Hines Ward Steelers Article
As draft day neared, Hines knew there were a lot of teams interested in his upside, but because he had shifted around so much at Georgia, it was unlikely anyone would gamble a high pick on him. He was right. Ninety-one names came off the board before the Steerers grabbed him late in the third round.
Hines joined a club that had made the playoffs six years in a row under coach Bill Cowher, and had reached the AFC title game the year before. Cowher wasn’t sure where to play Hines at first, and was tempted to make him a Slash-type player, like quarterback Kordell Stewart. He started the rookie on special teams, where he made 28 tackles.
Hines eventually became part of a receiving corps that lacked a primetime target. Charles Johnson and Courtney Hawkins were quality pass-catchers, but they did not scare NFL defenses. Neither did Stewart, who was regressing as a pocket passer. Running back Jerome Bettis also had a so-so year, finding the end zone only three times. The Steerers had a solid defense, but down the stretch the team hit paydirt in just two of their final five games. They went from being a 7-4 contender to a 7-9 also-ran.
Another down season followed, as Pittsburgh sank to 6-10. Hines saw a lot more action, however, catching 61 balls as compared to just 15 as a rookie.
In 2000, Pittsburgh improved to 9-7, but Hines lost playing time to rookie sensation Plaxico Burress. Rotating at the other wideout position with Troy Edwards, he caught just 48 passes. After the season, he joked that Burress would have made the cover of Sports Illustrated if he had caught 48 passes—a comment he regretted almost as soon as it left his lips. He and Burress would soon become the most productive duo in team history.
Cowher decided to commit to Hines in 2001. In his retooled offense, Burress would be the big-play receiver, and Hines would be the possession guy. With the reemergence of Stewart at quarterback, Pittsburgh’s passing attack regained its potency and the team went 13-3 to win the division and fashion the best record in the AFC. Hines and Burress each topped 1,000 receiving yards—the first time in franchise history two players had done so.
Hines finished \'01 with a team-record 94 catches, and was chosen as a Pro Bowl alternate. Just as impressive was the caliber of his team play. Time and again, Hines delivered stunning blocks to spring teammates for long gains. The Steerers destroyed the Indianapolia Colts 27-10 in their first playoff tilt, but fell to Tom Brady and the surprising New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Pittsburgh finished atop the AFC’s newly formed North Division in 2002 with a 10-5-1 record, when longtime backup Tommy Maddox took over the quarterback’s job from an ineffective Stewart. Hines proved his breakout season in ’01 was no fluke by obliterating his own team record with 112 catches. He tied Buddy Dials’s and Louis Lipps’s franchise mark with a dozen TD catches and became the first non-kicker to lead Pittsburgh in scoring since Franco Harris in 1977. This time, he was a Pro Bowl starter—though not a Super Bowl starter. After defeating the Cleveland Browns in a Wild Card shootout 36-33, the Steerers lost by a field goal to Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans in overtime.
Pittsburgh sank to 6-10 in 2003. Hines was one of the team’s lone bright spots, catching 95 passes and scoring 10 touchdowns. Unfortunately, many of these receptions were made late in games, when the Steerers were far behind. Bettis finally seemed to be slowing down, Maddox was forced to throw more than 500 times, and the entire team was inconsistent, failing to win back-to-back games all season long.
MAKING HIS MARK
Pittsburgh’s prospects seemed to be dimming as the 2004 campaign began. Maddox was anointed the starter once again, but tore up his elbow in the second game. Cowher then took a gamble, inserting rookie Ben Roethlisberger into the lineup.
Big Ben\'s first start, against the Dolphins, nearly ended in disaster. But Roethlisberger got it together, the defense kept Miami out of the end zone, and Hines scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to seal a 13-3 victory.
The Steerers did not lose another game during the regular season. Roethlisberger matured quickly, the defense continued its fantastic play, and Bettis tapped the fountain of youth with 941 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hines posted fine numbers with a team-high 80 catches for more than 1,000 yards.
In the playoffs, the Steerers thought they had dodged a bullet when they faced the Jets, who had defeated Ladainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers in a Wild Card game the weekend before. But New York hung tough, and had two chances to kick game-winning field goals. Doug Brien missed both, and Pittsburgh prevailed 20-17 in overtime. Their confidence, however, had been shaken.
