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TE Jake Ballard (Super Bowl Champion)

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Tight end makes like Super Tyree
Giants Blog
Last Updated: November 7, 2011

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SIMILAR FEELING: Jake Ballard not only made the game-winning touchdown catch during the Giants? 24-20 victory over the Patriots, he also made a key grab (above) to keep the drive alive -- much like David Tyree famously did during the Giants? 2008 Super Bowl victory over the same Patriots.
Paul J. Bereswill,

FOXBOROUGH -- What?s in a number?

Maybe mystique was in play yesterday when a Giants offensive player wearing No. 85 made the most important catch of a huge game against the Patriots.

The last time the Giants and Patriots played, it was a wide receiver named David Tyree wearing No. 85 who made one of the most historic catches in Super Bowl history to enable the Giants to shock the then-undefeated Patriots three years ago in Arizona.

Last night, in the waning moments of a frenetic fourth quarter against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, where the lead would change four times in the final 7:08, it was a tight end named Jake Ballard wearing No. 85 snaring a crucial third-down reception and catching the game-winning touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining to lift the Giants over the Patriots, 24-20.

The way Ballard, who caught four passes for 67 yards, has been playing for the Giants of late, he probably should be wearing No. 89, the number made famous by the grace and power Mark Bavaro once brought to the position.

A year ago, when he was signed to the Giants practice squad, Ballard was assigned No. 81 and then was switched to No. 48. At the beginning of training camp this summer, No. 85 became available and Ballard snatched it.

?I pretty much asked to get out of 48 as fast as I could,?? he said. ?I wore No. 86 in college [at Ohio State], and I said, ?Yeah I?ll definitely take 85.? It?s starting to grow on me now.??

It?s growing on Ballard the way he?s been growing on his teammates, many of whom were ticked off when management did not re-sign incumbent tight end Kevin Boss, who ended up inking a free-agent contract with the Raiders.

Ballard has gone from practice-squad project to producing 23 catches for 395 yards and three touchdowns halfway through the season, -- putting him on pace for 46 catches, 790 yards and six TDs. Boss had 35 catches and six TDs last season.

Brandon Jacobs, impressed with his 23-year-old teammate, approached Ballard about a month ago and told him, ?Man, I wasn?t sure about you. I really didn?t believe, but you?re doing a great job and you?re making me believe.??

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Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/havin_ballard_sB5f4RVnX0wGPx7bldllGO#ixzz1d1VTJbTM


Ballard makes statement for Giants
Originally published: November 6, 2011
By KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN [email protected]

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Truth be told, Jake Ballard had a few doubters on his own team.

Some guys just weren't convinced the young tight end had what it took to be a Giant. They wondered if Ballard, who was signed as a free agent out of Ohio State and shuttled between the practice squad and active roster last season, could ever be called upon in a big spot.

Said running back Brandon Jacobs, "I was a man and told him, 'I didn't believe in you.' "

Some will argue that Sunday's stunner at Gillette Stadium was a statement game for the Giants, but in many ways, their 24-20 win over the New England Patriots said more about Ballard.

With the Giants trailing 20-17 and 1:07 left, the tight end willed his team to victory. On their final drive, he snagged a 28-yard pass on third-and-10 before sealing the win with a 1-yard TD catch with 15 seconds to go.

"As soon as I turned around, 'E' was ready to throw," the 6-6, 275-pound Ballard said of Eli Manning's perfect throw. "I was lucky to be in the right spot."

Although Ballard caught the winner, it was his 28-yard grab between two defenders that resurrected memories of Super Bowl XLII. Sure, it wasn't "The Catch." But he does share the same number with David Tyree (85).

"I knew we were going to win [after that catch]," Jacobs said. "It kind of brought me back to the Super Bowl. When we make the catch in the middle of the field, an outstanding catch, going on to score to win -- we got it."

