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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2012 > February > 06
Monday, February 6, 2012
Super Bowl XLVI: Jake Ballard’s pain, Steven Tyler’s snub
INDIANAPOLIS — As his New York Giants teammates celebrated all across the field, Jake Ballard could do little more than lean on his crutches. Standing next to him was fellow tight end Travis Beckum. He too was propped up on a pair of the medical supports.
The Giants had just beaten the New England Patriots, 21-17, in Super Bowl XLVI thanks to a last-minute touchdown, but Ballard hadn’t seen any of the thrilling 88-yard final drive that culminated with Ahmad Bradshaw’s six-yard touchdown trot with 57 seconds left.
The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder from Springboro had torn the meniscus in his left knee early in the fourth quarter and after lying on the field in pain, had been helped to the sideline, where he made a gallant, but heart-wrenching attempt to return to the game.
He wanted to keep playing - he had had two catches on the night and was doing a lot of the heavy blocking on the edges - because he knew his team needed him.
Beckum, his back up, had been lost earlier in the game with a torn ACL.
But when he tried to run near the Giants bench, Ballard’s knee gave way and he crumpled into the arms of a trainer, then melted to the ground in a slow, pained fashion.
He was hurt - maybe more so after that sideline’s attempt - and was taken to the training room where he was unable to follow what was happening back on the field.
“There was no TV, no phone, no nothing,” he told reporters long after the game was over. “All I could hear were cheers, so I had one of the doctors run out there and he came back in going nuts so I knew we had scored at the end.”
Ballard eventually made his way to the field on crutches, then returned to the training room. It hasn’t been decided if he’ll need surgery for this injury. In November he partially tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and missed the final two regular season games.
“Winning the Super Bowl is good medicine for the injury,” Ballard said afterward.
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Well, I did speak to one celebrity here at the Super Bowl.
I was on in an over-stuffed elevator going to my seat in the auxiliary press area at the top of Lucas Oil Stadium about 40 minutes before Sunday’s game when the elevator stopped a few levels below my destination.
The door opened and there stood Steven Tyler - the American Idol judge and former front man for Aerosmith - with a couple of other folks, one who was quite perturbed at their circumstance.
“Sorry we’re full,” I said apologetically from the back of the elevator.
I doubt Tyler heard - he was already getting the message from the body language of the folks in front of me - but when the door closed and we started moving again I thought I might have heard that famed high-pitched yowl that once had him dubbed the “Demon of Screamin’.”
Actually, I did walk alongside another singer in a stadium hallway after New York had beaten the New England Patriots, 21-17.
Seal - minus supermodel wife Heidi Klum from whom he has just separated — was with former Giant great Michael Strahan and they were in a rush to get to the Giants dressing room. He didn’t ask me about my wife, so I didn’t ask about his and we walked along in silence.
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Matt Light , New England veteran left tackle from Greenville, had an impressive game Sunday, keeping the Giants super-active pass rushers - Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul - from getting to Pats quarterback Tom Brady.
Although Brady was sacked twice, neither of those losses came on Light.
In fact, the 11-year vet so negated Pierre-Paul on one play - bulldozing him onto all four as Brady completed a four-yard TD pass to running back Danny Woodhead just before the half - that the Giants right end resorted to pounding the field with his fist in frustration.
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Eli Manning now has bested Brady twice in Super Bowls, Each time — Sunday night and four years ago in Super Bowl XLII - he orchestrated the come-from-behind victory with a game-ending drive that culminated with a TD in the final minute. Such heroics have made him the MVP in each game.
And with two Super Bowl victories he now has won one more than big brother Petyon, the more celebrated Manning…for now.
In the preseason Eli took a lot of heat for an honest answer he gave during a radio interview in New York.
He was asked is he thought he was one of the game’s “elite” quarterbacks, on a level with Brady, who has three Super Bowl rings.
He said he thought he was and he was criticized by some who pointed to his league-leading 25 interceptions the year before.
That effort a year past is looking more and more like the aberration on his resume, not the other way around.
After Sunday’s game - in which Manning completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, a TD and his eighth come from behind victory of the season — Giants coach Tom Coughlin had no problem with the elite designation:
“He deserves all the credit in the world. That was quite a drive he put together at the end of the game. He put our team on his shoulders once again. As he’s shown all year, he’s amazing in the fourth quarter when the game is on the line.”
Archie Manning - Eli and Peyton’s dad and an All Pro quarterback himself in the NFL - was proud of his son’s performance Sunday night, but wasn’t ready for any post-game coronations,
When asked if he had ever contemplated the possibility of having TWO Hall Of Fame sons, he said: “No, absolutely not. I don’t know anything about the Hall of Fame. Eli is in his eighth year and I know one thing. He might have said earlier in the year that he belonged with the elite quarterbacks. He will not be saying that he belongs in the Hall of Fame.”
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