TE Jake Ballard (Super Bowl Champion)

[Buckskin86]

Jake Ballard says he is ready to go
Originally published: January 6, 2012
By TOM ROCK [email protected]

Photo credit: Jim McIsaac | Fully healthy or not, Jake Ballard said he would play Sunday. (Dec. 4, 2011)

Jake Ballard would not say he is 100 percent healthy. He wouldn't even say his injured knee is stable. But he did say none of that matters.

"Absolutely," he said when asked if he will play Sunday. "No doubt."

Ballard, who sprained his posterior cruciate ligament two weeks ago and has missed the last two games, practiced on a limited basis all week and officially is probable for the wild-card game against the Falcons.

"It got better every day, loosened up a little bit and I feel pretty good," he said. "I wouldn't say I'm 100 percent, but I'm good enough to be effective and help out in the offense."

He'll play with some extra tape and padding on his knee but not a brace; he fears that would slow him down too much. "I'm already not fast to begin with," he said.

Ballard also was part of a ceremony Friday night to light the Empire State Building; the iconic structure will glow blue in honor of the Giants' playoff run. He said he'd never been there. He's never been to the playoffs, either, so he can cross two things off his life list this weekend.

"There are players in this league who go their whole careers without playing in a playoff game, and I'm just glad I have an opportunity to play in one," he said. "We believe we can go far in this tournament, so I'm excited about that."

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/jake-ballard-says-he-is-ready-to-go-1.3434151

 

[Buckskin86]

Jake Ballard, who suffered a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in Week 15, had two catches for 16 yards.

"I felt all right," Ballard said. "Not 100 percent, but better than I did last week, so it was just kind of a confidence booster."

The NFL recently decided to pay for an independent trainer to be on site at all games to determine whether players with apparent head injuries can return to a game.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/sto...nts-aaron-ross-dj-ware-leave-game-concussions

 

[Buckskin86]

Dustin Fox interviews Jake Ballard

Giants TE Ballard still bothered by knee injury
Giants Blog
By MARK HALE
January 14, 2012

Giants tight end Jake Ballard revealed yesterday he does not see substantial improvement with his ailing right knee.

He is dealing with a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament suffered in Week 15. Ballard missed the final two games of the regular season, then came back against the Falcons. He will play tomorrow against the Packers in an NFC Divisional playoff game.

?It?s not like a sprained ankle. It?s not like two days you can be hurt and then the next day, it?s, ?Oh, this feels great,?? he said. ?It?s gonna take time and I don?t have a lot of time right now. ?

Ballard, who caught 38 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns this season, had only two catches for 16 yards against Atlanta.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/gian..._to_heal_xlUale1ac1ehW6vtsrqJPN#ixzz1jRVpRr9b

 

[Buckskin86]

Jake Ballard questionable
By Matthew Ehalt
Special to ESPNNewYork.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard had medication injected into his knee on Thursday and is questionable for Sunday's game against San Francisco, according to a source.

The tight end missed practice following the procedure but he expects to play against the 49ers on Sunday.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said that Ballard had swelling in his knee.

"I'm not concerned," Ballard said. "I saw a doctor for a little bit last night and performed a procedure and I will be ready to go. They pulled me out to rest me for today."

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/sto...ffs-new-york-giants-jake-ballard-questionable

 

[Mac]

Hope Jake can play, and have a big game tomorrow

 

[Buckskin86]

Jake radio interview 1-24 12- talks Giants win

 

[Buckskin86]

Former Ohio State tight end heads to Super Bowl with Giants
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch Thursday January 26, 2012

It?s interesting to see who a man runs into when he?s living his dream. Just ask the New York Giants? Jake Ballard.

As the former Ohio State tight end prepares to cap his first complete season in the NFL with a ?surreal? Super Bowl appearance against the New England Patriots Feb. 5 in Indianapolis, he was asked about his first memory of Super Sundays. Of course, he said, it entailed watching the game with his twin brother, Josh, at their family home in Springboro, Ohio.

?It was the Dallas Cowboys, they were playing the Steelers and I remember watching Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith and those guys,? Jake Ballard said.

Josh Ballard agreed.

?What?s pretty crazy to think about that is, Troy Aikman now being a television analyst talking about Jake,? Josh said. ?That?s pretty wild.?

It gets wilder.

?What?s crazy about that is earlier this season, I met Troy Aikman,? Jake Ballard said. ?Pam Oliver, their (Fox) sideline reporter, said, ?Come on, Troy wants to meet you.? Then he tells me that he?s a big fan of mine, that he thinks I?m doing a great job, and ?I enjoy watching you play.?

