This is actually bad news imo. Ballard showed a lot of potential with Eli and could be a cheap replacement if they were to scrap Hernandez.
I'm a fan of Jake Ballard and I'm pretty upset to see him go. As for the Patriots and why they want him, I think this is more than just an insurance move for Hernandez. I can only see BB putting 4 TEs on the field with one HB. If you get guys that can catch-passes like they can while also being able to do a pretty good job blocking, I imagine it would be an incredible pain in the ass to defend.
Yes, this... I think you're going to see an awful lot of AH in the slot, mainly to see if they feel like he can replace Welker's production in the event that he plays out his franchise tag and then leaves. Hernandez is bigger and more athletic but Welker seems a little quicker to me when watching the games live. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
damn, Ballard is actually pretty damn good. Only knock on him is he's slow as shit, but he still gets open
Ballard wont play next season. The Patriots plan is obvious though, Hernandez will be entering his last year of his contract heading into the 2013 season. I wouldnt be suprised to see him hold out, either that or the Patriots trade him for more picks and start Ballard.
I'm LOL'ing at this notion among the media that the Pats broke unwritten rules in snagging him. Seems to me the Giants were the ones trying to circumvent the process and hoping nobody would claim him. Tough shit
Ballard is good. not too fast but runs good routes and always seems to find holes in coverage. solid hands and tough after the catch
Not trying to upset the homeboys here, but this is the type of outside the box thinking that has helped to keep the Pats deep in talent. 30 other teams could have claimed this guy, if they were looking toward the future a bit. I also think this shows that BB is not just about loading up for one more run at a SB. Hey, this move may not even work out, but even when you make outside the box moves that don't work out (Ocho, Albert), it doesn't stop them from trying again. As far as the Giants go, they said Coughlin was gonna go off on the Pats but held his tongue. I think he was gonna say something about his GM playing a needlessly risky game over the 90th spot on the roster....
Trade Ballard to who? He is going on IR for the year but I guess that might be a deal Bellishit would make himself.
Coughlin not happy http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/06/13/giants-coughlin-unhappy-with-patriots-grabbing-te/
Not sure Coughlin is ever really that happy. This part jumped out at me: What was depicted as a "calculated risk" by New England in taking a fearless tight end who caught 38 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns last year was being viewed in some quarters as a vindictive move by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Of course, New York defeated New England in the Super Bowl twice in the past five years, and Belichick, a former defensive coordinator for the Giants, did not get the head coaching position with New York in 1992, when Bill Parcells stepped down. Vindictive? No. Belichick doesn't operate that way. He hasn't had any human emotions since he was embalmed. Actually, in all seriousness... he was nearly in tears in the NFL special last year during the scene when he was reminiscing at the old stadium. I don't think he has any ill feelings toward the Giants' organization. I also took Coughlin's reaction as, "Hey, it wasn't my decision." If the Giants wanted Ballard that much they should have eaten up a roster spot for him. Teams have 90 spots now with the new CBA, so it was a risky move to put him out there, and they got burned.
Yeah it definitely seemed like Coughlin was more pissed at his own GM for taking the chance than anything else. The Patriots are a team where the 90th guy has no shot at the roster anyway so they will carry him into the pre-season then put him on the PUP list.
