Ward's exit speech redefines tear-jerker

By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

March 21, 2012

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, right, announces his retirement from the NFL at the Steeler's offices in Pittsburgh Tuesday, March 20, 2012. In rear from left listening are: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, and Steelers President and co-owner Art J. Rooney II. (AP)

Well, I hope you're happy; you made him cry.

That's you, Steelers Nation, you fans from Pittsburgh to Pittston to Paris to Piracicaba, Brazil, and everywhere else in The Constellation of the Towel. You were the reason Hines Ward came back to Steelers headquarters Tuesday for one last real wet weep.

That Ward got released by the franchise he loved Feb. 29 surprised few, and that he quickly retreated from his stated intention to play further and chose instead to retire as a Steeler surprised perhaps some, but that he melted into a persistent lacrimation within minutes of his moment surprised no one.

Someone in the Steelers organization has the official results, but linebacker James Harrison, seated behind me at the noon news conference, called the first secretion at 2:26 of Ward's last official act.
Ward somehow got through an additional 25 minutes.

Harrison sat with former Ward teammates Jerome Bettis, Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel, and said unashamedly "we're doing an over/under on tears."

You think they were kidding?

Harrison seem like a kidder?

Ward cried early and often, late and often, pretty much doing the whole thing in a heavy mist, and, for anyone not terribly familiar with No. 86, it was as completely genuine as it was target specific:

"The one thing I love more than football," he gulped. "Steelers Nation and the fans."

Ward said he couldn't imagine playing for another team, which actually might have been the only way he could have played for another team, imagining it. The pounding snowstorm of outrageous free-agent cash that blanketed the NFL's receiving corps this month left Ward's sidewalk as dry and sunny as this new Pittsburgh spring.

I was hoping this presser was staged so that Ward could announce he was running for governor, which wouldn't be the first trail blazed for him by Lynn Swann. Though Swann could counsel Ward on any political aspirations, there's no confirmation Hines has any, at least not beyond the sometimes nonsensical politics of who winds up in Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Read More: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/gene-collier/wards-exit-speech-redefines-tear-jerker-627212/

Related: "Hines Ward's Last Down" -
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/hines-wards-last-down-627231/

Hines Ward deserves to make Hall of Fame

By Jamison Hensley

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/

March 1, 2012

 

 

 

When Hines Ward decides to call it quits -- and he should definitely consider retiring as a Pittsburgh Steeler after the team announced it will release him -- he will have completed a Hall of Fame career.

Whether Ward sees his bust immortalized in Canton is up for debate. He is certainly far from a slam dunk to get voted into the Hall of Fame, and the odds are currently against him from getting inducted. But he deserves to be there.

Ward should get in for his productivity. He is one of eight players in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions.

Ward should get in for his consistency. He averaged 85.6 catches during a nine-year period (2001 to '09).

Ward should get in for his toughness. He is the only wide receiver who will be remembered as much for his bone-jarring hits as his clutch catches.

Perhaps the best argument for Ward's enshrinement is that there are only two players in NFL history to catch 1,000 passes and win multiple Super Bowls: Ward and Jerry Rice. That's elite status, which is what the Hall of Fame represents. It's the best of the best.

The reality is Ward will have trouble making the Hall of Fame. Just ask Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed. They've been waiting for years, even though their credentials say they should get in. Brown ranks fourth on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list and sixth in touchdown catches. Carter is eighth in yards and fourth in touchdowns.

One theory is that voters are split among those three receivers, so Carter, Brown and Reed cancel one another out. Another theory is Hall of Fame voters don't value wide receivers, which is something Carter believes.

Only seven receivers in the Hall of Fame started their careers after the 1970 AFL-NFL merger: Michael Irvin, Steve Largent, James Lofton, Art Monk, Rice, John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. That's fewer than quarterbacks, running backs, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs.
The struggles of Carter and Brown to get into the Hall work against Ward. He has significantly fewer catches, receiving yards and touchdowns than each of them. Ward also has been to half as many Pro Bowls. In many ways, getting into the Hall of Fame is a numbers game, and that's not what Ward wants to hear.

Ward's best shot at reaching the Hall of Fame is his entire body of work. He wasn't the best deep threat. He wasn't the receiver with the most touchdowns. But he was the most complete wide receiver of his generation. No wide receiver blocked like Ward, and he fearlessly made catches over the middle. His reputation will stand the test of time.

Receivers are often considered divas. Ward is ruthless. He's an old-school player who stood out because of his physical play.

"Is there another receiver in the past 12 years who has a tougher reputation than Hines?" Swann said.

Once the Hall of Fame voters resolve this current logjam with wide receivers, Ward could be faced with another one once he is eligible. (A player becomes a candidate five years after his final game.) He could be going against the likes of Terrell Owens (No. 2 on the all-time receiving yards list), Randy Moss (No. 5) and Marvin Harrison (No. 6). This could mean a long wait for Ward, who is 18th on that list.

From my perspective, Ward has strong enough numbers to put himself in the Hall of Fame conversation. It's his other credentials -- violent blocker, Super Bowl MVP and great leader -- that put him over the top.

Hall of Fame-Worthy?

How Hines Ward compares to the three wide receivers who are having trouble making the Hall of Fame:

WR	Rec.	Yards	TDs	Pro Bowls
Tim Brown	1,094	14,934	105	9
Cris Carter	1,101	13,899	130	8
Andre Reed	951	13,198	87	7
Hines Ward	1,000	12,083	85	4

So Long, Hines

By Jim Wexell
Steel City Insider
http://pit.scout.com/
March 1, 2012

It’s a car that came into the league in 1998 and has taken me all the way around Steeler Nation and still runs pretty well today.
Well, sometimes.

It does break down every once in a while, and when I bring it to the shop the mechanic asks me, “How old is this thing?”

And I say, “How old is Hines Ward?”

And then we have a good laugh.

But the ride is over. Ward, who also came into the league in 1998, is leaving. At least he’s leaving Pittsburgh. So I may need a new car, just like the Steelers need a new beast.

Sure, it’s a clunker of an analogy, but it's hard saying goodbye to something so reliable. So all I can say to Hines is what Neil Young once said in a song about his old car: “Long May You Run.”

* I met Hines Ward at minicamp in “the ghetto” of the Three Rivers Stadium locker room in 1998. It was an annex of the locker room where the Steelers put all of their rookies, except for their first three draft picks. Ward was the fourth that year, but regardless of his status Hines was ebullient that day. You could tell right then that he had found his new home.

* What a champ, I thought. “Rookie of the Year,” I wrote.

* Ward didn’t win any awards that season, but who will ever forget the tackles he made on special teams that first preseason? Or his number 15?

* I remember the Monday night game in Kansas City in 1998, when Ward came out of the huddle trying to get the glove off his right hand, and I remember thinking that something was up just before he got the ball and threw a 17-yard pass back to Kordell Stewart on third-and-10.

* Ward’s friend Bobby Shaw once told me to ask Ward about the “target board.” It was something Ward had put up in the wide receivers’ meeting room. “If there’s a DB who wants to play dirty, trying to punk somebody out, we’ll put him on there,” Ward explained. “Once he’s on there, somebody has to go after him on every play.”

* The “target board” came to symbolize the rest of Ward’s career. It was born out of a response to a cheap shot Bills safety Kurt Schultz had put on Troy Edwards during a preseason game.

Read More: http://pit.scout.com/2/1163525.html

Ward's game was pure joy

By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
March 1, 2012

This is the era when just about everything accomplished on a football field is framed as an act of defiance: a football is spiked viciously; a breastbone is beaten repeatedly in thumping self-aggrandizement; a standard touchdown comes replete with posturing and screaming.

So let's remember this today: That is not how Hines Ward played football.

At the completion of perhaps the prettiest play in Super Bowl history, with Hines racing under an exquisite rollout pass from Antwaan Randle El to drown the Seattle Seahawks, the enduring emblem of Ward's career flashed blindingly into the annals of sports photography.

