Pittsburgh Steelers legendary wide receiver, Hines Ward is an enigma. During his playing career, he was beloved by his teammates, broadcasters and most importantly Steeler Nation. He played with a gritty edge and is commonly referred to as the best blocking wide receiver of all-time. Opposing players and fans do not always echo the sentiment and when Ed Reed appeared on The Dan Patrick Show, he had quite a bit to say about the current state of football and the black and gold.
“Football hasn’t changed,” Reed begins. “But the rules and everything has changed some things on how you can attack certain things. I was just talking about this on how there’s so many rule changes and made players timid on what they want to do. It’s definitely skewed towards the offense.”
Reed begins by making a valid point that many long-time fans of football can agree with. The sport has definitely embraced fantasy football and every attempt to keep stars healthy while hamstringing defenses. It started in the 1970’s with the Mel Blount rule and has continued for nearly 50 seasons. Great defenses are now measured strictly on sacks and coverage and big hits legal or not are much more likely to get flagged then rewarded.
Dan Patrick, the long-time ESPN SportsCenter anchor and radio host, asked Reed how his Baltimore defense would fare in today’s NFL with the current rules:
“Very impactful,” Reed continues. “We wasn’t one of those defenses you’ve seen that was out there with ill will just knocking helmets off. We hit people hard, but we wasn’t doing it illegally. You know like our rivalry team was doing, they had some dirty players over there and that’s how they played the game. I played for the Baltimore Ravens and our rivalry team was black and god, I don’t have to point out specific players.”
The Steelers and Ravens are one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL and hearing the Hall of Famer Reed ignore his team’s role in stoking the rivalry is laughable. Like many Ravens defenders who were repeatedly victimized by Ben Roethlisberger during the rivalry, he seems to forget the lengths that Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata employed to attempt to slow down the Pittsburgh quarterback. Reed was not done trashing the Steelers and turned his comments specifically to the all-time leader in receptions for the black and gold, Ward:
“People should know, I don’t have to tell you, Hines Ward was a dirty player,” Reed concludes. “There’s a rule after him. I’m not harping on it, like I’m not bitter about it, it is what it is. I never even thought he was dirty towards me; I never went back at him as much as I could. I meant it’s the way they were. Pittsburgh had that old school mentality and they still do really. It’s by any means necessary, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of taking the person out. I’ve told this to his face, so he already knows, but we’ve hashed that out and he knows.”
Ward is a Hall of Fame hopeful again this season, but based on Reed’s candid comments, it may reveal why he has failed to advance before. Ward played with a big smile on his face, but the NFL instituted protection for defenders because of his vicious blindside blocks during his career. Defenders head hunted wide receivers for years, but the former Georgia Bulldog turned the tide and on running plays, linebackers and defensive backs had to be aware of Ward.
Ward was rarely flagged for his vicious blocks because they were legal at the time. When the NFL changed the rule in 2009, he adjusted to it and played within the rules, but still delivered crushing blocks. It is unfair to penalize a player’s candidacy for playing within the rules, imagine cheapening Deacon Jones as a pass rusher because his primary move was the illegal head slap. Of course, it only became illegal because Jones was so good at it.
Ward was the franchise leader in receptions for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a Super Bowl MVP. The four-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champ did not play in a pass first offense for most of his career, but he impacted the game every time he stepped on the field for the black and gold and that is something few wide receivers could do without the ball.
Reed is in the Hall of Fame, and if Ward eventually falls to the veteran committee, he could sit in judgement of his former adversary and determine his receipt of a gold jacket. It is a little disheartening that the Baltimore Ravens could ultimately determine his fate and maybe keep him out of Canton. Hopefully, the writers won’t allow it to come to that and vote him in to the Hall of Fame where he belongs.
I have been rooting for the Steelers actively since 1975. I love the Black and Gold and support them through thick and thin. I am a Navy Veteran, living in Jacksonville, FL and never miss a chance to go to the neutral site games here in Jacksonville. I am new to the Steeler Nation website, but I love discussing Steelers Past, Present and Future.
More must-reads: