The Pittsburgh Steelers' long tradition has led to several legendary players competing for the organization. Many have even been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. Fans are still awaiting the day when retired All-Pro wide receiver, Hines Ward, finally gets the honor. He has a hill to climb with so many talented pass catchers trying to get in as well, but he is unique in the sense that he was more than just a wide receiver. Ward transformed how the position was looked at with his fierce blocking and overwhelming selflessness. He truly was one-of-a-kind on the football field.
Most may not believe that he is one of the top five receivers of all-time, but long-time NFL analyst, Peter King wants him in the conversation. He recently put together his all-time 53-man roster. The only caveat was the roster only dates back to 1983, when King began covering the NFL. Names like Terry Bradshaw were left off for that exact reason.
Ward is one of four dynamic pass-catchers on the list. He joined Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Tyreek Hill. King noted Ward's ability to contribute in both the passing and rushing games, which was, and still is, so rare.
"Ward’s here because he’s the best blocking wide receiver I’ve seen, and he caught 1,000 passes. Loved his unselfishness," King wrote.
Due to his unselfishness nature, King, who has been around the league for 40 years remarked that "diva" wide receivers throughout the league hated Ward because he brought a different narrative to the position. This was one that had the Super Bowl XL MVP having a team-first mentality, rather than wanting the ball on every passing play.
"Teams with diva wide receivers who don’t block might have hated Ward (I can tell you—they did), but he knew his job, and his job was to be the most physical blocking receiver on the team, and to catch passes."
Known as one of the most diva receivers ever, Terrell Owens failed to make this roster, as did Antonio Brown. It shouldn't shock anyone that Ward's approach to the game upset others at the position for years because they were asked to do more than just catch passes on game days.
Steelers Could Potentially Reach Out To Ward To Join Coaching Staff In 2024
Pittsburgh's receiving core has dealt with some drama in recent years surrounding Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. After the report on Monday that the Steelers will be parting ways with wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson, every nostalgic fan has to be hoping that Mike Tomlin considers bringing Ward back to the Steel City to help turnaround a unit that has plenty of talent, but fails to consistently play with a "team-first" mindset.
There may be no other available coach who could work to do this. King wrote about Ward's selflessness, and that's exactly what the group needs entering 2024. When you pair that with the fact that the Steelers are about relationships and familiarity, Ward could be the perfect fit to join the coaching staff. It wasn't too long ago that he was in the running to possibly earn a collegiate head coaching gig.
Ward is known for his constant smile and bully-like play on the field, but he has yet to enter football glory in terms of the Hall of Fame. He is deserving, but fans will continue to wait and see if he will ever get the opportunity to make a speech in Canton. King certainly seems like he should get the nod based on how he changed the game for the wide receiver position.
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