Ward, Big Ben rift absurd
Hines Ward's silly overreaction to innocuous comments by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger last week made the national news. More than one famous talking head wondered if there is a rift in the Steelers' locker room. "Are Hines and Big Ben going to be able to co-exist?" they asked, breathlessly.
What nonsense.
Anybody who knows Ward and Roethlisberger knows that's absolute nonsense.
To start, Roethlisberger wasn't dissing Ward and the Steelers' other wide receivers when he told the Post-Gazette that he would love to have a tall guy to throw to when he's under pressure or in the red zone. What quarterback doesn't want a Plaxico Burress-type if he can get him? But Roethlisberger also made it a point to call his current receivers "unbelievable," as in unbelievably good. He has an especially high regard for Ward, an ultimate all-out, all-the-time player. There's probably not a teammate he respects more.
Roethlisberger never knocks "his guys," as he likes to call his teammates. This is a man who goes out of his way to praise his offensive linemen even on days when they allow seven or eight sacks. Big Ben gets it. He knows it's the well-compensated quarterback's job to deflect credit after every win and accept blame after every defeat. That's why he said after the playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, "I'm ashamed of the way I played," even after his fabulous performance in the second half brought the Steelers back from an 18-point deficit and would have won the game if the defense had been able to make a stop on fourth-and-2.
No, the perception of this phony baloney rift is all on Ward, the result of something from the deepest, darkest recesses of his overzealous imagination.
It's as if Ward needs a perceived slight -- real or otherwise -- for his motivation. No one is suggesting that hasn't been terrific for him and the Steelers. It's just that it occasionally makes him look foolish.
This is one of those times.
It's like when the Steelers drafted Ward in the third round in 1998. He convinced himself that no one gave him a chance to make the team even though the Steelers don't just throw away third-round picks.
Later, it was that he couldn't become a starter.
After that, it was that the team didn't think he was a No. 1 receiver because it used first-round picks on wide receivers Troy Edwards and Burress in consecutive drafts.
Then, it was that he couldn't flourish without Burress, that he wasn't worthy of a big-money contract and that he couldn't take the team to a Super Bowl.
Now, it's the "tall receiver" insult from Roethlisberger.
Hey, whatever works for a player.
This clearly has worked for Ward. It has made him one of the great players in franchise history. It has made him a Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP. One day, it will make him a Hall of Fame player.
But a rift with Roethlisberger?
That's beyond ridiculous.
Certainly, Roethlisberger won't hold a grudge. One of his strengths is the ability to let most things roll off his back. Early in his career, it was a comment from guard Alan Faneca, who said he wasn't especially looking forward to playing with an inexperienced rookie quarterback. Roethlisberger said at the time that he agreed with Big Red and the two became such good friends that, after the Jacksonville game, Roethlisberger said, "If this was my last game with Alan Faneca [who is an unrestricted free agent], it was an honor and a privilege to be his quarterback and I love him to death." This season, it was voting by his teammates for their MVP award, which went to linebacker James Harrison even though Roethlisberger should have been the winner. If it hurt Big Ben, he never let on. He never said a word about it.
By minicamp, Ward also will be beyond this insult and have moved on to the next one. He'll have convinced himself that people think he's washed up because he'll be 32 next season and coming off knee surgery. Just once, wouldn't it be nice if he identified those people? No one who saw him leave everything on the field against the Jaguars with 10 catches for 135 yards is suggesting he's losing anything from his game.
So forget about that rift in the Steelers' locker room.
The only rift involving Ward is the one he has with the personal demons that he's convinced are out to get him.
Roethlisberger, surely, is not among those.
Reference: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08025/852112-66.stm