?I just thought that was really cool. I watched him growing up ? I mean, who didn?t watch the Dallas Cowboys back then? Then to meet him and have that conversation, it was a crazy experience for me.?

The over-the-top adjectives start piling up fast as Ballard, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2010, talks about the Super Bowl.

?It?s crazy, absolutely. It?s a very surreal experience,? Ballard said. ?I?m not even sure if I am 100 percent positive of what?s going on.

?I?m sure once we get to Indianapolis it will become more real for me. But I just can?t believe that in my first year of truly being on an NFL team I get to be part of a special experience like this, that I am going to have the opportunity to play in the biggest football game in the world.?

His twin brother finds the developments hard to comprehend.

?When we were kids, us and our friends, we all wanted to play in the NFL, and here is Jake actually living that dream firsthand,? Josh said. ?It?s huge to know someone who is getting to play in the Super Bowl, and then, he?s your own twin brother on top of that ? it?s pretty remarkable.?

Ballard rarely was thrown to in four seasons at Ohio State, catching just 34 passes his career. He did have a highlight-reel leaping catch against Oregon in the 2010 Rose Bowl that led to the clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Giants have used him more often. He has 41 catches this season, including the winning touchdown when the Giants defeated the Patriots 24-20 on Nov. 6.

cont...

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/01/26/dreams-do-come-true.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Tight end Jake Ballard practiced fully on Thursday and said his knee feels ?better than it has in a while.?

?I should be pretty close to 100 percent by the game,? said Ballard, who missed the final two regular season games after hurting his knee in Week 15.
Ballard has since returned, but he hasn?t been as effective. In the postseason, he has just three catches for 33 yards -- including none in the NFC Championship game.

Ballard said he felt, ?all right? in that game. ?Better than i did against Green Bay,? he added.

Ballard said he was able to cut and run at full speed in practice.

He?s glad to get a couple weeks to rest.

?The key thing is the last two games I haven?t taken a shot [to my knee],? Ballard said.

Ballard said he played 80 snaps last Sunday.

He had one of his best games of the season in New England on Nov. 6, catching four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.

The Giants would love a repeat performance in Super Bowl XLVI.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/giants/post/_/id/11639/sash-concussion-practices-fully

 

[Buckskin86]

Out of nowhere, Ballard emerged as top TE
By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 26, 2012

Green Bay -- Jake Ballard harbors no resentment, no regrets. The coaches at Ohio State asked him to block, so that's what he did. The Big Ten was loaded with elite defensive ends. It was Ballard's job to keep them under control.

The 6-foot-6, 275-pound New York tight end was rarely ever used in the passing game with just 34 catches in four seasons. But in the pros, he's been a hit as a receiver. In his second season, Ballard finished the regular season with 604 yards on 38 receptions with four touchdowns. He's helped take the Giants' passing attack to a different level.

Like Packers running back Brandon Saine, Ballard was lost amid a bevy of offensive weapons at Ohio State. With other weapons like Ted Ginn Jr, Beanie Wells, Anthony Gonzalez and, of course, Terrelle Pryor around, there weren't many chances to feature Ballard. While Saine did a pinch of everything ? catch, run and pick up blitzes ? Ballard was a block-first tight end. His receiving ability was buried.

Ballard spent last year on the Giants' practice squad, the team lost Kevin Boss in free agency and here he is.

?I don?t think anybody doubts their ability,? said Ballard, who played against Saine's team in high school. ?It?s just about opportunity and what you do with your opportunity.?

cont....

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/138169174.html

Ballard: I won't need PCL surgery
January, 27, 2012
By Mike Mazzeo

Giants tight end Jake Ballard says he will not need to undergo surgery on his partially torn PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) in his right knee.

?No. Not everyone needs it. It depends on how bad the tear is,? Ballard said Friday. ?I think [Brandon Jacobs? tear in 2009] was worse than mine [so he needed surgery]. I don?t need surgery.?

Ballard suffered the injury in Week 15 against the Redskins, and was forced to miss the final two games of the regular season as a result. He has played in all three of the Giants? playoff games, but hasn?t been his normal self, catching just three passes for 33 yards -- none in the NFC Championship game.

?The last couple weeks I?ve been injured. I mean, my knee wasn?t feeling great and I wasn?t running well,? Ballard said.

While Ballard isn?t 100 percent yet, he says he?s felt the best he has since the injury.

?A PCL doesn?t just heal. You have to build your strength back up,? he said. ?You can technically play without a PCL. [Tiki Barber did it. He just build his quads and gluts back up to where he never even thought about it. I?ve been building my leg muscles up and doing rehab, and it?s definitely helped.?

