Jake Ballard says he is ready to go
Fully healthy or not, Jake Ballard said he would play Sunday. (Dec. 4, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
Jake Ballard would not say he is 100 percent healthy. He wouldn't even say his injured knee is stable. But he did say none of that matters.
"Absolutely," he said when asked if he will play Sunday. "No doubt."
Ballard, who sprained his posterior cruciate ligament two weeks ago and has missed the last two games, practiced on a limited basis all week and officially is probable for the wild-card 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; he fears that would slow him down too much. "I'm already not fast to begin with," he said.
Ballard also was part of a ceremony Friday night to light the Empire State Building; the iconic structure will glow blue in honor of the Giants' playoff run. He said he'd never been there. He's never been to the playoffs, either, so he can cross two things off his life list this weekend.
"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."
JPP named All-Pro
The accolades keep rolling in for Jason Pierre-Paul, as The Associated Press announced Friday that he is a first-team All-Pro defensive end. He received 34 of 50 votes at the position. The Vikings' Jared Allen received 49 and second-teamers Justin Smith (49ers) and Jason Babin (Eagles) received nine and seven, respectively.
Pierre-Paul finished the season with 161/2 sacks, the fourth-most in the NFL. He already had been named to the Pro Bowl roster and honored as the NFC Defensive Player of the Month.
Victor Cruz was a second-team All-Pro receiver behind Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker and Larry Fitzgerald. G Chris Snee was the only other Giant to receive votes.
Giant steps
CB Corey Webster (hamstring), limited for a second straight day, was listed as probable. So were Justin Tuck (shoulder), Osi Umenyiora (ankle), Tony Ugoh (ankle) and Ahmad Bradshaw (foot). Mark Herzlich (ankle) is out . Falcons CB Brent Grimes (knee) is questionable . . . The Giants practiced outdoors Friday, the first time they did so this week. "This is close to what it's going to be game day," coach Tom Coughlin said of the weather, "so that's why we wanted to be here."
