Ward's exit speech redefines tear-jerker

By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

March 21, 2012

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, right, announces his retirement from the NFL at the Steeler's offices in Pittsburgh Tuesday, March 20, 2012. In rear from left listening are: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, and Steelers President and co-owner Art J. Rooney II. (AP)

Well, I hope you're happy; you made him cry.

That's you, Steelers Nation, you fans from Pittsburgh to Pittston to Paris to Piracicaba, Brazil, and everywhere else in The Constellation of the Towel. You were the reason Hines Ward came back to Steelers headquarters Tuesday for one last real wet weep.

That Ward got released by the franchise he loved Feb. 29 surprised few, and that he quickly retreated from his stated intention to play further and chose instead to retire as a Steeler surprised perhaps some, but that he melted into a persistent lacrimation within minutes of his moment surprised no one.

Someone in the Steelers organization has the official results, but linebacker James Harrison, seated behind me at the noon news conference, called the first secretion at 2:26 of Ward's last official act.
Ward somehow got through an additional 25 minutes.

Harrison sat with former Ward teammates Jerome Bettis, Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel, and said unashamedly "we're doing an over/under on tears."

You think they were kidding?

Harrison seem like a kidder?

Ward cried early and often, late and often, pretty much doing the whole thing in a heavy mist, and, for anyone not terribly familiar with No. 86, it was as completely genuine as it was target specific:

"The one thing I love more than football," he gulped. "Steelers Nation and the fans."

Ward said he couldn't imagine playing for another team, which actually might have been the only way he could have played for another team, imagining it. The pounding snowstorm of outrageous free-agent cash that blanketed the NFL's receiving corps this month left Ward's sidewalk as dry and sunny as this new Pittsburgh spring.

I was hoping this presser was staged so that Ward could announce he was running for governor, which wouldn't be the first trail blazed for him by Lynn Swann. Though Swann could counsel Ward on any political aspirations, there's no confirmation Hines has any, at least not beyond the sometimes nonsensical politics of who winds up in Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Read More: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/gene-collier/wards-exit-speech-redefines-tear-jerker-627212/

Related: "Hines Ward's Last Down" -
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/hines-wards-last-down-627231/

Hines Ward deserves to make Hall of Fame

By Jamison Hensley

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/

March 1, 2012

 

 

 

When Hines Ward decides to call it quits -- and he should definitely consider retiring as a Pittsburgh Steeler after the team announced it will release him -- he will have completed a Hall of Fame career.

Whether Ward sees his bust immortalized in Canton is up for debate. He is certainly far from a slam dunk to get voted into the Hall of Fame, and the odds are currently against him from getting inducted. But he deserves to be there.

Ward should get in for his productivity. He is one of eight players in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions.

Ward should get in for his consistency. He averaged 85.6 catches during a nine-year period (2001 to '09).

Ward should get in for his toughness. He is the only wide receiver who will be remembered as much for his bone-jarring hits as his clutch catches.

Perhaps the best argument for Ward's enshrinement is that there are only two players in NFL history to catch 1,000 passes and win multiple Super Bowls: Ward and Jerry Rice. That's elite status, which is what the Hall of Fame represents. It's the best of the best.

The reality is Ward will have trouble making the Hall of Fame. Just ask Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed. They've been waiting for years, even though their credentials say they should get in. Brown ranks fourth on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list and sixth in touchdown catches. Carter is eighth in yards and fourth in touchdowns.

One theory is that voters are split among those three receivers, so Carter, Brown and Reed cancel one another out. Another theory is Hall of Fame voters don't value wide receivers, which is something Carter believes.

Only seven receivers in the Hall of Fame started their careers after the 1970 AFL-NFL merger: Michael Irvin, Steve Largent, James Lofton, Art Monk, Rice, John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. That's fewer than quarterbacks, running backs, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs.
The struggles of Carter and Brown to get into the Hall work against Ward. He has significantly fewer catches, receiving yards and touchdowns than each of them. Ward also has been to half as many Pro Bowls. In many ways, getting into the Hall of Fame is a numbers game, and that's not what Ward wants to hear.

Ward's best shot at reaching the Hall of Fame is his entire body of work. He wasn't the best deep threat. He wasn't the receiver with the most touchdowns. But he was the most complete wide receiver of his generation. No wide receiver blocked like Ward, and he fearlessly made catches over the middle. His reputation will stand the test of time.

Receivers are often considered divas. Ward is ruthless. He's an old-school player who stood out because of his physical play.

