buy into the hype you have to be tall,” said Ward. “You throw the ball up and give somebody a chance to make a play, I'll make as many catches as anyone.”Eventually, Roethlisberger and Ward made up, and the Steelers accommodated their franchise QB by picking big Texas wideout Limas Sweed in the second round of last month's NFL draft.But then there’s Pittsburgh’s running back situation. Though Willie Parker was leading the entire NFL in rushing until breaking his leg last Dec. 20, he finds himself in a new situation this season.He’s got competition in the form of Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh's first-round pick. When Mendenhall dropped to the Steelers at No. 23 overall, the club felt it had no choice but to take the former University of Illinois standout."I mean, I was a little surprised" said Parker regarding the fact that the team chose to draft Mendenhall.On many other teams, superstars would be unhappy that their employers used valuable draft selections on highly touted prospects who happen to play their positions. But not when the two players you’re discussing are Ward and Parker. After all, for these guys it’s about the team and not individual stats. In other words, they’re willing to accommodate as long as it helps the Steelers."Even though we drafted a guy, I'm not mad and there are no hard feelings,'' Ward said early in minicamp. "They felt like this guy could help us get to the next level and win a championship. Why would I be mad at that?"And Ward has a good point, particularly when he references the fact that Sweed just might be able to help the Steelers get to the next level. After all, he is the sixth-leading receiver in Longhorns history; and though Ward might not like to hear this, Sweed is tall (6-foot-5)."Yeah, I understand," Parker, referring to the Mendenhall pick, stated. "They felt like we didn't have no running backs when I went out. ... Now, let's go get better, man. I'm not trying to be average, I want to be the best and whatever makes me better, I'm all for it."What’s more, the class that Ward and Parker have demonstrated simply doesn’t end there. Ward has been seen regularly helping Sweed adjust to the pros. Further, when asked what Parker had already shown him, 6 Sanchez Purple AFL50th jersey
Mendenhall said, "Just how to be a professional. He's been here for a few years. How to work, what to do, how to carry yourself as a professional and as a man."In the end, the Steelers are lucky to have two low-maintenance stars at key skill positions. It's evident that all Ward and Parker want to do is win.
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标题: Pittsburgh Steelers "Ward just as classy with tall receivers"
内容: Remember what Ben Roethlisberger said back in January about his hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers would pick up a tall wide receiver in the offseason? Just in case you don’t, here's a refresher.“I'm always going to ask for a tall receiver," Roethlisberger said. "That's just me. Our receivers are unbelievable, but our tallest guy might be Hines [Ward]? Or Santonio [Holmes]? Hines is going to say he's 6 foot, but he's 5-11. It's nice to have a bailout guy, you know when you're in trouble and you just kind of throw it up," he 4 Brett Favre Purple jersey
continued. "In the red zone its nice to have a guy like that. Obviously, we have a guy like Nate [Washington] who can jump out of this world. He can jump so high. It's nice to have that.”If you know the story, then you realize that Roethlisberger’s comments didn’t sit well with Ward, who's been one of the NFL's premier wideouts for years. "I don't buy into the hype you have to be tall. You throw the ball up and give somebody a chance to make a play, I'll make as many catches as anyone," countered Ward.After that, the million-dollar question became: Just how well were Ward and the new tall receiver in town, 6-4 second-round pick Limas Sweed, going to get along?Swimmingly, of course, and Pittsburgh fans would expect nothing less from the class act known as Hines Ward."Even though we drafted a guy, I'm not mad and there are no hard feelings,'' Ward said back on the first day of minicamp. "They felt like this guy could help us get to the next level and win a championship. Why would I be mad at that?" The only reason? If your ego was bigger than your desire to win. And once again, this is Ward we’re talking about, so that isn’t the case.Not only was Ward not sore about the whole thing, he actually spent a good portion of43 Polamalu white jersey
minicamp giving Sweed pointers. And apparently the pointers helped because the sixth-leading receiver in the history of the University of Texas history played well.Still, with all of the chatter about Ward getting old and Sweed waiting in the wings, you’ve got to think that eventually the talk will take its toll on the former Super Bowl MVP, right?Wrong."To this day, everybody is waiting for Hines Ward to fall off and I love that,'' Ward said early in camp. "That gives me motivation to go out and prove people wrong. It doesn't matter who we bring in, because I'm not going to change the way I play my game. I'm going to be Hines Ward, and No. 86 is going to continue to play the way he's always played.''Spoken like a receiver who regularly puts his body on the line for his teammates by blocking like a lineman.
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