TE Jake Ballard Emerging for NY Giants
NY Giants TE Jake Ballard is emerging as a weapon for QB Eli Manning.
Number 85 is a huge target standing at 6'6" tall and weighing 256 lbs, he has displayed an ability to use his big frame for more than just blocking. Ballard has surprised many in the 4 games he has started catching 10 passes for a 192 yards (19.2 average per catch) and scoring 2 touchdowns in this 2011 NFL season.
Primarily considered a blocking TE, Jake has so far proven to have good hands but even more impressive he has proven to be a hard man to bring down. In week 5 he scored a 12 yard touchdown in which he caught Manning's pass at the 3 yard line and then proceeded to run over and carry two Seattle players into the end zone for the score. In that same game Jake caught a 32 yard pass from Eli and carried several players with him reminiscent of a New York Giants great Mark Bavaro.
I'm not anointing him the next Mark Bavaro by any stretch of the imagination but during that run he did remind me of him with his tough running style. It is still to early to tell how good Jake Ballard will be, he is only 23 years old and has a lot to learn but so far he has played better than most would have expected.
Jake Ballard Before Being a New York Giants TE
Jake Ballard was born December 2, 1987 in Springboro, Ohio along with his twin brother Josh. He played football for Springboro High School in Ohio.
After High School Ballard played Tight End for Ohio State University. He was primarily used as a blocker and had only 34 receptions for 377 total yards for his college career. His value and contributions came from his leadership and blocking ability which was used often especially with running QB Terrelle Pryor at the helm. He was recognized for his contributions and named as one of the team captains.
Jake Ballard went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft and eventually signed as a free agent with the NY Giants.
Shaky Start for New York
Number 85 has not had an easy road. The NY Giants have waived him due to injury. Then brought him back and signed him to the practice squad, promoted him, then waived him again. Eventually resigning Ballard once again to the practice squad where he then made his way back to the team and now a starter for the New York Giants.
Opportunities for more playing time came about with the departure of Kevin Boss to the Raiders and injury plagued Travis Beckum's inconsistent play. He has excelled on the field in his limited opportunities and has been a reliable outlet for Eli Manning. As a matter of fact he has better stats 5 weeks into the season than Boss had at this time last year.
New York currently has one of the youngest receiving cores in the NFL, they are young but very talented. The Giants rank 9th overall in passing with a total of 1,377 yards. A core of receivers consisting of Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz are a formidable trio which most teams will have a hard time defending. The NY Giants may have found a reliable emerging fourth weapon for Manning in the form of TE Jake Ballard.
18 Responses to TE Jake Ballard Emerging for NY Giants
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Got a chance to watch Jake Ballard play at Ohio State University. This guy is as tough as they get, good guy too. In my opinion the New York Giants got themselves a better TE than Kevin Boss. Good point made about him not catching many balls at Ohio due to the running game of Terrelle Pryor, that limited his chances.
Good old country boy in Jake Ballard. Strong, tough and can block his butt off. Hope he excels for us in New York for Big Blue.
I was a big Kevin Boss supporter and was sad to see him go to the Oaklanda Raiders. Witht hat being said Jake Ballard has shown he can catch the ball and run after the catch. Suprisingly enough his blocking has been his weakness till this point in the season. Ballard is our best option at tightend and a good one at that.
Ballard is no Mark Bavaro but his does have upside, lets see how consistent he will be still not sold on him.
Did I just read this correctly you are comparing Jake Ballard with Mark Bavaro? Dude seriously? Jake wasn’t even all that for Ohio State University. Not saying he will completely stink but he shouldn’t be in the same sentence with Bavaro.
Most players coming out of Ohio State University are going to be well coached, trained and tough. Jake Ballard was definitely under used as a receiver in college, it isn’t as if he never had good hands they just never used him in that capacity.
I believe the writer clearly states he isn’t anointing Jake Ballard the next Mark Bavaro, but the potential may be there @NJ-Jason. I also thought of Mark when I saw him carrying like 4 defensive players who struggeled to bring him down. He is a beast!
Update: Week 6 Tight End for NY Giants Jake Ballard has another good week with 5 receptions for 81 yards. Solid game for this former Ohio State University Buckeye, these kid has great hands, yet to see him drop a ball.
I am very impressed with Jake Ballard, he seems very dependable and you’re right he has great hands. We may have found a replacement for Boss, maybe even a better option.
Team keep overlooking Ballard, giving him more chances but then again the Giants have too many weapons on offense to pick on just one. I don’t think Travis Beckum will be getting much playing time even if healthy with Jake in the mix.
Very steady and reliable player for the New York Giants. Hope he stays the course and continues to grow. I really am not very happy about rumors that Travis Beckum is going to cut into Jake Ballard’s time, he had his chance and never did much with it.
@Guru, are you kidding me about Beckum? How much more does Jake Ballard have to show you to prove he is athletic? He is as much of an athlete as Travis and actually catches balls and stays healthy. What a football guru you are. NOT!
He has upside but Beckum is way more athletic he just can’t stay healthy.
I bet by the end of this season Ballard will have better stats than Kevin Boss, Kellen Winslow, Jeremy Shockey and a host of other Tight Ends in the NFL. He is a very good player, love the point made by the writer who explains why his reception totals were so low at Ohio State University.
I love how this young man plays the game. Tough is a word everyone keeps using when describing him. I think we have found out Tight End.
I think Ne York has the TE of the future in Ballard. He is still developing and is ahead of the learning curve I bet they had for him.
Jake is under the radar, that’s how he likes it. Quiet guy who just goes out and does his job day in and day out. The Giants get themselves a winner from our Buckeye.
Travis Beckum is expected to come back and get playing time, wonder how Ballard feels about this and how the Giants will handle playing time.