That smile.

Oh my word, look at that beaming enamel as he carries the ball like a newborn into the Ford Field end zone. The NFL put it on a raft of official publications the next year; it was that iconic, that unusual.

Here's a guy playing football ... joyously!

Apparently it was still legal then.

So really, that's the era that ended Wednesday just short of dinner time, the era when football excellence could be conveyed as unrestrained fun rather than some dutiful execution of grim responsibility, some soulless quest for vengeance.

None of this will say the Steelers erred in any way when they released Ward after 14 seasons, but neither will it avoid the truth that they did indeed wipe the smile off their face.

"I gave my heart and soul to you every down," Ward said to Steelers fans in a statement that swiftly followed Art Rooney II's announcement that No. 86 won't be back. "And I will always bleed black and gold."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12061/1213599-150-0.stm#ixzz1nsSPKZyo

Hines a Steelers legend

By Joe Starkey, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, March 1, 2012

Put a face on the Steelers' modern history, one that represents not only the franchise's glorious achievement but also its attitude and aura.

Art Rooney and his stogie would be an obvious choice, as would Jack Lambert and his toothless, raging scowl.

Mean Joe Greene's glare or Chuck Noll's pensive stare would work, as well.

But there is at least one more mug that deserves special mention: Hines Ward's.

In a smiling pose, of course. Was there any other?

The topic arises in the wake of the Steelers announcing they will release Hines — it doesn't seem right to refer to him as "Ward," does it? — before March 13.

It is the right move, even though Hines made it clear he'd be willing to play for allowance money. One of the reasons the Steelers perpetually reload, as opposed to rebuild, is that they remove emotion when making business decisions.

They do not believe Hines merits a spot on their roster. Therefore, he is finished as a Steeler after 14 incredible seasons.

In some 40 years of watching football, I can't say I've seen a more complete player. By complete, I mean productive, consistent, tough — a factor on nearly every snap.

I don't know that I've seen many wide receivers crack down on defensive ends. Haven't seen any break a linebacker's jaw. Never saw one besides Hines light up Ed Reed and Bart Scott in the same game.

Come to think of it, I never saw one lose a shoe and outrun DeAngelo Hall, either.

That was the big lie about Hines — that he wasn't real athletic. True, he was no blazer. But the man played multiple positions at an SEC school (Georgia), including quarterback, and even in his final decrepit season was leaping over Titans safety Michael Griffin to score.

Off the field, Hines spoke his mind. He was a self-promoter, for sure, but at the same time the ultimate team player. You could ask any of the team's younger receivers about how Hines mentored them even as his playing time shrunk.

Hines told us so many times, in so many settings, that "nobody thought I could do it." The saying became a punch line.

But you know what? It was true. When Hines walked into Steelers headquarters in 1998, a third-round pick without an ACL in his left knee, barely 6 feet tall, I'm guessing nobody looked at him and said, "That guy's going to put up better numbers than Swann and Stallworth."


Read more: Starkey: Hines a Steelers legend - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/columnists/starkey/s_784246.html#ixzz1nsQbFNjQ

Pass-catching skill, toughness define Ward

By Mike Wilkening
http://www.profootballweekly.com/
February 29, 2012

Hines Ward catches a pass in front of Johnathan Wade #26 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the game on December 12, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

The Steelers took Hines Ward after 14 other wide receivers were taken in the 1998 NFL draft, and they selected him with a compensatory pick, one of four they were awarded because of free-agent losses the previous offseason. Most notably, the Steelers lost OLB Chad Brown to Seattle, which inked him to a six-year, $24 million deal.

Ward played a minor role in his first season, catching 15 passes. But by 1999, he was a starter, and he was a fixture in the Steelers' lineup for much of the next 11 seasons, thriving no matter what personality the Pittsburgh offense had taken.

Ward's career in Pittsburgh ended Wednesday, with the club announcing his impending release. Perhaps Ward, who turns 36 on March 8, will sign elsewhere. In a statement released Wednesday, Ward, according to NFL.com, said he was "looking forward to playing in the NFL, again, this upcoming season."

Smart and tough, perhaps Ward still can be effective against zone coverage. Teams looking for a possession receiver could do worse.

And he will block. Yes, he will block. It says it all about Ward that it is necessary to mention his blocking this high in the story, for if I didn't, you would say, "Well, all these numbers are nice … but what about all the times he LEVELED defensive players?"

In a 2009 game at Cincinnati, Ward famously clobbered Bengals OLB Keith Rivers with a helmet-to-helmet block. The play broke Rivers' jaw and ended his season, and the league later outlawed similar blocks.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Ward did more than his part to contribute to the Steelers' collective physicality, but his pass-catching skill and productivity ultimately will be what puts him in the Hall of Fame discussion. He caught 1,000 passes in his 14 seasons, becoming only the eighth player to reach quadruple digits in receptions. He exceeded 90 catches four times, and as recently as 2009. He was a standout in his first Super Bowl, garnering game MVP honors with five receptions, 123 yards and a TD catch. When the Steelers captured another NFL title three years later, Ward again was a key contributor, hauling in one reception of at least 38 yards in all three of Pittsburgh's postseason wins.

Those moments comprise part of Ward's legacy in Pittsburgh. The little things, though, are essential to his story. Grinding his way forward on a screen pass, working his way open for Ben Roethlisberger time-and-again in key situations — that was the essence of Hines Ward. A little more than 84 percent of his receptions went for less than 20 yards.

Ward's release is not a total surprise. His role had diminished last season, with Antonio Brown taking his starting spot. If Ward had returned to Pittsburgh, he might have been the fourth or fifth option at his position.

Whatever is next for Ward, we know this much: the Steelers were rather well-compensated for their free-agency troubles of 1997. And few have ever done more with their NFL shots than Hines Ward.

Steelers disrespecting Ward

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Monday, February 13, 2012

Just to get this on the record: I won't complain if the Steelers release Hines Ward, given his performance last season, the three young receivers ahead of him and that he'll turn 36 next month. I also won't complain if the Steelers keep Ward by securing a huge pay cut from the $4 million he's due in 2012.

These aren't easy calls for the front office, but either would be the right call from the football standpoint.

If only someone can find the fortitude to make it.

And make it The Steelers Way.

Remember that?

Goes something like this ...

Player X — let's call him Franco Harris, Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland or Joey Porter — looks to have reached the finish line.

Coach Y — let's call him Chuck Noll or Bill Cowher — addresses that player respectfully but forthrightly: Thanks for everything. It's time to part ways.

Team Z elsewhere might give that player a chance, or the player might choose to retire. Either way, the Steelers move on. And, just as important, they maintain their reputation for being first-class in these affairs.

So how to explain the classless way they're treating Ward?

The day after the playoff loss in Denver, Mike Tomlin declined to address the Ward topic, unless you count, "We love Hines." There was no commitment nor a timetable to establish one. And that's no stunner. When I asked Tomlin about Ward's demotion in November, Tomlin abruptly ended the interview. He's been hypersensitive to this for months.

Team president Art Rooney II did address Ward in his end-of-season meeting with reporters, saying, "You want it to end the right way whenever it ends, but it's a two-party decision. We'll evaluate how we feel about it over the next few weeks."

That at least was something, if only a hint that the Steelers might take Ward back if he takes that huge pay cut.

So why, according to Ward's representatives, has there been no formal contact from the team in the month and change since season's end?

And, way, way above that, who from the Steelers could have had the audacity to leak word to NFL Network — with the news broken Friday night by veteran reporter Jason La Canfora — that they don't want Ward back for 2012?

Whoever it was, that person or persons should look Ward in the eye and apologize.

I'm not getting into guessing the source of the leak. Only a handful in the Steelers' upper hierarchy would have hard knowledge of Ward's future, but there's still no way to narrow it down. Or, for that matter, to know if the leak was aimed at pressuring Ward to drop his price to rock bottom.

