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Wednesday, November 29, 2000

Hines Ward still sees the play in his mind. Ten days later, he still can't believe he didn't make the diving catch.

If only he had positioned his body a little differently ...

If only he had been able to get a better grip on the ball before he hit the concrete-like turf at Three Rivers Stadium ...

If only Kordell Stewart had thrown the long pass just a bit more to the middle of the field ...

The Steelers would have pulled within three points of the Jacksonville Jaguars with more than six minutes left. Who knows? Maybe they would have come all the way back from a 34-10 deficit. Maybe they would be 7-5 and very much in the playoff chase instead of 6-6 and looking for a miracle.

Maybe.

"I took it real hard," Ward said. "When you're wide open like that, it should be a layup. That one will bother me for a long time."

Say this about Ward: He's a real pro who takes great pride in his job.

That's why it wasn't surprising he had a big day Sunday in the Steelers' 48-28 win at Cincinnati with four catches for 70 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown. As a group, the Steelers' receivers played well after dropping six passes in the 34-24 loss to Jacksonville. Bobby Shaw had two catches for 66 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown. Mark Bruener caught an 11-yard touchdown pass. Courtney Hawkins had a 17-yard catch to set up a score. Even Troy Edwards made a nice catch and run for a 27-yard gain.

Isn't it amazing how much better Stewart looks when his receivers aren't sabotaging him?

"This was a get-back game for us," Ward said. "We've got great receivers here. You watch us in practice, we catch everything left and right. One-handed catches. Diving catches ...

"We don't want people to say we stink and can't catch the ball. What happened against Jacksonville was just an off day. It happens. We talked about it all week and made a commitment not to let it happen again."

It really was appropriate Ward showed the way against the Bengals. It goes beyond the fact he has become a team leader. No. 1 picks Edwards and Plaxico Burress might be making big money, but he has been the Steelers' best receiver all season.

Sunday, Ward made big contributions on each of the first four scoring drives. He ran for 23 yards on a reverse -- getting nice blocks from Hawkins and Stewart, of all people -- and then scored their first touchdown by beating cornerback Rodney Heath to the post. He ran 15 yards with a lateral from Stewart and had a 13-yard catch on the team's second touchdown drive. He threw a ferocious block on cornerback Robert Bean on Bruener's touchdown catch. And he set up a field goal with 9- and 14-yard catches.

A week ago, Bill Cowher expressed surprise when Ward failed to make that late catch against the Jaguars because "Hines has been so dependable and has made so many plays for us." Yesterday, after reviewing tape of the Cincinnati game, all he wanted to talk about was Ward's block on Bean. That kind of play hasn't just earned Ward respect in his locker room. It has earned him respect around the league.

"He's one of the best blocking receivers in the game today," Cowher said. "He doesn't just do it effectively. He hits you. I don't want to say he tries to hurt you, but he tries to get you out of the game. He does it fairly and with passion."

"If you want to be a great receiver in this offense, you have to block," Ward said. "We're going to run the ball."

The Steelers always should think Jerome Bettis first, but they are showing signs of throwing the ball more often and more efficiently, those drops against Jacksonville aside. It's no coincidence that happened about the time Cowher started playing Ward, Hawkins and Shaw more and Edwards and Burress less. He had been rotating Edwards with Ward and Burress with Hawkins in the regular offense, but he used Ward and Hawkins almost exclusively Sunday. Shaw is the slot receiver in the three-receiver formations, "a role he excels at," Cowher said.

In a sense, it can't be easy for Cowher to sit Edwards and Burress -- and not just because of their salaries. They figure to be the team's future long after Hawkins, for instance, is gone. They aren't getting better on the bench.

But it might end up benefiting the Steelers as much in the long run as the short run. Maybe it will make Edwards and Burress work harder to get better. Maybe it will make them realize they have to -- quoting Cowher -- "seize the opportunities that come along."

"It's hard on the young guys," Ward said. "But you have to do what's best for the team. If the other guys are making plays, leave them out there."

Ward will get no argument from Stewart, who clearly seems more comfortable and confident throwing to the veterans.

"Kordell's been great with us, even though we didn't help him out at all against Jacksonville," Ward said. "He's on the sideline saying, 'I'm coming to you guys. We're going to make some plays.' Coach Cowher has been great. He's telling Kordell, 'Throw the ball up, and let those guys go get it.' "

Sunday, the receivers did, especially Ward.

"That's what we're supposed to do," he said. "That's why they pay us."

Spoken like a true professional.