"Is there another receiver in the past 12 years who has a tougher reputation than Hines?" Swann said.

Once the Hall of Fame voters resolve this current logjam with wide receivers, Ward could be faced with another one once he is eligible. (A player becomes a candidate five years after his final game.) He could be going against the likes of Terrell Owens (No. 2 on the all-time receiving yards list), Randy Moss (No. 5) and Marvin Harrison (No. 6). This could mean a long wait for Ward, who is 18th on that list.

From my perspective, Ward has strong enough numbers to put himself in the Hall of Fame conversation. It's his other credentials -- violent blocker, Super Bowl MVP and great leader -- that put him over the top.

Hall of Fame-Worthy?

How Hines Ward compares to the three wide receivers who are having trouble making the Hall of Fame:

WR	Rec.	Yards	TDs	Pro Bowls
Tim Brown	1,094	14,934	105	9
Cris Carter	1,101	13,899	130	8
Andre Reed	951	13,198	87	7
Hines Ward	1,000	12,083	85	4

It only feels personal with Steelers

By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
March 4, 2012

It's just business. It isn't personal. It's business.

Keep telling yourself that.

It will help you deal with the Steelers terminating team legends Hines Ward, Aaron Smith and James Farrior last week.

There probably isn't an uglier phrase in sports than, "The team has terminated the contract of ... " One day, a player is a valuable member of an organization, maybe even among its all-time greats. The next day, he is gone. Terminated. It's an awful word.

Legend has a much nicer ring to it even if the word never should be used lightly. With Ward, Smith and Farrior, it applies. They might not join the 18 Steelers players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- Ward is the only one with a realistic chance -- but they will be remembered forever as football legends in this town.

It's just business ...

From a football standpoint, it's hard to argue with the release of Ward, Smith and Farrior. Ward was barely an afterthought in the Steelers' offense during the second half of last season. Smith had major injuries in each of the past three seasons and four of the past five. Farrior shared inside linebacker duties last season with inseparable pal Larry Foote, who must be having a brutal time sorting through his mixed feelings about the team deciding to keep him instead of Farrior.

Termination day comes for even the greatest of the great legends.

It's the harsh reality of sports.

"We're all on deck," Farrior said late last season.

The Steelers needed the salary-cap space, presumably to sign, among others, wide receiver Mike Wallace. They need to get younger and had to clear roster spots to do it. The moves to release Ward, Smith and Farrior -- tough as they were -- had to be made.

It's not personal ...

The Steelers' locker room will have a much different feel next season.

Ward, Smith and Farrior held prominent spots, as did popular Chris Hoke, who retired in January.

Ward was respected, not just for his catches and touchdowns but for his toughness, which rivaled any player's in the NFL.

Smith, like Hall of Famer Jack Ham from the Super Steelers of the 1970s, never made a mistake and never was out of position, according to teammates. Those same teammates drew much strength from him and the way he handled his young son Elijah's diagnosis of leukemia in 2008.

As for Farrior?

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12064/1214161-87.stm#ixzz1oA8NVe1P

So Long, Hines

By Jim Wexell
Steel City Insider
http://pit.scout.com/
March 1, 2012

It’s a car that came into the league in 1998 and has taken me all the way around Steeler Nation and still runs pretty well today.
Well, sometimes.

It does break down every once in a while, and when I bring it to the shop the mechanic asks me, “How old is this thing?”

And I say, “How old is Hines Ward?”

And then we have a good laugh.

But the ride is over. Ward, who also came into the league in 1998, is leaving. At least he’s leaving Pittsburgh. So I may need a new car, just like the Steelers need a new beast.

Sure, it’s a clunker of an analogy, but it's hard saying goodbye to something so reliable. So all I can say to Hines is what Neil Young once said in a song about his old car: “Long May You Run.”

* I met Hines Ward at minicamp in “the ghetto” of the Three Rivers Stadium locker room in 1998. It was an annex of the locker room where the Steelers put all of their rookies, except for their first three draft picks. Ward was the fourth that year, but regardless of his status Hines was ebullient that day. You could tell right then that he had found his new home.

* What a champ, I thought. “Rookie of the Year,” I wrote.

* Ward didn’t win any awards that season, but who will ever forget the tackles he made on special teams that first preseason? Or his number 15?

* I remember the Monday night game in Kansas City in 1998, when Ward came out of the huddle trying to get the glove off his right hand, and I remember thinking that something was up just before he got the ball and threw a 17-yard pass back to Kordell Stewart on third-and-10.