Again, if that's the goal, fine. The Steelers have big-time cap issues.

But to do it like this?

It wouldn't be the first time for such a tactic: In 2009, La Canfora wrote in an NFL.com chat that the Steelers were considering cutting Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton. That didn't happen, of course. But Hampton was aware of the report and, unlike the previous year, he showed up for training camp in good shape.

If the mission was to motivate Hampton, it was accomplished.

This is different, though. It's not about calories or contracts or other tales that have navigated this particular pipeline.

This is Hines Ward.

This is the franchise's most accomplished receiver, a two-time Super Bowl champion, a heart-and-soul contributor on and off the field. This is someone who, even when reduced to responding to this report through his Facebook account, wrote that he'll accept less money to "make sure" he stays with the Steelers.

He deserves some respect.

If Ward isn't done, if he can still help the receiving corps, if pending free agent Jerricho Cotchery is as unlikely as it appears to re-sign for more duty as a No. 4, then tell Ward as much. Work something out promptly.

If Ward is done, then tell him that sometime soon. Face to face. Man to man.

Used to be The Steelers Way.

Ward's 1,000th catch cements elite status

Milestone is latest feat in Hall of Fame career that's winding down

By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Monday, January 02, 2012

Steelers receiver Hines Ward got five receptions to reach 1,000 in his career, only the eighth receiver in NFL history to do so. (Peter Diana / Post-Gazette)

CLEVELAND -- Steelers MVP Antonio Brown grasped the significance of teammate Hines Ward's 1,000th career catch Sunday almost as easily as Ward latched onto quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's shovel pass.

"Hopefully, it gets him to the Hall of Fame," Brown said. "He's a big-timer. He deserves it."

Is there anyone out there willing to argue?

Ward's milestone catch in a 13-9 win against the Cleveland Browns merely was the topper to his astonishing career. It came in rather ignominious fashion, on a first-down play from the Steelers 41 early in the fourth quarter. Ward came in motion from Roethlisberger's right and grabbed the shovel pass in full stride only to find he had no place to run. Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson threw him down for a 3-yard loss.

At first, it didn't seem quite right. Ward's 1,000th should have gone for a touchdown, right? At the very least, it should have gone for a first down.

But a 3-yard loss?

It seemed so cheap.

But that thought passed quickly.

"It was the [best] minus catch I've ever had," Ward said, grinning.

Clearly, the man wasn't in the mood to apologize. Good for him. He had no reason to apologize, not after becoming just the eighth player in NFL history to get 1,000 catches. Against the Cincinnati Bengals Dec. 4, he became the 19th wide receiver to get to 12,000 receiving yards.

"When we're talking about Hines Ward and professional football," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, "he's in the category of the small few."

Ward's numbers are phenomenal, but there is so much more to his career. He has played in three Super Bowls and will start down the path toward what he hopes is a fourth when the Steelers begin the playoff grind Sunday in Denver against the Broncos. He has been on the winning side in two Super Bowls and was the MVP of Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks. He has been named to four Pro Bowl teams. He's one of the toughest players in NFL history, certainly one of the most ferocious blocking wide receivers.

It has been some career.

A Hall of Fame career.

"Amazing," Ward said.

Still, the 1,000th catch was no lock, especially after the Steelers coaches downsized Ward's role in the offense at midseason. After getting five catches Dec. 4 in that Cincinnati game, he needed 10 in the final four games. He had just one Dec. 8 against Cleveland and didn't catch a pass Dec. 19 in San Francisco. He still needed five catches against the Browns after getting four Dec. 24 against St. Louis.

"I was nervous going into the game," Ward said.

It showed when Ward dropped a pass on the first play. But that didn't stop Roethlisberger from coming back to him. It was obvious the Steelers had two objectives: Win the game, and get Ward his five catches. His coaches and teammates had wanted him to get to 1,000 in the second half of the game against the Rams -- the Steelers won, 27-0 -- but, curiously, the Rams frequently double-covered him. The Browns used no such strategy. Seven times, Roethlisberger targeted Ward. The seventh time proved to be the money catch.

Even if it did lose 3 yards.

"Today is a double win for me, beating the Cleveland Browns on the road and getting to [a record of] 12-4 and getting 1,000 catches," Ward said. "It's an elite club to be in. I'm just ecstatic."

It's fair to wonder now if Ward will be back to add to his staggering numbers next season, which would be his 15th in the league. I don't think Tomlin and the coaches want him back even if he agrees to a big pay cut, much as his good friend, Jerome Bettis, did several years ago.

The coaches' consensus seems to be that Ward really can't play anymore. The front office could step in and force Tomlin to take him back. But now that Ward has his 1,000 catches, there's not nearly the same motivation to do that.

"I really haven't had time to reflect on that," Ward said when asked about his future. "I've been so focused on this team and helping the young guys and getting ready for the playoffs."

That's a change from what Ward had said in every interview in December. He had talked of definitely playing next season, hopefully with the Steelers but with another team if necessary.

"I'll have a long time to think about that [after the season]," Ward said. "You guys will be the first to know."

The guess here is Ward won't be back. We'll see him again in these playoffs, sure. But the next time we'll see him in a starring role will be at Canton, Ohio.

You know.

At his Hall of Fame induction.

Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Vinnie and Cook" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan. More articles by this author

Is Saturday the last home hurrah for Hines Ward?

By Mike Bires
mbires@timesonline.com
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
December 22, 2011

Pittsburgh Steelers receivers Hines Ward and Mike Wallace sit on the bench during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Dec 4, 2011. (AP)

PITTSBURGH -- These are trying times for Hines Ward. That's easy to tell. He's just not flashing his trademark smile as often as he's done so many times over the years.

He may be the franchise's all-time receptions leader. He may be a future Hall of Famer. But as he gets closer to his 36th birthday, he's clearly being phased out of the Steelers' offense.

So the question begs to be asked: Might Saturday's game against the St. Louis Rams mark the last time Ward plays at Heinz Field?

"It's hard to even think about," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "It's not like we go, 'Hines, is this your last year?'

"We don't know. I don't think he knows. Nobody knows. Obviously, we all know there's a chance it could be. It's tough to think about, and it's tough to talk about it. We really don't know how to feel about it yet."

The Christmas Eve game against the Rams could be the Steelers' last home game this season -- if they don't overtake the Ravens and win the AFC North. The Steelers have already clinched at least a wild-card berth, and if they remain a wild card, they'll open the playoffs on the road and figure to stay on the road unless the top four seeds lose.

Ward, who holds 13 team pass receiving records, is under contract through the 2013 season. But would he want to return next year as the fourth or fifth receiver in the rotation? Would the organization want him back in that role?

And if Ward does return next year, he would probably have to take a hefty pay cut. After all, he's due to make $4 million in base salary in 2012.

"No, I don't even think like that," Ward said when asked about Saturday possibly being his last home game in Pittsburgh. "Every year is different. I'm just glad to still be here. That thought hasn't even crossed my mind."

Ward, who turns 36 in March, began his 14th season as a starter. But in the Nov. 13 game in Cincinnati, he lost his starting job to emerging star Antonio Brown.

Along with third-year pro Mike Wallace, Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, who were both selected in last year's draft, give the Steelers a trio of young, fast and talented receivers. They're the Steelers' future at wideout.

In recent weeks, Ward has even dropped down in the pecking order behind eighth-year pro Jerricho Cotchery, who joined the Steelers in August.

In the past two games, the Steelers have thrown 67 passes. Only one was thrown to Ward. He had one catch on Dec. 8 against Cleveland but none Monday night in an Francisco.

"Anything is possible," Wallace said when asked if he thinks Ward will be back next year. "Hines has never said anything about it. No once. He just continues to show up and prepare for the next game."

When this season started, Ward needed 46 catches to become just the eighth receiver in NFL history to reach 1,000 in his career. With two games left, Ward has just 37 catches for 325 yards and just two touchdowns. He's on pace to have his worst season production-wise since he was a rookie in 1998.