"It was almost surreal," said Ballard, who had four catches for 67 yards. "I knew I had a touchdown, but I guess I didn't realize it until I was celebrating with my teammates on the sidelines. It was crazy. Everybody was hooting and hollering and celebrating [in the locker room]. And coach Coughlin had a smile on his face. It was priceless."

The tight end steadily has come into his own this season, recording 203 yards on 13 catches during the Giants' three straight wins. In recent weeks, opponents have been forced to take notice -- and now Ballard's sure to command a lot more.

"To see him score that touchdown and get the first down we needed so badly, it was awesome," said his good friend, Giants receiver Victor Cruz.

Ballard got his bell rung by linebacker Brandon Spikes after catching an 8-yard pass down the middle midway through the first quarter, but he held on to the ball. "I didn't see it coming," Ballard said, smiling. "He hit me pretty good."

Said fellow receiver Ramses Barden: "Jake worked so hard and he battled throughout. He took some big shots and held on to the ball. It was only fitting that he was able to come up with the game-winning touchdown."
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http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/ballard-makes-statement-for-giants-1.3301357

Giants reaping benefits as TE Jake Ballard catches on to offense
Published: Sunday, November 06, 2011
By Mike Vorkunov/The Star-Ledger

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ? The response from Patrick Chung said it all. He stood in the middle of the field at a stunned Gillette Stadium, earnestly baffled. How could a seemingly plodding, formerly inconspicuous tight end had made the most memorable catch in a game as prominent as any this season?

Jake Ballard went up the seam of the field, one Patriots defender running alongside him and Chung making a play for the ball that headed toward him. The pass was so perfectly threaded between the safety Chung and linebacker Tracy White that the Giants tight end mused if it were even a touch off he might not have caught it.

That was an exercise in the hypothetical.

In actuality, he grabbed the pass from Eli Manning one-handed, scraping the back of his left hand on the ball to nudge it so it stayed in his grasp until he fully had control of it on his way down.

The result was a 28-yard catch on third-and-10 that kept the Giants? game-winning drive alive in the closing minutes of a 24-20 victory.

?I knew he had some bounce,? Victor Cruz said of his teammate?s leaping ability. ?I heard about his basketball skills. But when he made that catch I almost wanted to run up and kiss him, but we were in the two-minute drill so I couldn?t do that.?

The Giants? reactions to the catch varied, but all were somewhere near gleeful shock. But the play itself was a credit to Ballard, the little-known fill-in who has become a trusted cog in the offensive machine operated by Manning.

?He?s come up big,? Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said.

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http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2011/11/giants_reaping_benefits_as_te.html
 
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NY Giants' Jake Ballard is surprising everyone but himself and H.S. coach
Ballard always had the confidence to make it in the NFL
BY Ebeneezer Samuel
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, November 7 2011

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Giants' 6-6 tight end Jake Ballard comes up big for one of four receptions ?including game-winner ? against Patriots Sunday.
Michael Dwyer/AP

Giants 6-6 tight end Jake Ballard comes up big for one of four receptions ?including game-winner ? against Patriots Sunday.

They called it the ?Third and Jake? package.

The coaches at Springboro High in Ohio desperately wanted to get young Jake Ballard more involved , so they developed a series of plays for a receiver who looked like a blocking tight end. And whenever they could ? they threw the ball to Ballard.

?We tried to get him the ball as much as we could,? said Rodney Roberts, who coached Ballard at Springboro from 2003-2006. ?We had to have ways to get him the ball, because he could always catch the ball.?

Nine weeks into this NFL season, Jake Ballard has put an end to the Giants? tight end uncertainty, making everyone forget about Kevin Boss . Receiver David Tyree also comes to mind. None of it has shocked Ballard .

?I am not surprising myself,? he said Monday. ?I know that a lot of people who doubted me are surprised at where I am right now. But I am not surprised.?

At Springboro, The coach routinely lined up Ballard routinely lined up as a wide receiver, something Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride did a handful of times against the Patriots on Sunday.

?I?m being honest when I say this: There were so many good catches he made here,? Roberts said. ?One-handed catches, going up and grabbing the ball in traffic. He had tremendous hands.?

