Tom Coughlin: 'Very Disappointed' Jake Ballard Was Claimed By Patriots

• about 1 year ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Giants Coach 'Disappointed' Jake Ballard Is Headed To Patriots

The New York Giants took an unnecessary risk this week when they waived Jake Ballard to make room for defensive tackle Rocky Bernard. The Giants didn't have to expose Ballard to the waiver wire but they did anyway and it came back to bite them when the New England Patriots, the only team ahead of the Giants on the waiver wire, claimed Ballard.

Both Ballard and the Giants fully expected him to pass through waivers and ultimately make his way back to New York and be placed on IR. When the Patriots claimed him, it was a surprise. Head coach Tom Coughlin probably wanted to use a few four-letter words but he opted to just stick to "disappointed" when asked about it this week.

"Discouraged is a minor description," Coughlin said. "Very disappointing. I'm not going to have a lot to say about that one -- just the fact that we are disappointed. Very disappointed."

The Giants haven't made a lot of mistakes lately. They've won two Super Bowls in the last five years. But that doesn't mean they're immune to criticism because in this particular case they made a dumb mistake and paid the price.

For news and information on the New England Patriots, please visit Pats Pulpit or stop bySB Nation Boston. For more on the New York Giants, visit Big Blue View and SB Nation New York.

• about 1 year ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Patriots Claim Jake Ballard Off Waivers

The football world got a little bit of a surprise on Monday, as New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard was waived by the team. Both Ballard and the Giants were already aware that the player would be out for the entire 2012 season due to an ACL injury he suffered in the Super Bowl. Despite the roster move, Ballard tweeted later on Tuesday that he believed he would still wind up in a Giants uniform. It now appears as though that may not be the case.

Ballard's agent Blake Baratz announced Tuesday that Ballard had been claimed off of waivers by the Giants' Super Bowl rivals, the New England Patriots. It is unclear how the Patriots plan to slot Ballard into their depth chart, but they will have more than a year to figure that out.

For news and information on the New England Patriots, please visit Pats Pulpit or stop by SB Nation Boston. For more on the New York Giants, visit Big Blue View and SB Nation New York.

• about 1 year ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Jake Ballard Expects To Be Back With Giants

The New York Giants on Monday waived tight end Jake Ballard with the designation of failed physical. Ballard is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the 2012 Super Bowl last February.

The move means that Ballard will hit the waiver wire and will be available to all teams. The catch is that he's out for the entire 2012 season so you would basically be buying his rights understanding he won't play in 2012. Because of that it seems unlikely he will be claimed.

If he isn't claimed, he will revert back to the Giants and be placed on injured reserve. Both Ballard and his agent have confirmed that he expects to be back with the Giants if he's not claimed.

Thanks for love everyone but don't worry, its a business, I'm on the road to recovery, and I believe I'll be in a Giants uniform in '13

— Jake ballard (@NYG_J_Ballard85) June 11, 2012

For more on the Giants, visit Big Blue View and SB Nation New York.