Tom Coughlin did not go ahead and blast his own front office, but it was clear yesterday that he was more than irritated about losing injured tight end Jake Ballard to the Patriots and less than pleased this situation could have been avoided if only the Giants had protected Ballard’s rights.
“Very disappointing,’’ said Coughlin, who added to characterize him as discouraged was “a minor description’’ of his emotional state. “I don’t have a lot to say about that one. Just the fact we’re disappointed, very disappointed.’’
Oh, but Coughlin did have more to say.
Jake Ballard get scooped up by the Patriots, but it was pretty clear the Giants coach was upset the tight end got away." title="BLAME GAME : Tom Coughlin wouldn’t go as far as openly blaming GM Jerry Reese for letting Jake Ballard get scooped up by the Patriots, but it was pretty clear the Giants coach was upset the tight end got away." width="300" height="300" src="/rw/nypost/2012/06/14/sports/web_photos/14.1s068.giants.C.TA--300x300.jpg" />
Charles Wenzelberg
BLAME GAME : Tom Coughlin wouldn’t go as far as openly blaming GM Jerry Reese for letting Jake Ballard get scooped up by the Patriots, but it was pretty clear the Giants coach was upset the tight end got away.
Charles Wenzelberg
Jerry Reese
The Giants were stunned Tuesday when the Patriots claimed Ballard off waivers. Ballard can’t play this season while he recovers from a devastating knee injury suffered in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVI — playing for the Giants and against the Patriots. On Monday, Ballard as expected failed his physical and the Giants waived him, believing this was simply a procedural move and that once he cleared waivers he’d revert back to their Physically Unable to Perform/reserve list to spend the 2012 season rehabbing his knee, hoping to make a return in 2013.
To ensure that Ballard’s rights were protected, the Giants could have kept him on their 90-man training camp roster until moving him to PUP after camp. But the Giants front office did not take that safer option, feeling fairly certain no team would put in a waiver claim on a tight end who can’t play at all this season.
“I could explain it but I don’t want to explain it because it’s really irrelevant at this point,’’ general manager Jerry Reese said on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Asked why the Giants didn’t simply keep Ballard protected on the roster, Coughlin snapped.
“Don’t ask me those questions,” he said. “I’m not the ... I don’t have the answers for you. We’re all disappointed, that’s all.’’
Reese admitted, “Yes we thought that he would clear’’ and said, “It’s rare but it’s not the first time something like that has happened. It’s disappointing for us that we didn’t get him back. He did a tremendous job for us and we hope he gets well soon and that he can finish his career, whether it’s with New England or whatever team he ends up with. It was disappointing, but that does happen, every blue moon.’’
Coughlin said it was his belief Ballard could return in 2013 and be a productive player.
“I certainly thought so, for sure,’’ he said. “So did everybody, the whole building felt that way.’’
Putting Ballard on waivers, in Coughlin’s view, was “a calculated risk that didn’t work.’’
The Patriots are well-stocked at tight end with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, but Bill Belichick has made these types of unconventional moves before. Belichick scoffed at the notion he broke some unwritten rule about claiming an injured player.
“First of all, there aren’t any unwrittens,’’ Belichick said in New England. “Any time you put a player on waivers, you know there are 31 teams out there that can take him if they want him. We all know that.”
Coughlin seemed to agree, saying “All is fair.’’
Reese said there is no bad blood with the Patriots.
“There is no reason for us to have hard feelings about it,’’ he said. “They think that they can salvage the situation, so we will see what happens.’’
Ballard, 24, caught 38 passes last season, was a revelation for the Giants and wanted to stay. He arrived at the Giants facility on Tuesday figuring he’d cleared waivers but was informed that the Patriots claimed him at 3:50 p.m., 10 minutes before the waiver deadline.
“Obviously he built a reputation here, he’s very close with the guys here, the staff, the team,’’ tight end Travis Beckum said, “and I think if he could have picked he would have picked to stay here, but that is not how the NFL works.’’
paul.schwartz@nypost.com
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