That aside, Ballard went both ways at Springboro, played so well as a 6-6, 270-pound defensive tackle that he was named Ohio?s Division II HS defensive player of the year as a sophomore and junior. Roberts said Ballard got scholarship offers to play on both sides of the ball .

?I don?t think he liked that label,? said current Springboro coach Ryan Wilhite, who still speaks with Ballard .

In four years at Ohio State, Ballard was a blocking tight end and he wasn?t even chosen in last year?s draft.

Wilhite called after that, consoling Ballard and mentioning that if he wanted to give coaching a try, the door at Springboro would always be open. But Ballard cut his friend off.

?I really think I?m going to play in the NFL,? Ballard told him. ?I really think I?m going to do it.?

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Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...sing-h-s-coach-article-1.974098#ixzz1d7NBtbMB

Giants' Jake Ballard grabbing attention
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
BY JEFF ROBERTS
STAFF WRITER

The hit was so violent, so vicious, that it stopped Jake Ballard cold.
Giants tight end Jake Ballard (85) makes the reception in front of Patriots linebacker Tracy White (58) during the Giants late fourth quarter drive on Sunday.

Brandon Spikes saw the play unfold right in front of him, watching the Giants? tight end about to catch an Eli Manning pass over the middle.

Ballard never saw him coming.

The Patriots? linebacker closed the 5-yard gap between them, lowered his shoulder as Ballard turned upfield and unloaded, dropping him to the turf.

But Ballard held onto the football. And three quarters later, when the Giants needed him to make an even bigger catch, he leaped between two Patriots defenders leaving himself vulnerable.

And did so without fear.

?I don?t even think about that,? he said. ?That doesn?t even come into my mind when I am running around. As long as I catch it, I?m not worried about what happens afterwards.?

Ballard has made arguably the two most important receptions of the Giants? season thus far, both on the game-winning drive Sunday that resulted in a 24-20 victory over the Patriots.

Ballard made a leaping, one-handed, third-down catch between two defenders that moved the Giants 28 yards to the New England 33-yard line. That play by No. 85 had more than one person thinking Ballard was channeling David Tyree.

?I knew it was a terrific catch. I didn?t realize it was an over-the-shoulder, one-handed grab [until I saw the replay],? general manager Jerry Reese said on ESPN Radio. ?But he has been doing that for a long time for us.?

Then, four plays and a pass interference penalty later, Ballard (four catches, 67 yards) found space in the corner of the end zone to grab the game-winning, 1-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining.

The second-year, 6-foot-6, 275-pounder thinks it was his first game-winning catch.

?I?m not surprising myself,? he said. ?I know that a lot of people who doubted me are surprised at where I am right now, but I?m not surprised.?

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http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Giants_Jake_Ballard_grabbing_attention.html?page=all
 
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Giants' Jake Ballard reacts to questionable play involving 49ers' Patrick Willis
Published: Tuesday, November 15, 2011
By Jorge Castillo/The Star-Ledger

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Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger
Giants tight end Jake Ballard has filled a hole in the offense, making 26 catches for 430 yards and three touchdowns.

With 37 seconds remaining in Sunday?s loss against the San Francisco 49ers, the Giants faced a fourth-and-2, 10 yards away from completing an 80-yard drive to tie the game.

Eli Manning took the snap out of the shotgun and immediately looked in the direction of his tight end, Jake Ballard, who had receptions of 17 and 15 yards on the previous series.

Only Ballard still hadn?t turned around.

?Patrick Willis put his head down and wrapped me up,? said Ballard, who was unloading turkeys at the Community Foodbank of New Jersey in Hillside along with three teammates Tuesday afternoon. ?It?s kind of like he tackled me.

?I was just kind of in shock. Even my coaches came up to me like, ?I?ve never seen anything that blatant and bad in my life.? And these are coaches who?ve been coaching for 30 years. I mean it happens. It?s football and not all the calls get called. It?s unfortunate.?