And he still needs nine more receptions for the milestone.

"I'm on the cusp on 1,000, but I just want to win," he said. "The catches ... it really doesn't matter. We still have a chance to win the division. And it's always great to have a chance to win at home, especially this week with the game on Christmas Eve. This is special time of the year."

Veteran linebacker James Farrior hopes that if Saturday's game is indeed Ward's last in Pittsburgh, it will be special for the last guy who will ever wear No. 86 as a Steeler.

"To tell you the truth, we haven't really talked about it," Farrior said. "I don't know what Hines is thinking. But if this is going to be his last home game, we're going to send him out with a bang.

"He's got nine more catches to go (to reach 1,000). We've been counting them down with him all season. We've all been enjoying it. Hopefully, we can make it happen."

Steelers WR Ward ready to accept new role

By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Wednesday, November 16, 2011

CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 13: Nate Clements(notes) #22 of the Cincinnati Bengals dives to stop Hines Ward(notes) #86 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during play at Paul Brown Stadium on November 13, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Hines Ward didn't pout. He didn't question the limited number of plays he was on the field for Sunday. And he didn't wallpaper the Steelers locker room with his resume in case anyone has forgotten he is the most decorated receiver in Steelers history.

If Ward has been supplanted by two wide receivers who are still behind him on the Steelers' depth chart, he is taking the demotion in stride.

"It's not about me, it's about the team," said Ward, who watched much of the Steelers' 24-17 win in Cincinnati from the sidelines. "The bottom line is, we won the game."

Ward did not start against the Bengals — Antonio Brown got the nod opposite Mike Wallace — and he had just one catch for 10 yards.

Ward said the coaches did not talk to him about a reduced role before the game. The 14th-year veteran said his health was not an issue, even though he had been knocked out of the previous week's game with concussion-like symptoms.

He said the Steelers went into the game with separate packages when they used two wide receivers: one for him and Wallace, and one for Brown and Wallace.

The Steelers mostly went with Brown and Wallace out of the two-wide receiver sets. Jerricho Cotchery played ahead of Ward when the Steelers used three wide receivers.

"Those are questions for the coaches," Ward said when asked about it. "I just have to move forward. I am not going to be angry. I have to go out and continue being the player I am and a leader on this team."

Ward, who is in his seventh season as an offensive captain, is not accustomed to being the odd man out.

Ward is a former Super Bowl MVP, and he holds almost every Steelers receiving record. The 14th-year veteran is on the doorstep of two milestones — 1,000 career receptions and 12,000 receiving yards — but his pursuit of those has turned into a crawl.

Ward would end the season with 999 career catches if he averages three receptions per game, something he did through his first nine games.

If Ward is frustrated about becoming less of a factor in the passing game, he didn't show it yesterday.

"It's a different role," Ward said. "I am still going to be the biggest cheerleader because I want to win. Whatever I can do to help this team win ball games, giving advice or when my number is called (by) making a play. Just continue doing that and have a positive attitude."

His teammates said he has been nothing but positive.

Cotchery, who made his first touchdown catch as a Steeler last Sunday, calls Ward "my biggest supporter."

Wallace said Ward has reinforced the message that nobody is bigger than the team with the way he stayed in the game at Cincinnati.

"As soon as I'd get to the sidelines, he'd be like, 'You should have done this, you should have done that. I saw this, I saw that,' " Wallace said. "He sees everything and knows everything that's going on. He's like an extra coach out there.

"When you have a guy that's been here and the situation he's in and he's still positive about it, how can I come to the sidelines and be down or mad or have anything bad to say?"

Ward, who is 35 and in the next-to-last year of his contract, said it would be premature to write him off.

"I still believe in myself, probably more than most people," Ward said. "I just have to continue being positive, continue working hard."

Steelers' Ward says he'll know when it's time to step aside

Sunday, October 16, 2011

By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 9: Hines Ward(notes) #86 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs after the catch and scores a touchdown against Tommie Campbell(notes) #37 of the Tennessee Titans during the game on October 9, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Titans 38-17. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The question is not: Is Hines Ward finished as a player? He most certainly is not. Did you see him leap over safety Michael Griffin to score his second touchdown against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday?

The question is: Will Ward be content all season to play a lesser role for the Steelers? That one is harder to answer. It's always difficult for a future Hall of Famer to step aside. It's especially difficult for a player with Ward's pride.

"I don't want to be a cancer on this team," he said last week.

I believe him. I believed him when he added, "It's not about Hines Ward. It's about the Pittsburgh Steelers winning ballgames." He mentioned the great Larry Fitzgerald, an All-Pro wide receiver with the Arizona Cardinals and a former Pitt All-American. "He has 10 times more ability than me, but what has he won?" Ward asked. "I've talked to him about it. He told me he would trade it all to have one of my Super Bowl rings."

There's no doubt Ward -- at least in his mind -- is sincere when he says those things.

But I also know what his personal stats mean to him. I will bet you anything that he knows the exact numbers: 974 catches for 11,892 yards and 85 touchdowns. He's a lot like Pete Rose, who likely still remembers every one of his 4,256 base hits.

You, too, would be proud if you had those numbers next to your name.

But a player's staggering individual success, which, in Ward's case, has contributed mightily to great team success, can lead to an awkward situation as the player nears the end of his career. We might be getting close to that point with Ward. He said he feels as if he has lost nothing and plans on returning next season. But what if the Steelers don't want him back?

I repeat: Awkward.

Ward promised no one will have to tell him when it's time to quit. "I'll know when I can't get open consistently against a cornerback I know I should beat." But a lot of players say that and don't know when it's time or don't want to face the truth. What if that's Ward?

One more time: Awkward.

The situation already is a bit uncomfortable. Clearly, Ward no longer is the preferred target for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. "Mike [Wallace] is a rising superstar and Antonio [Brown] has a great rapport with Ben," Ward acknowledged. But it came across as a tough admission.

This next Ward quote did nothing to change that perception:

"My numbers might be down, but I can't control where the ball goes."

A lot of people took that as meaning there is an issue between Ward and Roethlisberger. It's no secret the two don't have a warm and fuzzy relationship, the low point coming when Ward publicly called out Roethlisberger for not playing against the Baltimore Ravens in 2009 after a concussion. But I don't believe that's what prompted Ward's observation about who controls the ball. He and Roethlisberger never have been anything less than true professionals and never have taken their feelings toward one another onto the field. Every quarterback and receiver should have such a lousy relationship if it means the kind of success Roethlisberger and Ward have shared. The two hooked up seven times on underneath passes for 54 yards and the two touchdowns against the Titans, the result, all agreed, of the Titans playing double coverage deep to take away the home-run ball to Wallace.

It's much more likely that Ward was speaking out of frustration and anger. Not anger toward Roethlisberger. Anger toward those who are saying he is washed up. And -- don't underestimate this -- anger toward the clock that keeps ticking unalterably toward the end of his wondrous career.

"I know it's an easy story to write that I'm 35 and I'm done," Ward said. "I'm no writer and I could write that one ...

"I feel like I'm still getting to my spots. I still think of myself as being a playmaker."

Ward mentioned his leap over Griffin. Few receivers have fought their way into the end zone with the zeal that he has during his 14 years in the NFL. This was his 50th red-zone touchdown catch since 2002. Only San Diego tight end Antonio Gates (51) has more during that period.

Yes, in case you're wondering, Ward knows he trails only Gates.

"I knew I still could jump over [Griffin]," he said. "But after I landed, I thought to myself, 'I can't believe I just did that.' Griffin is a pretty good safety in the league. He even told me, 'Man, that was a pretty good play.' I think he was surprised."

Chances are Ward has a few more good plays left in him. But how many? Who knows?

That ticking clock ...

