http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Steelers WR Hines Ward tosses the ball during practice on the South Side Wednesday while nursing his sore knee.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald got to know each other when the latter starred at Pitt, and the two have been exchanging text messages.
Fitzgerald jokingly sent one to Ward asking if he and the Steelers would take a dive on Feb. 1 because they have already won a Super Bowl. Ward's response: He wants another ring.
In his quest to add to his jewelry collection, Ward has been setting an alarm clock so he can wake up early and pack his right knee in ice. He said he also has been doing the twice-a-day rehabilitation regimen the Steelers' medical personnel put together for him.
The measures Ward is taking to accelerate his return from a sprained knee and the resolve he has shown during his NFL career have left little if any doubt in the Steelers' locker room that he will play against the Cardinals.
And Ward reiterated what he said after the AFC Championship Game in regard to his status for Super Bowl XLIII.
"I will be on that field," Ward said.
Ward will not test the knee he sprained in the first quarter of the Steelers' 23-14 win over Baltimore until the Steelers go to Tampa, Fla. He said he expects to practice next week, and one reason why Ward is optimistic that he will make a speedy recovery is because of the nature of the injury.
"The sprain is high, not low. It's more in the quad area, the high knee, I guess," Ward said. "That's where all the blood supply goes to, so it makes the healing process a little easier. If you sprain it, you want to sprain it there."
Ward said he would play in the Super Bowl if it were this Sunday, which is a reflection not only of the magnitude of the game but also the timing of it.
As Ward said, the offseason will give him plenty of time to heal, and that sentiment is not uncommon among players who have gotten this far.
"I played in Super Bowl XL with a torn knee," said left tackle Max Starks, who tore the meniscus during the regular season that year. "He may not be able to move as fast, but knowing Hines I wouldn't see him not playing."
Ward's game never has been predicated on sheer speed. And that is something he acknowledged when asked if his speed would be compromised by the knee injury.
"What speed?" Ward said with a grin. "I'm the slowest guy in the league, right?"
If the 32-year-old Ward has lost a step, it didn't show this season.
He posted his first 1,000-yard receiving season since 2004, and earlier this month he joined John Stallworth as the only Steelers players with 1,000 receiving yards in postseason play.
"In my opinion, and I think I would believe this even if he was on a different team, is that he's the best wide receiver I've ever seen play," Steelers All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu said. "Aside from that, what he does when we are running the ball with his blocking -- he's probably the best blocking wide receiver in the history of the game.
"He's got great hands. He doesn't drop any balls. It will be very important for us (that Ward plays)."
To Ward, the MVP of Super Bowl XL, there isn't a question of whether he will play.
And he is taking steps, such as icing his knee around the clock, to ensure that he takes the field against the Cardinals.
"It's 24-hour treatment for me throughout the whole week," Ward said. "I won't miss the Super Bowl."
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