One of those coaches was Tom Coughlin, who said Monday he believes a penalty should?ve been called on Willis.

An NFL spokesman said the league would have no comment because it?s a judgment call.

The spokesman referred to the rule on holding and contact within the legal 5-yard zone from the line of scrimmage, though the rule states a defender may not ?use his hands or arms to hang onto or encircle a receiver.?

With Ballard?s pattern disrupted, Manning was forced to target Victor Cruz in a small window of space.

The ball didn?t get that far; 49ers lineman Justin Smith batted it down at the line of scrimmage.

And just like that, it was over, the Giants? streak snapped at three.
winning
?They didn?t call it,? Ballard said of the referees. ?It was a close game. I?m not going to say that it lost us the game or anything because we had a lot of chances.?

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http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2011/11/giants_jake_ballard_reacts_to.html
 
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Throw to the damn TE !

If I'm looking at the stats correctly, in just barely past the halfway point in one NFL season, Ballard already has surpassed his yardage total in 4 years (!) with the Buckeyes! 430 yds. vs 377.

Bollman! Throw to the damn tight end!
 
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Serby?s Sunday Q&A with ... Jake Ballard
Giants Blog
By STEVE SERBY
November 20, 2011

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For this week?s Q&A, Post columnist Steve Serby targeted the Giants tight end, one of Eli Manning?s new favorite targets.

You were inactive on the sidelines for last year?s infamous, 38-31 loss to the Eagles. ... What do you remember as Matt Dodge punted to DeSean Jackson?

Dodge, great guy, but I know sometimes things get to him ... so I didn?t have the best feeling going into that punt. So I?m thinking, ?All right, I?m giving him the benefit of the doubt. All he has to do is kick it out of bounds, it doesn?t matter. So I saw him squaring underneath, it told me, ?OK, it?s inbounds, that?s not good.? Then I saw him fumble and I?m like, ?All right, we got it.? Then when he just took that one cut and went upfield it was just like ... it was disbelief. This is crazy that this just happened. And then when he turned to run the length of the goal line, I was in shock, just like everybody else. I couldn?t even imagine what the players who were playing were feeling like, ?cause I felt awful.
AP

Do you think this team tonight will remember what happened?

I think everybody who played in that game will remember it. It?s gonna be in the back of their minds, but I don?t think it?s gonna be their main focus.

But at least you?ll have an opportunity this time to make a difference.

Yeah, absolutely. I?m putting in extra film work, extra weight room, taking practice seriously and make sure I do everything can to make sure that cannot happen again.

What did that game-winning touchdown catch in New England do for you confidence or mean to you?

It makes me know that I can help out the team, and when the pressure?s on I will perform.

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Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/jake_qOFMPJb10YEEhpQWRthL5M#ixzz1eFiB8stf
 
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Beset by drops and injuries, Giants tight end Jake Ballard takes step back in loss to Eagles
Published: Monday, November 21, 2011
By Jorge Castillo/The Star-Ledger

Jake Ballard refuses to settle for the simplified ?blocking? tight end label. He thinks of himself as more than just a blocker ? to him it was just a matter of getting the opportunity to showcase his skill set. He didn?t get many chances while at Ohio State and went undrafted in 2010. But with Kevin Boss?s departure this offseason and Travis Beckum?s inability to stay healthy, Ballard has proven to be a legitimate threat in the passing game, collecting 26 receptions for 430 yards and three touchdowns in the first nine games.

But tonight, he had his worst game as a pro, dropping three of the seven passes Eli Manning targeted him on, and suffering elbow and knee injuries in the process. His individual struggles were part of a long, forgettable night for the entire Giants offense, as the unit could only muster 273 total yards in a physical, 17-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

?I don?t feel good,? Ballard said of his performance. ?The first one was almost so easy, it was hard. It just seemed like it took forever to get there and I turned my head before the ball got there so that was just a major drop.?

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http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2011/11/beset_by_drops_and_injuries_gi.html
 
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