Tough + Loyal + Selfless + Leader = Hines Ward

[sanjosefuji]

Football's focus has been on Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts, Drew Brees, and the New Orleans Saints the past few days... but today's post is flashing back to last week's news.


I've never been a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I admire their franchise history. Since I was a child, they've consistently provided their fans competitive teams built around solid defenses & talented skill players, like Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, and Jerome Bettis... who are all enshrined at Canton.

Hines Ward belongs on this list. For fourteen season, Ward was a leader for the Steelers who modeled toughness, loyalty, selflessness, and leadership... everything you could ask for in a player. He may have lost a step over the past two seasons, but Ward maintained his role as a team leader. The past few months, Ward made it very clear to everyone that he was willing to take a pay cut in order to stick around and help mentor a talented group of young receivers.

In other words, he did everything he could to stay loyal to the team that drafted him in 1998. The team he caught 1,000 receptions for... most in franchise history. The team he scored 86 touchdowns for... 2nd in franchise history. The team he had 12,083 receiving yards for... most in franchise history. The team he helped win 2 Super Bowl Championships for... including the 2005 Super Bowl MVP. The team that released him last Friday.

Happy 36th Birthday Mr. Ward! I might not be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan... but I have no problem admitting I'm a fan of you.


You know the routine... it's your turn to chime in.

Is Hines Ward headed to Canton?

Have a good evening... and sayonara!





More...

[sportscardrage]

Honestly....I'm on the boat that says he shouldn't go to the hall of fame. People might think I'm wrong but well......I know what Hines Ward is, what his stats are, but let me just say there are other wide receivers with better stats and in my opinion better players that are having a hard time getting in like Tim Brown and Cris Carter.

Now I wont take anything away from Hines Ward but me personally, not everyone that has been a "great" player in the NFL can and shouldn't make it into the HOF, to me Hines Ward is on the bubble and for me he should just be left out.

[sanjosefuji]

I think the HOF is for the greatest players to play the game... which is why it baffles me that Carter & Brown have not made it in yet. As for Ward... you're 100% correct in the sense that his receiving numbers aren't at the same level as Carter & Brown. But he helped take the Steelers to the SB three times... plus the guy was tough as nails (although some people viewed him as more dirty than tough).

Hopefully, next year is the year of the "receiver" and both Carter & Brown get the respect they deserve... and are Canton bound.

Honestly....I'm on the boat that says he shouldn't go to the hall of fame. People might think I'm wrong but well......I know what Hines Ward is, what his stats are, but let me just say there are other wide receivers with better stats and in my opinion better players that are having a hard time getting in like Tim Brown and Cris Carter.

Now I wont take anything away from Hines Ward but me personally, not everyone that has been a "great" player in the NFL can and shouldn't make it into the HOF, to me Hines Ward is on the bubble and for me he should just be left out.

[wheeler281]

Great Post

Hines will get in but will take a long time. The only one that you can compare careers to is Art Monk and it took Monk a long long time.