day later. He would never play in a regular-season game with the franchise.

Miami Dolphins (first stint)

Berger with the Dolphins

On September 7, 2005, he was picked up by the Miami Dolphins from the Panthers practice squad before the start of the season. He was declared inactive in two games and played in each of the final three games as a backup.

In 2006, a sprained right foot suffered in training camp kept him inactive during 11 games. He was waived on November 23.

Dallas Cowboys

On November 24, 2006, Berger was claimed off

waivers by the Dallas Cowboys, but was inactive for the rest of the season (five games). In 2007, he was active for three games, but only played in the 4th quarter of the season finale in place of Leonard Davis
at right guard.

In 2008, he played on

offensive line
and Berger had a difficult time competing for playing time.

Miami Dolphins (second stint)

On February 27, 2009, Berger signed as an

unrestricted free agent with the Miami Dolphins, reuniting with former Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, who was the team's Executive Vice President of Football Operations.[4]

Although he was signed as a backup player, due to his ability to play multiple offensive line positions, he beat out Jake Grove for the starting center position,[5] playing in 31 out of 32 games over the next two seasons, starting 20 of them.[6] He was released on September 5, 2011, before the start of the regular season, after the team signed Ryan Cook.

Minnesota Vikings

On September 12, 2011, Berger signed with the Minnesota Vikings the day after the regular-season opener.[7] On March 12, 2013, Berger re-signed with the Vikings on a one-year deal.[8]

2011 season

Berger spent training camp and preseason with the

left guard during the season. He saw extended action at Chicago in week six, replacing injured starter John Sullivan
at center in the 2nd half.

He then started a 4-game span at right guard in place of starter Anthony Herrera, with the first of the four games coming at Carolina on October 30. He started his first game of the season at center against the Green Bay Packers in week seven, the first start of rookie quarterback Christian Ponder’s career. He started in the final two games of season at left guard in place of starter Steve Hutchinson.

2012 season

In 2012, Berger played in all 16 games. He was primarily used on special teams, where he was a regular on a

kickoff return unit that ranked among the NFL leaders in return average and was tied for 3rd in the NFL with six returns of 40 yards or more on the season. He saw his first career playoff action in the NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers
on January 5, 2013.

2013 season

Berger with the Vikings

In 2013, Berger appeared in all 16 games, starting two, contributing on special teams and providing depth along the offensive line. He started at

right guard in place of injured starters Charlie Johnson and Brandon Fusco against Washington and Philadelphia. He played a vital role on a kickoff return unit that helped rookie wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson
set team records for return yards (1,393), return average (32.4) and return touchdowns (2).

2014 season

On March 12, 2014, the Vikings re-signed Berger to a one-year contract.

right guard after starter Brandon Fusco was placed on IR, with the team going 5-4 in his starts and with Berger playing a key role in protecting Teddy Bridgewater
on his way to the most productive season by a rookie quarterback in team history.

On October 19, 2014, Berger came into a game against the Buffalo Bills after starting center John Sullivan suffered a concussion; he blocked for rookie running back Jerick McKinnon’s 103-rushing yard effort against one of the NFL’s best run defenses and allowed no sacks and recorded a tackle. Berger finished the season having played in 61 consecutive games.

2015 season

In August 2015, starting center John Sullivan suffered a season-ending back injury and was placed on injured reserve.[10] Berger was named as the Vikings starting center and started every game for the 2015 season, helping Adrian Peterson run for a league-leading 1,485 yards and 11 touchdowns. For his performance, Berger was named the league’s best run blocker by Pro Football Focus (PFF).[11]

After 11 years in the league, this was Berger's first NFL season starting all 16 games. On January 6, 2016, Berger was rated +26.8 by Pro Football Focus (PFF), the highest among all centers in the NFL for the season.[12] Over the final half of the regular season, Berger earned an above-average grade of +1.0 or higher in every game, including a peak of +5.3 against a stout Oakland Raiders defensive line in week 10. He was also the most consistent center as he had the lowest percentage of negatively-graded run blocks at the position.

2016 season

During training camp, Berger won the battle against veteran John Sullivan to be the Vikings’ starting center. On September 9, the team announced that Berger signed a one-year contract extension.[13] He started 14 games. He missed two contests with a concussion he suffered in the eleventh game against the Detroit Lions.[14]

2017 season

After the Vikings drafted center Pat Elflein in the third round, Berger was moved to right guard, where he started all 16 games. He led the offense with 1,116 snaps played, which were at right guard and one game at center, in place for an injured Pat Elflein against the Chicago Bears.[15]

Retirement

On March 23, 2018, Berger announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons.[16]

Personal life

Berger graduated

magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Tech in 2005. He married his wife, Abigail, in 2004.[1]
They have four children.

References

  1. ^ a b "Field Engineer". Michigan Tech Magazine. December 10, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  2. ^ "Joe Berger profile". Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  3. ^ "2005 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Halprin, Dave (February 27, 2009). "Cowboys made offer to Kevin Burnett, Joe Berger signs with Miami". SB Nation. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  5. Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original
    on September 11, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  6. ^ Joe Berger/Miami Dolphins, archived from the original on September 5, 2011, retrieved October 19, 2018
  7. ^ "Vikings waive backup center Cooper, sign veteran Berger". NFL.com. September 13, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Free Agency: Vikings Re-Sign Backup Lineman Joe Berger To 1-Year Deal". March 12, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  9. ^ Wilkening, Mike (March 12, 2014). "Vikings bring back Joe Berger". NBCSports.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  10. ^ Gates, Christopher (September 10, 2015). "John Sullivan Injury: Yeah, This Is Bad". dailynorseman.com. Daily Norseman. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  11. ^ Claassen, Matt (January 14, 2016). "PFF's Best Run Blocker Award". profootballfocus.com. Pro Football Focus.
  12. ^ Peters, Craig (January 6, 2016). "PFF's Highest Graded Center? Joe Berger". vikings.com. Minnesota Vikings.
  13. ^ "Vikings Sign Joe Berger To One-Year Extension". September 10, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  14. ^ "Joe Berger (concussion) doesn't practice for Vikings". December 8, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  15. ^ "With Joe Berger and Jeremiah Sirles out, what's next for Vikings' O-line?". March 23, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  16. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 23, 2018). "Joe Berger announces retirement after 13 seasons". NFL.com.

External links

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