Teammates excited to see receiver return; Cowher's 'talk' plays big role
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
On a night when they didn't need Hines Ward -- or any other offensive player, for that matter -- the Steelers threw open their arms and ecstatically welcomed their four-time Pro Bowl receiver back to the team.
And probably nobody was happier than Jerome Bettis, who just the other day cautioned Steelers management about mishandling the contract situation and sending the wrong message to players.
"It was great to see him back," Bettis said. "Now we can move forward."
"It's like we found one of our lost kids," inside linebacker James Farrior said. "It's a very joyful day."
"He lit up the room when he walked in," running back Verron Haynes said.
Ward was on the sideline for a 38-31 preseason victory last night against the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field, a game in which the Steelers scored on a interception return by Willie Williams, a punt return by Ricardo Colclough and a kickoff return by Ike Taylor.
Ward ended his contract holdout as a sign of what he called "good faith" and will report to training camp in Latrobe tomorrow for the final two-a-day session at St. Vincent College.
"It gives us a lot of optimism because our guys know he's here," Bettis said. "All that other stuff is behind us. It's a shot of adrenaline for him to be on the sideline."
"If we want to go where we set our goals, we need him, we need Duce [Staley] and we need Joey [Porter]," said Haynes, who, like Ward, played at Georgia.
Ward said one of the reasons he returned was because he had a long phone conversation Sunday night with coach Bill Cowher, a call Ward initiated.
"Hines Ward has done a lot for this football team and I want to surround myself with players like that," Cowher said. "We have a relationship that's been built and time-tested, and you'd like to think you'd be able to be there for a guy and talk to him about certain things."
Cowher, though, didn't have just one conversation with Ward. He said they talked periodically during his holdout.
"Like I said, he means a lot to this team and I hope we can get this thing rectified in the very, very near future and we can move on," Cowher said.
During the holdout, the Steelers continued to have discussion with representatives for the four-time Pro Bowl receiver, despite their stance of not negotiating with players who are not in training camp.
Toward the end of last week, Ward's representatives were leading the Steelers to believe Ward was leaning toward reporting late in the regular season merely to play out the final year of his contract and become a free agent. That caused the Steelers to believe their contract proposals were not accurately being portrayed to Ward by his representatives.
"The team policy is they don't negotiate with players that aren't at camp," Ward said in a news conference before the game. "I'm here -- that's me showing good faith. I'm here showing that I want to get something resolved and I hope something can come about that both sides can agree on something that is fair."
Ward said he is not interested in being paid the same as Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens or Randy Moss, referring to their salary numbers as "ridiculous ... I wouldn't try to ask for that." His only interest, he said, is seeking a contract that will allow him to retire as a Steelers player.
"He's very important to us," Farrior said. "He's one of the main guys on the team, he's a leader on the team. Everyone knows what he brings to the team."
Ward's return will shift the focus back to where it was in the offseason -- specifically, which receiver will replace Plaxico Burress in the starting lineup, Antwaan Randle El or newcomer Cedrick Wilson.
"My son told me right before I left for the game; I didn't know it," Randle El said. "My reaction was great, he's back, he's back, let's do it. We knew it was going to work out. It was just a matter of when. I'm sure he'll get back to his old ways."
(Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1466.)
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