Ballard doesn?t care what kind of statistics he puts up in Super Bowl XLVI.

?I?ll do whatever it takes to get that ring,? he said.

cont...

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/giants/post/_/id/11719/ballard-i-wont-need-pcl-surgery

 

[Buckskin86]

Rest can wait for Ballard
Originally published: January 28, 2012
By TOM ROCK [email protected]

Photo credit: Getty Images | NY Giants' Jake Ballard visits The Empire State Building. (Jan. 6, 2012)

Jake Ballard said he won't need surgery to repair the partially torn PCL in his right knee. All he needs is some rest. That's been the prescription for the past month, but Ballard has yet to fill it.

The Giants tight end has been playing on the painful, unstable knee since he injured it against the Redskins in Week 15 and missed the last two regular-season games. He's played in all three playoff games -- although he's caught only three passes for 33 yards -- and plans on playing in the Super Bowl next Sunday.

"I'll do whatever it takes to get that ring," he said.

Ballard was instrumental in the Giants' success through most of the season, particularly on Nov. 6 against the Patriots, when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining. He may not be physically able to play the way he did then, but he's going to give it a shot.

"A PCL doesn't just heal," he said. "You have to build your strength back up . . . I've been building my leg muscles up and doing rehab, and it's definitely helped."

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/rest-can-wait-for-ballard-1.3486907

 

[Buckskin86]

Giants coach expects Ballard to have 'huge' impact
January 31, 2012 ι By JUSTIN TERRANOVA

INDIANAPOLIS -- Much of the Super Bowl injury speculation has been about Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and his high ankle sprain.

But Giants coach Tom Coughlin said his tight end?s health will be a big factor in Super Bowl XLVI. Ballard suffered a partially torn PCL in the Week 15 loss to the Redskins, missed the final two regular-season games, and has not been much of a factor in the Giants' three playoff wins, totaling three catches for 33 yards.

?Huge,? Coughlin said of Ballard?s impact. ?Jake?s feeling better. He?s been a big part of what we do. He received an injury, fought his way through the injury. He is maneuvering better, playing better. That being that case, Eli has a lot of confidence in Jake.?

Ballard, who became the Giants starting tight end this season after Kevin Boss signed with the Raiders, became a reliable receiver for quarterback Eli Manning. In the 24-20 regular season win over the Patriots, he caught the game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds left and had four catches for 67 yards.

But he has not been that same player this postseason.

?He was struggling a little bit, but he?s got a great heart and he did everything he could to help us a win,? Coughlin said.

Ballard said he is still slightly bothered by the injury.

?It is still a little tweaked," Ballard said. "It feels a lot better than it has in a long time. I am running well and I am running a lot better than I have in the last three or four games.?

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/giant...covering_Ke8Z2cQmnTbf99Dz5lmefL#ixzz1lEvEUFRV

 

[Buckskin86]

Video: Josh Ballard talks about his twin brother, Giants tight end Jake Ballard
Posted: Friday, February 03, 2012
By John Munson/The Star-Ledger

Our final stop on the road to Super Bowl XLVI takes us to the Springboro, Ohio, home of New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard. Before departing for Indianapolis, Jake's twin brother Josh took a few minutes to talk about their childhood and their competitiveness which has helped them both to succeed. Video by John Munson and Dave D'Alessandro/The Star-Ledger

http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2012/02/video_josh_ballard_talks_about.html

 

[Buckskin86]

A Super Bowl win is enough for Springboro native Jake Ballard
Feb. 3, 2012
Written by
Joe Reedy

The Giants' Jake Ballard catches a pass during practice Friday in Indianapolis. / AP Photo/Eric Gay
INDIANAPOLIS - For most of the week when discussing the tight ends at Super Bowl XLVI, the focus has been on the sprained left ankle of New England?s Rob Gronkowski.


It?s easy to forget that another tight end had a huge role in the Giants? 24-20 win over the Patriots in Week 9. Springboro native and former Ohio State standout Jake Ballard caught the winning touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining. Ballard had four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.

?I?ve probably been asked 100 questions about our first Patriots game and the catches I had in that game and, ?What do I think about the catches?? It?s all well and great. It was good for me then. But I?m just trying to move past that,? Ballard said. ?That was a great game and huge victory for the Giants that year. But we?re trying to have a bigger victory against them right now.?