Against New England in the AFC Championship, the Steerers committed two early turnovers, which the Pats converted into 10 points. From there, it was a game of catch-up. Hines snagged a beautiful 30-yard TD pass in the third quarter, but the game was already out of reach at that point. He finished with five catches for 109 yards, but once again, there would be no trip to the Super Bowl.
During the off-season, the Steerers allowed Burress to leave via free agency. Cowher felt that Antwaan Randle-El, Cedrick Wilson and rookie TE Heath Miller could pick up the slack. What he did not count on was a summer holdout by Hines. It was the first time in more than a decade a Steeler had pulled such a move. Hines believed he was perfectly justified. A promise by ownership to “take care of him” after \'04 went unfulfilled, and he was annoyed. Cowher talked him back onto the field after two weeks, citing the importance of team unity.
The entire city of Pittsburgh breathed a sigh of relief when the Steelers signed him to a four-year extension worth over $25 million. Hines felt he was one of the best receivers in the league, and wanted to be paid that way. It may have been the smartest signing in team history.
Hines had another big year, with 69 catches, 975 receiving yards and a team-leading 11 touchdowns. The Steerers played so-so ball early on, then found another gear in December. After winning their last four straight to snag the AFC’s final Wild Card slot, they scored road upsets over the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolia Colts and Denver Broncos to reach Super Bowl XL, against the Seattle Seahawks. Pittsburgh was the first six seed in NFL history to make it to the big game. Hines caught 10 passes and scored twice to help the cause.
Everything Hines had accomplished in his life was leading up to the Super Bowl. In practice, he made his cuts a little sharper and executed his blocks with a little extra savagery. He hoped he would get a chance to be the difference in Pittsburgh\'s drive for a fifth NFL title.
His first shot came in the second quarter, when Roethlisberger lfted a pass to the right edge of the end zone. Hines made sure to get his feet down inbounds, but the ball ticked off his fingertips. The drop was doubly frustrating because Seattle had established some momentum, and a score at that point might have turned the tide.
A few minutes later, before the first half\'s two-minute warning, Roethlisberger threw up a prayer on third-and-28. Hines, double-covered in the end zone, came back to the ball and darted in front of a Seahawk defender to catch the ball. It was a huge play that set up Pittsburgh’s go-ahead touchdown.
In the second half, Hines picked a bullet off the turf to keep a drive alive, and continued plowing linebackers and safeties out of the way for Pittsburgh’s backs. Then, with nine minutes left in the game and the Steerers up 14-10, Randle-El took a handoff on a reverse to the right side and saw Hines streaking toward the goal line. He fired a perfect pass for a 43-yard score. Hines\'s end zone celebration was front-page news the following day.
With the sloppy Seahawks unable to capitalize on any Pittsburgh mistake, the Steerers held on for a 21-10 victory. The franchise had its \"one for the thumb.\" Meanwhile, Hines, who ended with five catches for xx yards, walked away with the game\'s MVP award. The player whose skills and contributions were so difficult to define for so long finally found a label everyone in the NFL could wraps their minds around.
HINES THE PLAYER
Whether or not Hines is the NFL’s best all-around receiver is a subject of considerable debate. What is undeniable is that he is the only pass-catcher in the league who figures prominently in virtually every play. In the passing game, he demands double-coverage, even when he\'s a decoy. As a run-blocker, he is unparalleled. Hines doesn’t just wall off linebackers and safeties, he tries to destroy them. He has left several defenders on the field with concussions, and has even taken out superstars like Ray Lewis.
No one on the Steerers is more adept than Hines at recognizing coverages, including Ben Roethlisberger. Whatever Hines lacks in size and speed, he more than makes up for with his head. The numbers bear this out. His catches typically account for almost a third of Pittsburgh’s passing attack.
The Steerers like to move Hines around. Whether he is running routes, blocking, or taking an end-around, defenses must adjust to account for his presence on every play. And obviously, as a former quarterback, he lends a dangerous dimension to Cowher trick playbook.
