BleedinBlue Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I know most of us are freaking out because of our TE situation. Pascoe has looked like crap so far....maybe he'll he'll be back to last year's form - fingers are crossed. I expect Pascoe to be rotated as a FB with Hynoski more than used as a TE. And of course, Beckum is an undersized TE who doesn't block and hasn't shown much since being drafted. Ballard has kind of been dismissed because he was an UDFA that we knew little about. He spent last season on our practice squad and actually took 8 snaps in one game against the Eagles before going back to the PS with a hamstring injury. Now he's healthy and he's on the main roster. We know he's huge of course (6'6" 265), the way a good TE should be, but according to some, not lightning fast (although he made a real pretty 21 yard catch against the Jets, which is pretty far downfield for someone lacking speed...and I'm not all that sure that blazing speed can be found on any big TE). He missed the combines a year ago because he was ill so there is no 40 time on him, but his college coach (Ohio St.) has said he was fast and athletic for a big guy. Anyway....he looked pretty damn good in pre-season (especially blocking) and in the first half of the N.E. game, he was coming off the line like he was shot out of a cannon and looked like a man on a mission and popping guys hard. He held his own all through pre-season when given a blocking assignment. Another thing most people don't know, is that he won the Jack Parker award at Ohio State which is given to the "best lineman" on the team. It usually goes to a great tackle or guard and on rare occassions, a center....but this was the first time a TE won the award. Pretty impressive if you ask me. So we should take comfort in knowing that Ballard is a good blocker and is the perfect size. Now if Pope can turn him into a soft-handed, sticky-fingered threat across the middle.....we might be better off than we think at this position. Stranger things have happened than for an undrafted player to develop into a very solid player in the nfl. Let us hope we've caught lightning in a bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treehugger Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I thought he was doing a good job blocking for sure. He had one or two receptions too, right? It's just so hard to judge receivers in preseason, especially in that last game where Carr was taking the first read (usually 8-12 yards on the right sideline) all night. He didn't even try to attack the middle and it's hard to tell if that was because there was no one open or because he was set on getting rid of the ball pronto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 I thought he was doing a good job blocking for sure. He had one or two receptions too, right? It's just so hard to judge receivers in preseason, especially in that last game where Carr was taking the first read (usually 8-12 yards on the right sideline) all night. He didn't even try to attack the middle and it's hard to tell if that was because there was no one open or because he was set on getting rid of the ball pronto. Good point. But I don't think the Giants even gave away a smidgeon of their playbook so it's hard to know what kind of plans they have. I'm looking at Ballard as a glass half full and hope that Pope devolops him into a stud. If the big guy can catch footballs with regularity, I'd say we're in a lot better shape than most people give us credit for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStroud Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 LOL I have to admit the 1st look I got of him jogging off the field, I thought Boss was back and he'd musculed up a bit and put on a different number Ballard sure looks the part.......I'm guessing the Giants believe they can re-construct a Boss look alike into an even better player than he was. This kid LOOKS bigger than Boss......now lets see what he does on the field in real games for a team that is definitely evolved into a run 1st team. As far as the other tight ends go- I'd dump them all and pick up someone off the waiver wire......except Pascoe who I believe is listed or at least plays as a Fullback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 For those who think Ballard can't catch....the second half of this short clip shows Ballard in the Rose Bowl pulling down one hell of a catch. And for a huge muscular guy who was a better blocker than anyone else on the o-line at Ohio St., he sure gets a long way down the field. Clip is not very clear, but the catch is clear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq541U98rlk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStroud Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Nice- I like the way he elevated outstretched and had 2 soft hands to craddle the ball. How in the world did he fall in our laps??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Originally signed by the Giants as a rookie free agent on April 25, 2010…Waived on Aug. 19, 2010…Signed to the Giants practice squad on Sept. 5, 2010…Signed to the active roster on Nov. 20, 2010…Waived on Nov. 23, 2010…Re-signed to Giants practice squad on Nov. 24, 2010…Signed to the active roster on Dec. 16, 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 LOL. Looks like they were a little indecisive about Mr. Ballard...