I saw the same anger in Ward last week that I saw in Arnold Palmer after he played his final U.S. Open round at Oakmont Country Club in 1994. When Palmer was finished, it was as if he couldn't believe his amazing run in golf was over. It hacked him off.

Ward's time is coming, maybe after this season, maybe after next. He knows it. I truly hope his departure isn't awkward. That would be such a sad ending to an amazing success story.

Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Vinnie and Cook" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan. More articles by this author

Hines Ward still thriving for Steelers at 35

By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/pit
October 12, 2011

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward(notes) (86) heads to the end zone over Tennessee Titans safety Michael Griffin(notes), scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011. (AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Hines Ward doesn’t know where it comes from, really.

The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver doesn’t have many theories either. He can’t tell you why he leapt over Tennessee’s Michael Griffin at the goal line during the third quarter to score his second touchdown of the day in Pittsburgh’s easier than expected 38-17 rout.

Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was the memory of pulling a similar move over Denver’s Champ Bailey a few years ago. Maybe it was the residual effects of all that nifty footwork he displayed while winning “Dancing With the Stars” during the spring.

Ward doesn’t know and to be honest, he doesn’t care.

“I can’t put a finger on what made me do that,” Ward said, “but just to do that and to be able to help this team get going, that’s all that matters.”

That’s all that’s ever mattered to the 35-year-old Ward, even as his career numbers have reached staggering heights.

The 14-year veteran needs 13 yards against Jacksonville on Sunday to surpass Hall-of-Famer Michael Irvin for 19th on the all-time list. He’s 108 yards away from becoming just the 18th receiver to reach the 12,000-yard plateau and is 26 catches away from 1,000.

Heady numbers for any receiver, astronomical ones for a player on franchise that has built its foundation—and six Super Bowl championships—on running the ball.

It’s an onus that isn’t lost on Ward, arguably one of the greatest blocking receivers in history. He’s never hesitated to stick his 6-foot, 205-pound frame in the face of a linebacker in hopes of creating a seam for a back. His blue collar work ethic in a decidedly white collar position has endeared him to one of the NFL’s most ardent fan bases and made him one of the team’s unquestioned leaders.

One who took it upon himself to help the Steelers break out of an early season funk. Ward sat quietly at his locker a week ago after the team fell to 2-2 with a decisive loss at Houston and stressed there was no need to point fingers, adding there was more than enough blame to go around.

He then responded with a vintage performance, grabbing seven passes for 54 yards and his first two score game in two years. His 7.7 yards per reception is deceiving. Six of his seven catches went for first downs or touchdowns, including his balletic dive over Griffin that gave the Steelers a 28-3 lead in the third quarter.

“That’s Hines,” fellow wide receiver Antonio Brown said. “He’s passionate. He’s tough. He’s a guy you can learn from because he’s been doing it at a high level for so long.”

Ward has accepted a somewhat diminished role in the offense with typical grace. Third-year speedster Mike Wallace is developing into one of the top deep threats in the game. Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are younger and quicker. Tight end Heath Miller remains a favorite of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, particularly in the red zone.

Yet with the season at a critical point, Roethlisberger turned to the guy that’s been a dutiful security blanket for whoever has been under center since he joined the team in 1998. Kordell Stewart. Tommy Maddox. Mike Tomczak. Charlie Batch. Byron Leftwich. Whenever it’s third-and-6 there’s been little doubt where the ball is heading.

“I always pride myself on being the guy that Ben and this organization can lean your hat on, to be the dependable guy to go out and make play,” Ward said.

Though he knows his window is closing, don’t think it’s close to being shut.

“I can’t change my age, I know I’m 35,” Ward said. “That’s the story but for me it’s just a matter of just staying healthy.”

And Ward says he’s never felt better. While his teammates sat at home during the NFL lockout wondering when they’d get back to work, Ward was cha-chaing his way to the mirror ball trophy on “Dancing With the Stars.”

He’s reluctant to say all that two-stepping helped his footwork, but it certainly didn’t hurt. The glow of the victory, however, was tarnished by his arrest on a DUI charge in July. He apologized for the distraction but maintains his innocence.

If the arrest is a distraction, it doesn’t show. He’s on pace to top 60 receptions for the 11th time in his career, something Steeler greats John Stallworth and Lynn Swann combined to do five times, though Ward is quick to point out they have four Super Bowl rings and he has just two.

How many more rings, catches and well-choreographed touchdown dances does Ward have left? He’s not sure. Ward is signed through 2013, when he’ll be 37. If he stays injury free, he can see himself playing beyond that, though he cautions he won’t stick around along as fellow “Dancing With the Stars” alum Jerry Rice, who was catching passes until he was 42.

“I won’t play that long, trust me,” Ward said. “I take it one year at a time. When I look up and I’m going against a guy that I’m supposed to be getting open against all the time and I’m not, I’ll walk away from the game.”

Ward refuses to act age

By Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
September 20, 2011

PITTSBURGH - SEPTEMBER 18: Hines Ward(notes) #86 of the Pittsburgh Steelers makes a catch on the sideline in front of Walter Thurmond(notes) #28 of the Seattle Seahawks during the game on September 18, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Hines Ward admits that his “day is coming.” He knows that in time he will lose his starting job with the Steelers. He just hopes it doesn’t happen any time soon — as in this year.

Gone are the days when Ward runs routs as Ben Roethlisberger’s No. 1 target.

Ward may still be the self-proclaimed “leader of the wideouts” when it comes to know-how and leadership. But the main man on the receiving corps is now Mike Wallace, the third-year speedster who continues to put up remarkable numbers.

Then there are the two fleet-footed second-year pros, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders. Next year, one of them will surely nudge Ward closer to retirement. One of them will join Wallace in the starting lineup when the 2012 season begins. Both offer so much talent.

But for now, Ward remains a viable option. He may be 35 but he still has much to contribute. Granted, he’s not as fast as he was in his prime although he was never a burner to begin with. He may have a harder time getting open than he once did, especially against big, physical cornerbacks. No longer does the opposition’s best cover corner guard him.

But Ward will still have his moments.

So far in two games, Roethlisberger has targeted Wallace 20 times. Ward and Brown were the intended receiver 15 times each. Wallace leads the team with 16 catches. Ward is second with nine. Brown is third with six.

And none of the young wide receivers block as well as Ward. It’s not even close.

In Sunday’s 24-0 win over the Seahawks, Wallace (126), Brown (67) and Sanders (44) each had more receiving yards than Ward (33). But it was Ward who was open on a trick play in the first quarter when Sanders threw to him for 15 yards. Then in the third quarter, Ward made a nifty catch along the sideline, keeping both feet inbounds for a 15-yard gain.

“Twinkle toes,” Ward, a “Dancing with the Stars” champion, said when describing that catch.

Roethlisberger called Ward’s catch a “phenomenal play on his part.”

In 2009, Ward signed a four-year contract extension that will allow him to finish his career with the Steelers. He’s locked in through the 2013 season.

The owner of 14 different Steelers’ receiving records, Ward ranks No. 8 on the NFL’s all-time receptions list with 963. He needs just 37 more to become just the eighth receiver in league history to reach 1,000.

He’s on pace this year to catch 72.

Ward doesn’t have many more years to play. But that doesn’t mean he’s fading fast. He still can make plays.

Ward wants to hit 1,000 in catches

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Walk into some clubs and discover the cream of the crop. The Duquesne Club, the 600 Home Run Club, the Playboy Club and the club with the half-Korean, half-African American knocking on its door to get in.

They usually don't open doors and barriers for Hines Ward, he knocks them down. He has accomplished just about everything there is in football, with one personal goal left, to join a club that is among the most exclusive in sports. Only seven players in the history of the NFL have had 1,000 pass receptions in their careers. Hines Ward is poised to become the eighth.

"That's like 3,000 hits, 600 home runs," said Ward.

