‘Housework’ Means Getting Waxed By Ballard

It’s short-selling Howard Ballard a bit to say that he blocks people. “Blocks” implies an obstruction - not destruction.

It suggests contact - not devastation.

It hints of clearing a path - not paving a four-lane freeway.

No, at 6-foot-6 and 336 surprisingly lean and agile pounds, Ballard doesn’t just block; he is plate tectonics at work. He’s Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 about to bash into Jupiter.

And now, at a price of $10.5 million over four years, he belongs to the Seattle Seahawks.

Nicknamed “House” because of his profound dimensions, Ballard is more of a mobile home.

“He is never out of place, never off balance, and never on the ground,” marveled Hawks line coach Howard Mudd.

For the past three seasons, Ballard has been voted to the All-AFC team by one group or another, and the last two years, he’s been an AFC starter in the Pro Bowl.

He was viewed as the finest offensive lineman on the Buffalo Bills, a team that has advanced to four consecutive Super Bowls.

In light of that background, coming as a free agent to a team that has won only eight games in the past two years certainly had to be a disquieting proposition.

“For me, no, no problem at all,” said Ballard, a genial and soft-spoken giant. “I feel like something is in store for me, there’s a plan at work. I would have liked to stay, sure, like anybody would want to stay in the job they’re used to, but when an opportunity arises, you move on and make the best of it.”

Ballard, who started 80 consecutive games for the Bills and never missed a game because of injury, sprained his ankle early in training camp and has been used sparingly thus far.

But his impact is obvious.

“It’s nice to have him up there,” quarterback Rick Mirer said. “Here’s a guy who’s gone to the Pro Bowl twice, so you know how much talent he has. I hated to see Andy (Heck, a free-agent refugee to Chicago) leave, but they sure got somebody good to replace him.”

Ballard’s success story is a slightly improbable one. The 12th in a family of 13 children in rural Ashland, Ala., Ballard was a robust 12 pounds, 6 ounces at birth.

“Believe it or not, though, I wasn’t very big until junior high, when I had a growth spurt,” he said.

Although numerous colleges sought his talents, he selected NCAA Division II Alabama A&M.

“The thing I liked about it was they were graduating so many of their players and it was by majority a black school,” Ballard said. “I had gone to a high school that was by majority white and it was a change for me. I went about two months before I saw a white person. I almost went up and hugged him.”

The Bills drafted him in the 11th round after his junior year in 1987, but he chose to stay and obtain his degree.

Upon arrival at Buffalo, the reluctant Ballard was tagged with his nickname — one for which he continues to hold a mild dislike.

“Unfortunately, that’s been with me since about the first week in camp my rookie year,” Ballard said. “That’s the first time I’ve been called anything but my name and the first couple of years I had problems with it. But guys kept at it and then the fans took over so there was nothing I could do to change it. So, you learn to live with what you can’t change.”

Ballard is one who has not changed much, despite his fame and wealth.

He continues to be rooted in Alabama, and has invested considerable money in youth programs in the region.

And, he has a hands-on concern over the law and order in his hometown.

“He’s been on our sheriff’s reserves for a long time,” said Joyce Curlea of the Clay County Sheriffs Department. “He bought us a brand new car a while back.”

Why?

“Because he likes us and he’s a very fine man,” she said.

Ballard frequently helped make runs with the sheriffs to serve warrants - certainly providing a frightening presence on the doorstep of any criminal.

At age 30, Ballard said he is eager to start helping the Seahawks contend for the playoffs, and sees the club as one on the rise.

“I think they look a lot like the Bills in 1988 when things were really about to get started really going for them,” he said.

The shift in systems has been no problem for Ballard since “most plays in the NFL are about the same, you just use a different name; mostly it’s just a matter of beating the guy in front of you.”

Which he has done quite a bit over the past seven years.

Still, when asked to pinpoint a career highlight, a moment of which he is most proud, Ballard is stumped.

“Nothing I can think of right off,” he said. “I guess maybe that moment is ahead of me. Something great I’m going to experience with the Seahawks.”

Howard Ballard Height: Six feet, six inches. Weight: 336 lbs. College: Alabama A&M NFL experience: Six years with Buffalo Bills. Contract: Four years, $10.5 million. Nickname: House. Honors: Pro Bowl starter 1992, 1993. Hobbies: Helps serve warrants with Clay County, Ala., Sheriff’s Dept. in the off-season. Factoid: Weighed 12 lbs., 6 oz. at birth.