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStroud Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 that probably because we already had his clone- Boss Amazing when you think about it.............are we the only team that likes 6-6 270 lb TE's who are white, can block, and catch??................oh yeah crazy Al Davis opened Fort Knox for Boss ...........forgot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 that probably because we already had his clone- Boss Amazing when you think about it.............are we the only team that likes 6-6 270 lb TE's who are white, can block, and catch??................oh yeah crazy Al Davis opened Fort Knox for Boss ...........forgot I think the Cowboys like TE's like that. Seeing that Jason Witten is 6'6" 268 lbs and has single handedly destroyed us in a game or two. In my opinion, Witten is the perfect TE and frees up Austin (and now Dez Bryant) by having to always focus on him if he comes across the middle. Not saying that Ballard is a Witten, but it would be nice if Pope develops him into a fine receiving threat across the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStroud Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Yeah Witten is absolutely amazing............hes often open with no one within 10 yds of him............It never ceases to amaze me how he manges that Is Witten known as a blocker though.....to look at their record of late I'd say they cannot run the ball very well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Nice- I like the way he elevated outstretched and had 2 soft hands to craddle the ball. How in the world did he fall in our laps??? Did a little research and wouldn't exactly say he "fell in our laps" as I discovered the Giants offered Ballard 405k a year as an undrafted free agent beating out a slew of other teams interested in signing him. Do not underestimate the power of the the almighty dollar. This year they beat out dozens of teams after Herzlich and Hynoski. I'm sure that the Giants dangled a lot more than minimum practice squad money in their faces as the competition for them was insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStroud Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 so we are spending what little cash we have wisely I'd love to see a full list of Giants annual salaries..........where is all the money being spent? I understand Eli is getting like 10 million per year, and frankly I think that's at least 3 million per too much but they probably wanted to take no chances. Eli is a stabalizing influence, a bright kid, not particularly athletic, a good not great arm, and only middle of the pack accurate...... If you put Eli on the Bills he would not do very well......The strength of our team is DL, OL, DBs, RBs in that order Eli and the WRs benefit from the good running game, and forced turnovers.......they (the passing game) are all average lets face it..........hopefully the passing game has a break out year.....we need that to hope to win our 4th Trophy Were not far away............if we get rid of the Eagles curse, and get on a roll..........we can repeat. We should have beaten the Packers last year.......we handed them the game on turnovers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Wow, Bleedin', got to give up some props, because it appears you've called this one. From BBI: Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride on TE Jake Ballard: “I think he’ll be the guy that starts when we’re not two-back and in our two-tight end offense. Right from the beginning we saw a guy that could block very well, or had the potential to be a good blocker. He was physical, he’s big, he’s strong. I think he’s continued to get better technique-wise and an understanding of what we’re trying to do with each play. As you would anticipate with a guy that’s smart and has the physical ingredients to play the position, he’s getting better and better. I always thought he would be a decent blocker and he’s proven to be very much so. Where he’s surprised me a little bit, he’s doing a little bit more catching the ball. I always knew he could catch it, but he’s actually getting himself open and we’ve thrown the ball to him a few times in the preseason and I can’t honestly say that I saw that necessarily happening, but it’s been happening with regularity both in practice and in the preseason. We feel good about the progress he’s made and I’m looking forward to seeing how good he’s going to become.” So basically Ballard is going to get a lot of snaps, and it looks like Gilbride looks at him as the potential combo TE that none of us thought was on the roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Wow, Bleedin', got to give up some props, because it appears you've called this one. From BBI: So basically Ballard is going to get a lot of snaps, and it looks like Gilbride looks at him as the potential combo TE that none of us thought was on the roster. That would be a pleasant surprise indeed. Now only if I get my wish on Greg Jones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 From what I've read in other sites other than the one I posted from, coaches seem to have a lot of faith in him and believe he's going to step up and become a solid TE both in blocking and receiving. He'll