Not really because the NFL's 1,000 Catch Club is more exclusive than those two in baseball. There have been 28 baseball players with 3,000 career hits. Jim Thome this week became the eighth player to hit 600 home runs.

Ward has 954 receptions. He needs 46, and he has caught more passes than that in every season except 1998, when he caught 15 as a rookie. He said he wants to win a third Super Bowl in his 14th NFL season, but hitting 1,000 remains a personal goal.

"That would be awesome to get 1,000 catches and do it all for one organization," Ward said. "It wasn't like I'm in a prolific passing offense, it's not like I'm playing in a dome. I think it's just a milestone of consistency I've had my whole career and just being there. That would be huge."

It would add to his considerable resume that includes four Pro Bowls, two Super Bowl rings, one Super Bowl MVP award and virtually every team receiving record, including his 11,702 yards. And, remember, a few Hall of Famers also played the position in Pittsburgh, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.

Hitting 1,000, "I think that puts him in the Hall of Fame, first ballot," said Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. "I think he already is without it, but I think that legitimizes it.

"Hines always needs something, he always has to have either a chip on his shoulder or a goal just to keep him rolling. I love when he's frosty and he has a chip on his shoulder."

Arians also noticed something different about Ward in this training camp.

"He looks spryer than he did last year. I think getting the knee cleaned out [is the reason]. It swelled on him a lot last year. I think that has helped, losing a little weight through the dancing and I'm sure that dancing stuff tightened up his core. He looks good."

Ward rejoined his teammates in practice last week after June 1 thumb surgery to repair a ligament. The knee surgery, to remove some lose cartilage, occurred a week after the Steelers lost the Super Bowl. He is 35 and wants to play at least through the 2012 season and maybe beyond. But he does not want to overextend his stay and points to how Franco Harris finished his career in Seattle for a few weeks in 1984 as an example.

"I don't want to play for any other team. I don't want to be like Franco, in his last year he goes for Seattle. I have two years left on my deal, this year and next year. We'll see how it goes, when I want to retire. I do want to finish my contract out and go from there. I do want to win another Super Bowl."

And wants those 46 receptions. He caught 59 last season, the fewest since his rookie year. There are younger, faster receivers all around him -- Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown. Their talents demand more and more attention from the quarterback. Getting 46 won't be as easy as it was maybe even last season. The season before that, however, he more than doubled that total with 95.

"The opportunities you get, you have to capitalize," Ward said. "I think I've done that my whole career."

He counted up the number of quarterbacks from whom he caught passes and came to eight, including catching his first touchdown from Mike Tomczak against the expansion Cleveland Browns in 1999. The others include Kordell Stewart, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox, Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon. He also caught touchdown passes from Jerome Bettis and Antwaan Randle El, including the one from Randle El that helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XL and Ward that game's MVP.

"Ten different guys, that's crazy," Ward said.

One thousand receptions might be even crazier. He would become the only receiver to do so playing his entire career on the grass outdoors in the northern climate.

"I know I'm getting older," Ward said, "but I'm in great condition, I look crisp out there, I feel good. It's a matter of staying healthy for 16 games and, hopefully, make the playoffs and being that guy the team can hang their hat on. In the Super Bowl, I pride myself on making plays."


For more on the Steelers, read the blog, Ed Bouchette on the Steelers at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com and Twitter @EdBouchette.

Receiver Ward's dancing makes him stronger

By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Thursday, May 26, 2011

Kym Johnson and Hines Ward pose with their trophy's after scores from the judges were combined with the audience votes to name them champions of "Dancing With the Stars" and winners of the coveted mirror ball trophy. (ABC)

LOS ANGELES — Hines Ward returns to reality next week.

The Steelers wide receiver and freshly minted "Dancing With the Stars" champion will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair ligament damage in his left thumb.

The procedure will serve as a reminder that Ward still has a day job after going Hollywood in early March and beating 11 other celebrities in the 12th season of "DWTS."

The thumb injury is something Ward has dealt with since the end of the 2010 season. He had minor surgery on his left knee in February, not long after the Steelers' 31-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV, but it hardly slowed him down.

Indeed, his stint on "DWTS" — and all of the work that went into his performances — only seemed to make Ward's knee stronger.

He and partner Kym Johnson looked like had been dancing together for years, as they waltzed their way to the Mirror Ball Trophy. In the process, Ward made a believer out of at least one "DWTS" contestant that initially underestimated him.

"When I first saw Hines, I kind of sized him up, like a fighter. I said 'I got this guy' because he's big and sluggish," said former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, who was eliminated from "DWTS" in mid-April. "What he's been able to do, I have been blown away. He moved. He had charisma. He had personality. He did all of the things that made him win."

Ward made it look easy at times even though he had no background in dancing. The four-time Pro Bowler credited the same discipline he applies to his football training as helping him become — or at least come across as — a quick study.

But even Ward didn't know what he was getting into when he signed on for the show.

"I disrespected the show when I first came on. I said, 'Oh, I can do that,' but a lot of hard work goes into it," said Ward, who turned 35 in March. "It's grueling."

It showed in how trim Ward, who's listed at 6-feet and 205 pounds, looked by the end of "DWTS."

"He told me he lost about 18 pounds because it's a different kind of workout than he did before," former Steelers great Lynn Swann said Monday night. "Ask him how much weight he's lost dancing."

Hines?

"Fifteen pounds," Ward said.

Ward said he's probably ahead of where he normally is at this point in the offseason.

"I usually don't do anything until June," said Ward, who has two years left on his contract. "I'm ready."

Ward said he will look into getting his teammates together for informal practices next month, assuming the NFL lockout is in place. But for now, he's taking a couple of victory laps, so to speak, having appeared on "Good Morning America" yesterday and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday.

He became the second NFL player to win "DWTS," and football appeared to be the furthest thing from his mind. But when asked if he might unveil a new touchdown dance given what he had just accomplished, Ward didn't hesitate to answer.

"I'm doing a tribute to Kym every time I score a touchdown," Ward said, "a 'Dancing With the Stars' routine somewhere in the end zone."

Steelers' Ward to put moves on display for new audience

By Kevin Gorman, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Hines Ward might be counting on Steelers Nation to propel the Super Bowl XL Most Valuable Player to win ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, the popular, viewer-driven ballroom dance reality show.

What Ward shouldn’t count on are his teammates’ votes.

"He is probably the worst dancer on the show," linebacker James Farrior cracked. "I give him two weeks because of his popularity. I wish him all the best. That is all he has — personality. That is the only chance he has. Be nice and give them the old Hines Ward smile."

That smile attracted the attention of Dancing With The Stars senior producer and head of casting Deena Katz, who believes the Steelers’ career receiving leader could win the Mirror Ball Trophy as DWTS champion.

"I see Hines going real far," Katz said. "That smile alone could get him to the finals."

Katz initially was reluctant to cast another NFL player among the celebrities, but changed her tune once she learned that the four-time Pro Bowl pick was a "huge fan" of the show and willing to be a celebrity contestant.

"Once I met him, there's not a chance in the world you can’t have Hines on the show," Katz said. "He is so charming. That smile he has can light up a room. There's a twinkle in his eyes. That smile, even when he's standing on the sidelines, he's the one guy you want to embrace. I have a feeling he is going to be that one crossover star with men and women. I was hoping they would win the Super Bowl, but that didn’t make a difference."

Ward, who will be 35 by the show’s Season 12 premieres March 21, is trying to become the first active NFL player to win the popular reality show. Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith won Season 3, and Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice and former Woodland Hills star Jason Taylor, a defensive end with the New York Jets, also were finalists.

Ward's appearance on the show could come amid NFL labor strife. The league's owners are expected to lock out the players from off-season activities after midnight on Thursday. The series finale is May 24.

"If they’re going to lock us out, you've got to stay active. That’s one way of doing it," said Steelers right tackle Willie Colon, who was surprised to learn of Ward being cast as a celebrity contestant. "I think it's funny."

