Ballard not perfect but plans on playing

Jake Ballard would not say he is 100 percent healthy. He wouldn’t even say that his injured knee is stable. But he did say that none of that matters.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked is he will play on Sunday. “No doubt.”

Ballard, who sprained his PCL two weeks ago and has missed the last two games, practiced limited all week and is officially probable for the game against the Falcons.

“It got better every day, loosened up a little bit and I feel pretty good,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent but I’m good enough to be effective and help out in the offense.”

He’ll play with some extra tape and padding on his knee but not a brace because he fears that would slow him down too much. “I’m already not fast to begin with,” he said.

Ballard is also going to be lighting the Empire State Building tonight (or already has depending on when you read this), flicking the switch as the iconic structure will be glowing blue in honor of the Giants. He said he’s excited but that he’s never actually been there.

He’s never been to the playoffs, either. So this weekend he’s crossing two things of his list of “Must Dos” for everyone who comes to New York.

“There are players in this league who go their whole careers without playing in a playoff game and I’m just glad I have an opportunity to play in one,” he said. “We believe we can go far in this tournament so I’m excited about that.”