Ward has 1,000th catch in sight
LATROBE 鈥� Even if Hines Ward puts up the same numbers he did last season, when he put up some of the lowest numbers in 11 years, Ward will move into the unmistakable pantheon of all-time greats.
Ward would have 1,013 catches (8th), 12,457 yards (16th) and 88 touchdowns (10th).
鈥淚 think that puts him in the Hall of Fame, first ballot,鈥� said Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. 鈥淭wo Super Bowl rings, MVP, thousand catches, all of Swann鈥檚 and Stallworth鈥檚 records, I think that legitimizes him. I think he already is without it, but I think that legitimizes him.
鈥淎nd Hines needs something,鈥� Arians continued. 鈥淗e鈥檚 always got to have a chip on his shoulder or a goal just to keep him rolling. I love when he鈥檚 frosty and he鈥檚 got a chip on his shoulder.鈥�
Well, color Hines frosty. When asked about the 46 catches he needs for 1,000, he turned blue with excitement.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a personal goal,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 like the 3,000th hit, the 600th home run.鈥�
Only seven NFL players have caught 1,000 passes: Jerry Rice (1,549), Marvin Harrison (1,102), Cris Carter (1,101), Tim Brown (1,094), Terrell Owens (1,078), Tony Gonzalez (1,069) and Isaac Bruce (1,024).
鈥淚t would be awesome to get a thousand catches and do it all for one organization,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like I鈥檓 in a prolific passing offense, or playing in a dome. I think it鈥檚 just a milestone of the consistency I鈥檝e had over my whole career, and just being there. But that would be huge. I can鈥檛 lie about that. That is on the back of my mind.
鈥淚 want to win the Super Bowl, of course, but as far as individual goals, 迟丑补迟鈥檚 something.鈥�
But will he catch the necessary 46 passes? Is the 35-year-old slowing down too quickly? Arians doesn鈥檛 think so.
鈥淗e looks spryer than he did last year,鈥� he said.
Is it due to his Dancing With The Stars?
鈥淚 think it was getting the knee cleaned out,鈥� Arians said. 鈥淚t swelled on him a lot last year. I think 迟丑补迟鈥檚 helped. And losing a little weight through the dancing. I鈥檓 sure that dancing stuff tightened up his core. But he looks good.鈥�
鈥淚 know I鈥檓 getting older and stuff like that,鈥� said Ward. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 in great condition. I look crisp out there. I feel good.鈥�
Ward said he hopes to finish his contract, through the 2012 season, and then worry about whether he鈥檒l retire.
But, that could change with a Super Bowl win.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to play for any other team,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be like Franco, his last year going to Seattle. I don鈥檛 want to do that. 鈥� I do want to win another Super Bowl. People were asking (at the last one), 鈥業s this going to be your last one?鈥� It might have been. To win three Super Bowls, 迟丑补迟鈥檚 crazy.鈥�
More than eight Steelers have done that, but only seven players have ever caught 1,000 passes, and none came from a run-oriented team such as the Steelers. Ward would be the first.
Now 迟丑补迟鈥檚 crazy.