Ward said he hopes to survive the early cuts in a cast that includes actors Kirstie Alley and Ralph Macchio, WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, former world welterweight champion boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and rapper Romeo.

"I’m looking forward to it," Ward said Monday night during ABC’s Dancing With The Stars new cast reveal special. "A lot of our fears up here, we don't want to be eliminated first. For us, we want to compete hard."

Ward said he is recovering from "minor" knee surgery three weeks ago, and used his charm to gain sympathy for the Steelers’ 31-25 loss to Green Bay in Super Bowl XLV Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

"With us coming off a devastating loss in the Super Bowl against the Packers, the season was long," Ward said, drawing an "awww" from the ABC studio audience. "It was just a light scope, but I'll be fine."

Ward could not be reached Tuesday, and the Steelers declined comment. Katz said Ward's knee injury was "a big discussion with his dance partner," which will be announced today on Good Morning America. (TMZ.com has reported that Ward will be paired with Australian Kym Johnson). Contestants train three-to-four hours per day five days a week, Katz said.

"They'll do dance steps that won't hurt the knee as much," Katz said. "There have only been two rehearsals so far, but he can move. He's got the best feet in the NFL, doesn’t he? When it gets to the end of the competition and gets really intense he'll have to do more, but that’s 12 weeks away."

Katz said she first spoke to Ward in November about becoming a celebrity contestant, including a conversation with his camp 10 minutes after the Super Bowl to confirm his interest. Katz believes Ward's notoriety — he has gained a reputation as one of the NFL’s dirtiest players because of his crack-back blocks, but also has become an outspoken advocate for mixed-race Korean children like himself — will attract viewers to DWTS.

"That's part of the fun," Katz said. "You've got that big fan base and those people get behind you. The Steelers are a team the whole nation loves or loves to hate. It makes for great television, for people talking about the show and it helps with the buzz. Even if you are not a Steelers fan, to have a current guy with a marquee name like Hines Ward has, you're still going to root for him. People are going to say, 'Oh, my God. I want to see Hines.'"

Staff writer John Harris contributed to this story.

Photo: Getty Images

Read more: Steelers' Ward to put moves on display for new audience - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_725311.html#ixzz1FRaBiMBV

Super Bowl loss lingers for Ward

Wednesday, February 09, 2011
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward walks off the field thru confetti after losing Super Bowl XLV Sunday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Hines Ward is hurting, and while not all of it comes from the Steelers' Super Bowl loss, he can have the other stuff repaired surgically. It will take awhile to fix the broken heart.

Ward will have two surgeries this week, the first on his left knee, the second on his left thumb. His knee, the one without an ACL, has cartilage damage that must be repaired, something that has bothered him since training camp. He has a torn ligament in his left thumb from throwing a block in the second game of the season at Tennessee. The thumb can bend all the way back past his wrist, which is why he wore a protective cast on it all season.

Ward isn't the only player who will have surgery. Rookie receiver Emmanuel Sanders will have his broken foot repaired and untold others are in line.

Dr. James Bradley, the team's orthopedic surgery, will have a busy three weeks as players rush to get their surgeries before their insurance runs out with the expected March 4 lockout. Players cannot even visit the trainers room for rehab once they are locked out.

The Steelers held their final meeting Tuesday with the coaches, then had another with quarterback Charlie Batch, a member of the NFL Players Association board, to discuss such things as health and disability insurance and answer questions.

That stuff is quickly becoming a reality, but what remained in the forefront for the players Tuesday was their 31-25 loss to Green Bay two days earlier.

"It's tough," Ward said. "I was really depressed. I didn't want to watch TV because all you saw was Green Bay and stuff. It hurts more I think because we had an opportunity to win the game.

"Anybody who turns the ball over three times and still has an opportunity to win shows a lot about the team. But we didn't play our best ball. That's disappointing for me personally because for big games I just knew we would step up big, but we didn't do that on Sunday."

Ward thought they'd do it right until the end, when they had a first-down on their 13 and two minutes to go. However, without criticizing anyone, he was not happy he did not get much of an opportunity on that drive. Heath Miller caught the first pass for 15 yards. Ward caught the next for 5 yards -- which wasted about 30 seconds because Antwaan Randle El acknowledged he lined up on the wrong side. The next three passes all were aimed at Mike Wallace but never connected.

"I'm thinking deja vu, here we go again," said Ward, who caught seven passes for 78 yards and one touchdown in the game. "Two minutes, let's go down there. I really felt like I was in a zone, that anything that came my way it was going to get caught no matter what. I didn't get an opportunity. I would like to have gotten opportunities [on the final series] but it didn't happen."

Asked what areas he thought the Steelers might need to fortify before next season, Ward mentioned the offensive line, where he pointed to the uncertainty, including what will become of two right tackles, Flozell Adams and Willie Colon. The offensive captain also praised the work of Doug Legursky at center Sunday for injured Maurkice Pouncey.

"Legursky played his tail off. I just watched him [on tape]. I watched the game. He battled. He held his own. I was real happy about that."

There was little happiness, though, on the team's South Side campus on Tuesday.

"It still hurts. I don't know how long it will take. Just a lot of guys are sad, disappointed because we know we could have played better."

Ward and five others gathered at James Farrior's home Monday night after they arrived from Texas to commiserate.

"We all got together to talk among each other about the game and get it off our chests. That's the best relief you need. When you're around family and friends they can always tell you, but they don't really know.

"We had a phenomenal year, considering how we started, the teams we beat to get to that point, but to fall short the way we did, that's what's so disheartening to the guys."

Ward will return for his 14th season in 2011, but it was still good for him to hear coach Mike Tomlin does not want him to retire.

"He just told me it's not even an option, so don't even think about it. He wants me back. I just have to get away. Once I get all my surgeries cleaned up, I'll come back fresh. I'll feel better. I've been playing with that all year long."

He refused to blame his lower stats -- his 59 receptions were his fewest since 2000 -- on the injuries.

"They said it'll feel much better. I've been playing for so many years on it and never really had surgery on it. They'll go in there and clean it up a little bit and I'll be fine.

"To go out there and still make plays the way I did in the Super Bowl, there's still some playing days left. I'm not going to hang it up just yet."


Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11040/1123988-66.stm#ixzz1DSvyI0Rs

On the Steelers: Ward puts ring on mentoring

Monday, January 31, 2011
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/

Morry Gash/Associated Press
Workers put up a picture of Steelers receiver Hines Ward outside Cowboys Stadium in preparation for Super Bowl XLV Sunday in Arlington, Texas.

DALLAS -- This is old hat to "Old Money". Super Bowls? Yes, that too, this being the third for Hines Ward, but he has been mentoring young receivers much longer, since he himself was Young Money.

He mentored rookie Plaxico Burress when Ward was just two seasons ahead of him. Mentored Antwaan Randle El, Santonio Holmes, Limas Sweed. Never, though, has he had such a group as this: second-year receiver Mike Wallace and rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown, collectively known as "Young Money".

His words to them ring the same as those he spoke to Burress a decade ago.

"Just be accountable on and off the field," said Wallace, who knows them by heart. "You don't want to put yourself in bad situations because you don't want to embarrass your family, your friends, your teammates.

"On the field be accountable because you don't want to leave your teammates hanging -- you know, get somebody hurt. Make sharp plays, when it could be a touchdown rather than being out there being lazy or not worried about it because you're out there for yourself."

PG VIDEO: THE SEASON IN IMAGES Ward did not wait to see Sanders before he began offering his Hines Way tutorial.

"Hines called me right after I got drafted. He told me 'All right, you have to come up here and work, you have to be willing to block, that's the Pittsburgh way.' I told him I'll do whatever I can to get on the field and help the team win."

Sanders soaked it all in, in the spring, at training camp, all season long.

"You're talking about a 13-year vet, one of the toughest receivers in the game -- ever in my eyes. Not only that, he's smart. He understands the defenses, he understands what the defensive back is thinking, what the linebacker is thinking.