be interesting to watch and see if he develops into the player the coaches think he will. I'm rooting for him. That would be a really, really nice surprise to find out our TE problems are solved from a guy working his way up through the practice squad. Fingers are crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 Just another blip from around the net on Ballard: Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride on TE Jake Ballard: “I think he’ll be the guy that starts when we’re not two-back and in our two-tight end offense. Right from the beginning we saw a guy that could block very well, or had the potential to be a good blocker. He was physical, he’s big and he’s very strong. I think he’s continued to get better technique-wise and has gained an understanding of what we’re trying to do with each play. As you would anticipate with a guy that’s smart and has the physical ingredients to play the position, he’s getting better and better. I always thought he would be a good blocker and he’s proven to be very much so. Where he’s surprised me a little, he’s doing a more catching the ball. I always knew he could catch it, but he’s actually getting himself open and we’ve thrown the ball to him a few times in the preseason and I can’t honestly say that I saw that coming, but it’s been happening with regularity both in practice and in the preseason. We feel good about the progress he’s made and I’m looking forward to seeing how good he’s going to become.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Just another blip from around the net on Ballard: Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride on TE Jake Ballard: “I think he’ll be the guy that starts when we’re not two-back and in our two-tight end offense. Right from the beginning we saw a guy that could block very well, or had the potential to be a good blocker. He was physical, he’s big and he’s very strong. I think he’s continued to get better technique-wise and has gained an understanding of what we’re trying to do with each play. As you would anticipate with a guy that’s smart and has the physical ingredients to play the position, he’s getting better and better. I always thought he would be a good blocker and he’s proven to be very much so. Where he’s surprised me a little, he’s doing a more catching the ball. I always knew he could catch it, but he’s actually getting himself open and we’ve thrown the ball to him a few times in the preseason and I can’t honestly say that I saw that coming, but it’s been happening with regularity both in practice and in the preseason. We feel good about the progress he’s made and I’m looking forward to seeing how good he’s going to become.” Yeah, Bleedin', you just used the exact same quote from Gilbride I did when I bumped the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStroud Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Yeah, Bleedin', you just used the exact same quote from Gilbride I did when I bumped the thread. from what I've seen of him so far I have to agree.....he may quickly allow us to forget the loss of Kevin Boss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 Yeah, Bleedin', you just used the exact same quote from Gilbride I did when I bumped the thread. Ahhh.....I was only home for a few minutes this morning and missed that.....duhhh. I'm getting more and more of those senior moments. They used to be blonde moments (the color of my original hair), but what little hair I have left is white. Sorry. They tell me great minds think alike so there's a consolation prize....at least for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Ahhh.....I was only home for a few minutes this morning and missed that.....duhhh. I'm getting more and more of those senior moments. They used to be blonde moments (the color of my original hair), but what little hair I have left is white. Sorry. They tell me great minds think alike so there's a consolation prize....at least for me. Flattery will get you.... well, actually, it will get you pretty far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 Flattery will get you.... well, actually, it will get you pretty far. Alright! Too bad you weren't a hot chick with a great ass and it worked that well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGBLUE01 Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Get a room you 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Update from Ralph V via twitter... Jake Ballard is listed as the starting TE on the team's depth chart. Something to watch today, this could be the start of something big if Ballard can make some plays. It would make me feel a lot better about the offense. Looking at the Pit - Balt game, that guy Pitta on Baltimore has come from nowhere and looks great. You wonder where did this guy come from? I Wiki'ed him and he's a 4th round pick from BYU. Maybe, just maybe, Ballard is a guy like Pitta who just comes out of nowhere and stabilizes the position. Can't wait for Giants' football! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephiroth Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I have to admit, Ballard looked surprisingly good today, all things considered. He and JPP may have been the only two bright spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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