Home >  Sports >  Columnists

Monday, December 10, 2001

Yancey Thigpen was gone by the time Hines Ward landed with the Steelers in 1998, lured to Tennessee by millions, a lucrative reward for his record-setting career here.

Ward knows only of Thigpen's legend.

"I heard the stories about him and Kordell. I know they had something special. Kordell really depended on him to make plays."

Ward paused, maybe to shift his weight and ease the throbbing pain in his left leg, but more likely to savor his huge role in the Steelers' latest win.

"I hope Kordell has that same confidence in me now."

Is there any doubt?

"All the guys have my confidence. This system has it," Stewart said.

It's a good thing for the Steelers that Stewart is a better quarterback than politician. He can say all he wants publicly to spare the feelings of Plaxico Burress, Bobby Shaw and Troy Edwards, but when it comes time to make one throw to one receiver with everything on the line -- and that day surely is coming in this magical season -- he's going to look for Ward.

Stewart would be a fool to do otherwise.

That was some game of pitch-and-catch the two played yesterday in an 18-7 win against the New York Jets. On a day when Jerome Bettis was out and the Steelers couldn't depend much on erratic Kris Brown, Stewart and Ward combined 10 times for 124 yards. Seven of Ward's catches went for first downs, including three on third-down plays.

Part of it was by design. The Steelers loved the matchup of Ward against cornerback Ray Mickens, who was in for injured Aaron Glenn. "You could see we were going to Mickens' side all day," Ward said. "We felt like we could exploit their secondary."

But, really, it no longer matters much who covers Ward. Stewart is going to go to him. Ward will get open and catch the ball. He has been doing it all season. He has 79 catches and, with four games left, is a lock to break Thigpen's team record of 85 set in '95.

"I saw a stat the other day that the '95 team threw the ball 30 times a game," Ward said. "This team is predominantly a running team. We only throw it 19 or 20 times a game. To have that many catches and be in the top five in the AFC is pretty good."

It's enough for Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey to flat out say Ward belongs in the Pro Bowl -- for reasons that go beyond his numbers.

"I think he's pretty much what this offense is all about. Sure, we have some trick plays, but our identity is to be the most physical offense in the league. Hines is a big part of that. He does the things other teams wish their wide receivers would do. Everybody wants their receivers to block, but he goes out and does it every game. He's got our other receivers doing it, too. They don't want to be left out.

"The guy is just a special guy. He's a warrior."

We saw Ward's toughness yesterday when he put his shoulder down and ran over Jets cornerback Marcus Coleman. What a play it was. Ward switched the ball from his right arm to his left, did a high step in order to slow down and gain some leverage and went after Coleman instead of slinking toward the sideline. By the time Coleman finally pulled him down with help from linebacker Mo Lewis, Ward had gained 29 yards.

The other Steelers should stand and applaud in their dark film room when they review that play Wednesday.

"That's the way I've always played," Ward said. "I always try to run a guy over to get extra yards."

We also saw Ward's toughness late in the game. His left thigh was bruised when Mickens hit him so hard on the Steelers' first drive that he shattered his thigh pad. His left ankle was sprained on an aborted shovel pass in the third quarter.

"[Wide receivers coach] Kenny Jackson did all he could to get his butt off the field, but Hines wouldn't come out," Steelers fullback Jon Witman said. "I respect and admire him so much. All of us do."

Witman grinned.

"He may be a wide receiver, but he sure doesn't have that mentality."

It will be interesting to see if Ward's total package gets him to the Pro Bowl. He's hopeful, but he knows Pro Bowl slots usually go to the guys with the biggest numbers.

"That's OK. It's a great honor just to be considered. I'm not about individual accolades, anyway. I'm a big team guy."

As nice as Honolulu is, Ward prefers a trip to another popular tourist stop in early February.

New Orleans.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.