"For me to have an opportunity to come in as a rookie and learn from him -- ohh, just to get under his wings is definitely a lesson and I've been trying to take full advantage."

Ward talked to them before the playoffs began, told the Young Money trio what to expect, what it all meant, told them how everything is magnified, how one third-down catch is worth 15 third-down catches in the regular season. Wouldn't you know that Brown, who caught only 16 passes in the regular season, made the two most important third-down catches in Steelers postseason history, one each near the end to virtually seal victories against the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets.

"I always get a feed off him," said Brown, when asked in Pittsburgh if Ward had yet told the youngsters what to expect in their first Super Bowl visit. "I sit right next to him at meetings. I'm pretty sure he's just going to be talking about keeping your focus sharp. You know what I mean, stay in tune for the game and know what we're here for.

"We're not going there to get caught up in events or distractions, we're going there to win the ballgame. I'm pretty sure he's going to be stressing that and making sure we know our assignments and are error-free."

It bothered Ward that Burress did not always heed his advice, really bothered him when at the first practice after Burress signed his rookie contract a few days late that coach Bill Cowher put Burress (first-round pick in 2000) and Troy Edwards (first-round pick 1999) in the starting lineup. Ward, who led them in receiving in 1999, steamed. He would soon get his starting job back and go on to lead them in receiving every season since except for this one.

Later in the 2000 season, he spotted Burress walking around the team's facility without his playbook. "Where's your playbook?" Ward asked him. Burress told him he only carried it on Thursdays.

"You carry your playbook all the time," Ward told him.

Sanders, standing in front of his locker, was asked the same question the other day. The rookie pointed to a knapsack near his feet that contained his playbook.

"He kind of baby-sat us," Sanders said. "At first, we didn't even understand the playbook and how to set it up because each week we have a different game plan. He told us keep that playbook with you all the time. Go home and study your plays because that's going to help us in the long run."

Although Young Money and Old, they are kindred spirits. Ward still carries the chip on his shoulder that has the words burned into it "third-round draft pick." Wallace and Sanders were also third-rounders and Brown was drafted in the sixth round.

Those are a lot of chips on a lot of receivers' shoulders in the Steelers locker room.

"Yeah, we get to talk a lot and just say we all got overlooked and we're going to make them pay," Wallace said. "So we all feel together on that because we all feel we should have been top 10 picks."

"That's what drives us as players," Brown said. "We don't play this game for fun, we play this game with a chip on our shoulder. All the things I went through off the field drives me on the field to make people believe. That' the hunger and drive you want as a player."

It continues to drive Ward in his 13th season and Wallace hopes it will drive him that long as well, the fact he was overlooked in the first two rounds of the draft.

"Hopefully, I'll be the only one still standing, like Hines. You always want to let people know you were just as good if not better than those guys.

"But that's the past, that's the draft, that was two years ago. I'm in the Super Bowl."

Revenge can have its own reward.


For more on the Steelers, read the blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.

More on the Steelers:

Tomlin terrific on his own-

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11031/1121861-87.stm

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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11031/1121866-66.stm

Ward Has Hands, and Comments, You Can Count On

By JUDY BATTISTA
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com
January 22, 2011

PITTSBURGH — When the Steelers’ season began, Ben Roethlisberger waited nervously behind smoked glass doors, preparing to face fans for the first time at training camp. Just as he was about to step into the unknown after an off-season of troubling behavior and damaging publicity, his teammate Hines Ward appeared beside Roethlisberger and said he would walk out with him.

Then in December, as Steelers linebacker James Harrison piled up fines for delivering hits to the head, Ward blasted the N.F.L., calling its leaders hypocrites for, among other things, fining players for banned hits while lobbying for more regular-season games in labor negotiations, and predicting that a playoff game could turn on an official who throws a flag because he is afraid to hear from the league office.

Wide receiver Hines Ward is the Steelers' longest-tenured player and has become an unofficial spokesman (Gene Puskar/Associated Press)

This was Ward as team conscience, the slot receiver turned spokesman. In his 13th season, Ward is the longest-tenured Steeler, and after years of letting everyone from Joey Porter to Jerome Bettis do the talking, he has embraced his role as elder statesman. Ward emerged as a reliable sound bite in shoulder pads during one of the most unusual Steelers seasons in years.

Pittsburgh remained a top team in the A.F.C. even though Roethlisberger, their star quarterback, was suspended for the first four games of the season and Harrison, their defensive cornerstone, was singled out in the enforcement of rules on player safety.

Ward acknowledges that he is an only child to explain why he is so comfortable speaking out. But he does not crave attention so much as give voice to the whispers in the locker room.

“It’s almost like as players, you can’t have opinions,” Ward said last week. “If they ask me a question, I give an honest answer. I know when to be politically correct. Being one of the team leaders, I’m kind of the voice of the people. I hear all the stories, I hear all the complaints, and I get an opportunity. A lot of people think it’s just my opinion, but when I speak, I speak for the majority of this team. I try to put it in the right form.”

Ward regards Harrison and Roethlisberger as brothers. Ward is particularly passionate about player-safety issues because he was not permitted to return to a November game against New England after he sustained a neck injury. That snapped his streak of games with a reception at 186. Ward said that he felt perfectly fine after the hit and that he had felt far worse after others yet was allowed to keep playing.

But Ward’s treatment of Roethlisberger was the most telling. Ward and linebacker James Farrior are the most respected Steelers, and Ward had withheld judgment on Roethlisberger, saying he should address his teammates about the particulars of an incident involving his behavior toward a woman in a Georgia bar. Roethlisberger had been aloof to much of the team, and Ward was the first to signal that Roethlisberger was trying to change when Ward announced at the start of training camp that Roethlisberger was trying to be a better teammate.

“This is a team,” Roethlisberger said. “We stand up for each other, we look out for each other. And I think that’s one of the reasons we have the success that we have is because we are there for each other and we treat each other like we’re family and we see each other as family.”

Ward has long been someone whom other players have turned to, particularly on offense. He is playing for his third Super Bowl title in six seasons. Ward remains a cog for that group, even as Roethlisberger’s reliance on the deep pass has expanded. Ward caught 59 passes for 755 yards and 5 touchdowns this season, and although he is nowhere near as fast as Mike Wallace, he caught one fewer pass than Wallace did.

When Wallace arrived last season, Ward and Santonio Holmes took him under their wings. On the field, Ward told Wallace how to run routes and block. Off the field, Ward told him to always protect himself.

“He is the biggest influence on the whole team,” Wallace said. “He’s one of few guys they respect around the league. When he says things like that, it boosts our team up, and he has a lot of credibility. He’s the face of the franchise.”

Before Bettis retired, that was his job, fielding complaints and concerns from coaches and players, and filtering opinions to the public. Ward looked up to Bettis when they shared a locker room and now, from a distance, Bettis has watched Ward.

“It’s a natural evolution,” Bettis said in a telephone interview. “As you become an elder statesman, you realize it’s important for you to continue the legacy that the guys before you set. It’s up to you to pass it on. This year, more than ever before, there have been national issues. He’s always been very forthcoming in talking to the media. They know he’s going to shoot you straight. Obviously, it’s refreshing when you have one of your superstars call it like he sees it.”

Inside the locker room, away from the cameras, Steelers players prevailed on Ward to take an even more active role with the youngest members of the offense — among them the rookie receivers Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders — after Holmes was traded to the Jets during the off-season. Then, a few weeks ago, when the Steelers were preparing for the playoffs, Ward stood before his teammates and implored them — particularly the youngest ones who had not been to the playoffs — to raise their games. Just as Ward has raised his voice.

“If you don’t want my opinion, don’t ask,” Ward said. “People may disagree with what I have to say; some people might say, ‘I understand what he’s saying.’ It seems people just look at us as football players. I’m a strongly opinionated person. I won’t say much if I don’t feel strongly about it.”