Ballard is part of a group of second-year tight ends that are excelling, but he didn?t have the cachet that the Bengals? Jermaine Gresham, the Saints? Jimmy Graham and the Patriots? duo of Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez had. Of the 19 tight ends drafted in 2010, Ballard was not one of them.

That?s because Ballard was mainly a blocking tight end at Ohio State and had only 34 catches for 377 yards. After signing as an undrafted free agent last year, he spent most of the season on the practice squad and got in only one game.

cont...

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...uper-Bowl-win-would-suffice-Springboro-native

Giants vs. Patriots: With Jake Ballard, Giants stick to a traditional view of tight ends
Published: Saturday, February 04, 2012
By Jorge Castillo/The Star-Ledger

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerThe Giants' can't match the gaudy numbers of the New England Patriots' tight ends, but he did pile up 604 receiving yards this season.

INDIANAPOLIS ? The Giants went into the 2010 draft with seven picks in hand and the tight end position on their list of targets. There was only one problem: They couldn?t find one that fit their philosophy who was worthy of one of those selections.

In a draft that featured Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Jimmy Graham and Jermaine Gresham, the Giants passed on them all. They were looking for the prototypical block-first tight end that has slowly given way to heavyweight wide receivers masquerading at the position. It was the perfect example of how the position has evolved and the Giants have stayed their course.

?You really can?t say, ?Okay I like this guy, this guy, this guy,? ? Mike Pope, the Giants tight ends coach since 2000, said. ?There?s really no ?this guy? out there.?

cont...

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/giants_vs_patriots_jake_ballar.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Springboro?s Ballard ready for more 'Giant' heroicsBy Tom Archdeacon, Staff Writer
Saturday, February 4, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS ? When it comes to Jake Ballard, beauty most definitely is in the eye of the beholder.

Folks in Springboro view their favorite son ? the 6-foot-6, 275-pound starting tight end of the New York Giants ? a lot differently than do people in Boston.

?They made up special shirts here ? they?re blue with red lettering and white trim ? and they say ?Boro?s Own Giant? on the front and have No. 85 and BALLARD on the back,? said Ben Ballard, Jake?s dad.

?They had them at the high school and the Image Market right off Main Street, and the other day they?d already sold over 1,000 of them.

?It?s kinda neat, and I bet a lot of folks will be wearing them on Super Bowl Sunday.?

Today, Ballard and the Giants meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Although the Pats are slightly favored, the Giants ? thanks in a big way to the late-game heroics of Ballard ? did edge New England 24-20 on Nov. 6 in Foxborough.

Ballard had four catches for 67 yards in that game, including two memorable receptions on the winning drive.

First, he made a leaping 28-yard catch on a desperation, third-down pass by Eli Manning. Then, with 15 seconds left, he caught the 1-yard game-winning touchdown.

It was that performance that prompted a humorous, back-and-forth tweaking between Ballard and a Boston TV crew on the Super Bowl field last Tuesday during Media Day.

?We?re from Boston and we like to have our villains,? the guy with the microphone said with feigned indignation. ?You realize you very quickly could become Public Enemy No. 1 in our town after what you pulled in Week 9.?

Seeing Ballard start to grin, the guy snapped: ?Wipe that smile off your face as you think back on it.?

Unable to completely ditch his delight, Ballard just nodded: ?Yeah, a lot of people remind me of that. A lot say stuff on Twitter. They call me a Patriots Killer. But I don?t listen to it too much. I just got lucky a couple of times.?

cont...

http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayt...ard-ready-for-more-giant-heroics-1323842.html

SUPER BOWL XLVI: Jake Ballard keeps Giants' tight end tradition going
Published: Saturday, February 04, 2012
By GEORGE O?GORMAN
[email protected]


INDIANAPOLIS - Patriots tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have gotten most of the media attention leading up to tonight?s Super Bowl XLVI.

That suits Giants? tight end Jake Ballard just fine.

?Everything those guys are getting is well deserved. They've had tremendous years,? says Ballard, whose numbers pale in comparison to what Gronkowski and Hernandez have put up for the AFC champion Pats.

But when the G-Men won at New England, 24-20, on Nov. 4, it was Ballard who led his team to the win, catching four balls for 67 yards, including two in the winning drive that was capped by his 1-yard TD catch in the back of the end zone with 15 ticks left on the clock.

Ballard?s 41 catches in the 17 games he?s played this season have accounted for 637 yards and four scores.

cont...

http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2012/02/04/sports/doc4f2dacb3207d6779710830.txt

 

[buckeyes_rock]

Go Jake Go! Hope he does things in the Super Bowl!

Awesome to see him shine in the pros after being used so little in college.