Bob Smizik: Steelers, Ward Need Each Other

Friday, July 29, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers are a football team but, as Hines Ward is learning, they play hardball, too.
There might not be a more formidable team in professional sports negotiations than the Steelers.
That doesn't mean they're cheap. They're not. They spend as much as most teams, more than some. But unlike so many teams that will pay whatever it takes, the Steelers pay whatever they think is fair. No more.

Once they draw a financial line, they don't often cross it.

Which might not bode well for the 2005 season.

Ward, one of the premier wide receivers in the NFL and highly integral to the team's offensive success, is entering the final year of his contract. He wants an extension that will pay him what he considers the going rate for players of his caliber.

If he doesn't get it, he said he won't report to training camp Sunday. He also suggested that he would sit out the 2005 season if a contract to his liking is not forthcoming.

Without Ward, the Steelers would be a pale imitation of the team that was 15-1 in 2004 and advanced to the AFC title game. He is their best receiver and a peerless blocker whose zest for physical play not only enhances the running game but helps to make him the team's most popular player and the one who most embodies the Steelers' way.

His absence would be felt even more profoundly since the Steelers already have lost their other starting wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, who signed in the offseason with the New York Giants.
If Ward does not play this season, it would leave second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger without his go-to guy and with a severely depleted receiving corps.

Asked if he would report to camp without a contract, Ward said, "I will not be there."

Asked if he would sit out the entire season, Ward said, "If that's what it has to come down to."
He quickly added he didn't think it would go that far.

It all depends on how hard Ward wants to play his hand. The Steelers might bend in these negotiations, but they won't break.

Ward was particularly annoyed that so little had been done in the way of negotiations to this point. He pushed last summer for a new contract and considered not reporting to camp. He backed off that stance before acting on it and had another brilliant year and played in his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl.

At the time, the Steelers said signing Ward to a contract extension would be a "priority." The fact they signed first-round draft choice Heath Miller, who received a $5 million signing bonus, before Ward makes that priority somewhat suspect.

Fans have rallied to the support of Ward, whose all-out style of play, ever-present smile and willingness to speak candidly on a variety of subjects makes him one of the most popular figures in recent Pittsburgh sports history.

What must be understood in these discussions is that there is no right or wrong here. Both sides can be right. Both sides can be wrong. There's no scientific formula for evaluating the worth of a player. Like buying a house, the value is in the eye of the beholder. Understandably, the player might have a higher opinion of his value than the team.

The Rooney family knows full well Ward is a premier player and toward that end they have made him a healthy offer which is believed to include a signing bonus in the $8 million range. That sounds impressive, but without knowing the dollar amount of the annual contract it's fairly meaningless. Signing bonuses are the only guaranteed money a player receives and exceedingly important. But a player of Ward's stature is going to make a significant annual salary, and it's not like he's in danger of being cut and not receiving it.

Ward and his agent, as is their right, have declined the Steelers' offer and made a counteroffer, which is where negotiations currently stand.

Ward made clear he's not seeking the kind of money the Indianapolis Colts paid Marvin Harrison. But he wants to be close to the best-paid wide receivers.

Where does it go from here? It depends on how entrenched the sides are.

The Steelers need Ward. Without him they are not a championship contender. But the Rooney family has shown in the past it will put financial principle above even winning.

Ward needs the Steelers. With or without Ward, the Steelers will have gross revenues well into the nine-figure range. If Ward sits out, his gross revenue is zero. More significant, if he sits out, he does not get the service time that would make him a free agent at the end of the season. He'd be right back where he started.

Cooler heads and softer stances will prevail. Ward might miss some training camp, which means nothing. He's so good and so dedicated he could report the week of the first game and not only be ready to play but be a significant factor.

Somewhere between now and then, this will be settled. Both sides have too much to lose not to do so.

(Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.)