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.