The New England Patriots are dealing with a tough situation when it comes to the murder case involving tight end Aaron Hernandez and since the outcome of the investigation is unknown, there is a chance the team could lose one of the top offensive players for some time next season through a suspension or something else.
If the Hernandez case goes bad for the tight end and he is arrested like some reports have him being for obstruction of justice, one player that could benefit is Jake Ballard, which is more likely that Tim Tebow, which many have been writing about as well. Ballard was picked up in a shrewd move by head coach Bill Belichick, as he claimed the tight end last year when the Giants placed him on waivers in the hopes of stashing him there to add another player to the roster.
This followed the Super Bowl victory by the Giants over the Patriots and in that game Ballard was injured and both teams knew that he wouldn't be playing at all last year. Now that move looks genius, as Ballard was very productive with the Giants and he has finally recovered from his injuries and that could bail out the Patriots big time. If he can prove that he is healthy for the season, it would help soften the blow for the Hernandez issue as well as the surgeries to Rob Gronkowski this offseason.
Hernandez has been involved in a case that is being investigated by police as a homicide, as an associate of his named Odin Lloyd was found a mile from the tight end's home and shot multiple times. The 27-year-old was linked through Hernandez's girlfriend and he reportedly was seen with the tight end the night the murder occurred. Police said that he was shot multiple times and that the shooting happened where the body was found.
Ballard spoke with ESPN Boston during minicamp for the Patriots and said he felt like one of the members of the team despite having to come back from an injury for so long and he could give the Patriots some solid production. In Ballard's last healthy season he had 38 receptions for 604 yards and four touchdowns and that included a solid game against the Patriots in the regular season.
Ballard looked good in offseason workouts, but he was injured at one point during OTAs, when he made a catch from Tom Brady for a nice game and he then had to hobble to the sidelines. IT was on the same leg he had the serious ACL tear in the Super Bowl, but the injury was focused on the ankle and nt the knee, so that was a positive sign. Ballard walked off on his own back then and he might need to play a bigger part than Belichick expected with Gronkowski and Hernandez ahead of him.
