Former Pittsburgh Steelers WR Hines Ward is an all-time great and is once again a semifinalist to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A two-time Super Bowl champion, four-time Pro Bowler, and one of the best playoff wide receivers ever, he certainly is more than deserving of making it, yet despite this he is often overlooked for other receivers. Ward recently joined The Eye Test For Two podcast and stated his case for making the Hall of Fame.
“I think, longevity and what I did during the regular season, and then you look at what I did in the postseason, it [my game] elevated, I didn’t go down,” said Ward. “All my stats went up yards per catch, and the impact that I made during the playoffs when it matters the most, and then I played in three Super Bowls. At one point I was second behind the great Jerry Rice. So I don’t know, when you look at the stat line of what the requirements are, but if you took the names away, like don’t say Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, and you just look at all the stats by itself I should be right there on top of that list of candidates. If you didn’t know the names, it shouldn’t matter, I should be right there at the top of those guys.”
Ward played in a run-heavy offense which limited his stats a bit, yet he still put up great numbers. Ward’s career ended with him catching 1,000 passes for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns. For a player in an offense that was consistently winning and trying to salt games away by running the football, those are some damn good numbers.
Then, when you look at how Ward played in the postseason, he really has a great case for the Hall of Fame. Ward is a two-time Super Bowl champion, a Super Bowl MVP, and caught 88 passes for 1,181 yards and 10 touchdowns in the postseason. That is currently good for ninth all-time in the playoffs for receiving yards, eighth all-time in receptions, and tied for sixth all-time in receiving touchdowns.
Ward always turned it up when it mattered the most and that should certainly count for something. Herm Edwards once said, “You play to win the game,” and Ward certainly did that. His blocking ability helped Steelers running backs and receivers pick up extra yardage and he always made the clutch catch when needed.
Comparing Ward to Wayne, the numbers are eerily similar. Wayne has 70 more catches and over 2,000 more yards than Ward, but factoring in the Peyton Manning offense compared to Ward playing with names like Tommy Maddox and Kordell Stewart for a bunch of years and in head coach Bill Cowher’s run-heavy offense the numbers are very similar. Additionally, Ward has an extra ring to his name and a Super Bowl MVP, which Wayne does not have. Then if you factor in Ward’s blocking, it isn’t hard to make the case that Ward is a better player than Wayne.
Will the voters see it that way though? Hopefully, this is the year Ward can finally become a Hall of Fame finalist. He certainly deserves it.
Listen to the full interview with Ward below.
