Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward has made his way around the coaching circuit since retirement, most recently being the head coach for the San Antonio Bahamas of the XFL. According to former Steelers defensive back Bryant McFadden, Ward was even coaching during his playing days, helping out defensive backs and receivers frequently.
McFadden was recently on the Doak Talk podcast on YouTube and talked about how Ward was a teacher in practice,
“If we went in a rep, one-on-one, he would talk to me and tell me things that I needed to do better or applaud me for doing something, and say, ‘This is what you need to do with certain wide receivers,'” McFadden said. “Those were teaching moments for me. Our team was about helping each other. We were a selfless group who did not mind helping. And he did that not just for me [but] with the other defensive backs, and the same could be said for his wide receivers.”
As McFadden said, the Steelers team of the early and mid 2000s were a selfless bunch who only cared about winning and that means constantly helping each other out. Ward was a top wide receiver at the time, yet he still took the time to help everyone out, something he did not have to do.
With how many good wide receivers were in the league during that time, having a smart player like Ward teach McFadden and the other defensive backs some tricks that wide receivers do and what to watch for in other top wide receivers almost certainly helped out Pittsburgh’s pass defense.
Ward also helped usher in the next era of wide receivers after him, as he mentored and taught WR’s Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, and Antonio Brown who all became stars in the NFL after playing with Ward.
While Ward isn’t currently coaching anywhere, McFadden can vouch that Ward knows his stuff and is a helpful teacher. Not only was Ward important for the Steelers on offense, but also he clearly helped the Steelers’ elite defense during their Super Bowl years.
