With the Steelers trailing and facing a 3rd-and late in the second quarter, Roethlisberger lined up with an empty backfield and five wide receivers. Ward is boxed. The play turned into a mad scramble -- Roethlisberger ducked out of the pocket to his left, then finally turned to throw after he moved outside the yard number to his left.
He uncorked a bomb all the way back across the field to the opposite corner, where Ward was locked up with safety Michael Boulware. When Roethlisberger let go of the pass, Ward was two yards deep in the end zone and Boulware was in front of him at the goal line. By the time the ball reached the two, Ward had doubled back. In doing so, he managed to work his way inside Boulware. He made a tumbling catch just shy of the goal line, setting up a Roethlisberger 1-yard TD just moments later.
Finally, you cannot talk about Ward without mentioning his blocking ability. Should Ward eventually make it to the Hall of Fame one day, his reputation as one of the NFL's best blocking receivers ever could help him there. The following photos come from a game apologies in advance for these highlights having all the clarity of an alleged Loch Ness Monster photo.
The Steelers were in a more traditional, pro-style set for this particular play, with an I-formation behind Roethlisberger, two tight ends and two wide receivers. They motioned Ward in tight to the right side of the line, essentially making him a third tight end on this run play.
After motioning in tight Ward jumped up into a hole between the tight end and right tackle to wipe out a blitzing linebacker. Ward's knack for blocking -- and total willingness to take on those responsibilities -- made him invaluable for years in Pittsburgh. Who could forget his punishing block on Cincinnati's Keith Rivers back in ? While the hit broke Rivers' jaw and ended his season, there was no penalty called on the play and the NFL did not see any reason to pursue discipline against Ward, deeming the block a clean one.
Roethlisberger dumped a pass off to tight end Matt Spaeth on the play, and Ward came back to destroy an unsuspecting Rivers. Ward's the white blur in the photo below and, again, apologies for the NFL's pre highlights having all the HD capabilities of the Zapruder film. Ward didn't just run interference or try to cut Rivers low. The Colts aren't ridiculously deep at the wide receiver position, with names like Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie, whose future in the NFL after multiple concussions is seriously in doubt.
The point is that the Colts aren't setting the NFL on fire with the wide receivers they have, especially when it comes to having veteran leadership at that position. If the Colts let Manning go and sign Luck, they would be foolish to not make an attempt at signing a veteran receiver like Ward, who could help make a rookie quarterback's transition that much easier. The Chicago Bears need some serious help at the wide receiver position, and there's no doubt that Hines Ward could be just that.
The Bears have one of the weakest wide receiving corps in the NFL, with their second-leading receiver actually being their running back, Matt Forte , who's a free agent this offseason. If the Bears want to be a legitimate contender in the NFC, there is no doubt that they need to give quarterback Jay Cutler some serious help.
Hines Ward's trademark toughness and physicality would fit perfectly in the windy city of Chicago, and even at the age of 36, Ward could step right in and make a bad wide receiving corps that much better.
The Bears are built on their running game, much like the Pittsburgh Steelers were for a majority of Ward's career, and that's the kind of offense that Ward would fit immediately into. Ward would not only boost the Bears talent at the receiver position, he would also improve the Bears' run-blocking ability at the receiver position, just like he did in Pittsburgh. Hines Ward wearing a No. There's a decent amount of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Philadelphia Eagles , with DeSean Jackson hitting the free-agent market this upcoming offseason.
Whether the Eagles bring back Jackson or not, the one thing that they don't have on their roster is a legitimate and tough possession receiver—and that's exactly what Hines Ward is.
Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos. All rights reserved. Twitter: mvp86hinesward More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. G See the glossary for more information. Rec Yds Minimum 1. Minimum receptions to qualify as career leader. TD Career Player Split Finder.
Career Player Game Finder. Passing Plays Receiving Plays Rushing Plays Touchdowns Super Bowl Penalties Game Logs Career Postseason Player Game Finder Splits Career Player Split Finder Fantasy Career Player Game Finder Compare to Other Players Player Game Finder Passing Plays Receiving Plays Rushing Plays Regular Season.
Lower-case means part-time starter. Minimum rushes to qualify as career leader. Minimum touches to qualify as career leader.
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