* Ward’s friend Bobby Shaw once told me to ask Ward about the “target board.” It was something Ward had put up in the wide receivers’ meeting room. “If there’s a DB who wants to play dirty, trying to punk somebody out, we’ll put him on there,” Ward explained. “Once he’s on there, somebody has to go after him on every play.”

* The “target board” came to symbolize the rest of Ward’s career. It was born out of a response to a cheap shot Bills safety Kurt Schultz had put on Troy Edwards during a preseason game.

Read More: http://pit.scout.com/2/1163525.html

Ward's game was pure joy

By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
March 1, 2012

This is the era when just about everything accomplished on a football field is framed as an act of defiance: a football is spiked viciously; a breastbone is beaten repeatedly in thumping self-aggrandizement; a standard touchdown comes replete with posturing and screaming.

So let's remember this today: That is not how Hines Ward played football.

At the completion of perhaps the prettiest play in Super Bowl history, with Hines racing under an exquisite rollout pass from Antwaan Randle El to drown the Seattle Seahawks, the enduring emblem of Ward's career flashed blindingly into the annals of sports photography.

That smile.

Oh my word, look at that beaming enamel as he carries the ball like a newborn into the Ford Field end zone. The NFL put it on a raft of official publications the next year; it was that iconic, that unusual.

Here's a guy playing football ... joyously!

Apparently it was still legal then.

So really, that's the era that ended Wednesday just short of dinner time, the era when football excellence could be conveyed as unrestrained fun rather than some dutiful execution of grim responsibility, some soulless quest for vengeance.

None of this will say the Steelers erred in any way when they released Ward after 14 seasons, but neither will it avoid the truth that they did indeed wipe the smile off their face.

"I gave my heart and soul to you every down," Ward said to Steelers fans in a statement that swiftly followed Art Rooney II's announcement that No. 86 won't be back. "And I will always bleed black and gold."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12061/1213599-150-0.stm#ixzz1nsSPKZyo

Hines a Steelers legend

By Joe Starkey, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, March 1, 2012

Put a face on the Steelers' modern history, one that represents not only the franchise's glorious achievement but also its attitude and aura.

Art Rooney and his stogie would be an obvious choice, as would Jack Lambert and his toothless, raging scowl.

Mean Joe Greene's glare or Chuck Noll's pensive stare would work, as well.

But there is at least one more mug that deserves special mention: Hines Ward's.

In a smiling pose, of course. Was there any other?

The topic arises in the wake of the Steelers announcing they will release Hines — it doesn't seem right to refer to him as "Ward," does it? — before March 13.

It is the right move, even though Hines made it clear he'd be willing to play for allowance money. One of the reasons the Steelers perpetually reload, as opposed to rebuild, is that they remove emotion when making business decisions.

They do not believe Hines merits a spot on their roster. Therefore, he is finished as a Steeler after 14 incredible seasons.

In some 40 years of watching football, I can't say I've seen a more complete player. By complete, I mean productive, consistent, tough — a factor on nearly every snap.

I don't know that I've seen many wide receivers crack down on defensive ends. Haven't seen any break a linebacker's jaw. Never saw one besides Hines light up Ed Reed and Bart Scott in the same game.

Come to think of it, I never saw one lose a shoe and outrun DeAngelo Hall, either.

That was the big lie about Hines — that he wasn't real athletic. True, he was no blazer. But the man played multiple positions at an SEC school (Georgia), including quarterback, and even in his final decrepit season was leaping over Titans safety Michael Griffin to score.

Off the field, Hines spoke his mind. He was a self-promoter, for sure, but at the same time the ultimate team player. You could ask any of the team's younger receivers about how Hines mentored them even as his playing time shrunk.

Hines told us so many times, in so many settings, that "nobody thought I could do it." The saying became a punch line.

But you know what? It was true. When Hines walked into Steelers headquarters in 1998, a third-round pick without an ACL in his left knee, barely 6 feet tall, I'm guessing nobody looked at him and said, "That guy's going to put up better numbers than Swann and Stallworth."


Read more: Starkey: Hines a Steelers legend - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/columnists/starkey/s_784246.html#ixzz1nsQbFNjQ

Pass-catching skill, toughness define Ward

By Mike Wilkening
http://www.profootballweekly.com/
February 29, 2012

Hines Ward catches a pass in front of Johnathan Wade #26 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the game on December 12, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

The Steelers took Hines Ward after 14 other wide receivers were taken in the 1998 NFL draft, and they selected him with a compensatory pick, one of four they were awarded because of free-agent losses the previous offseason. Most notably, the Steelers lost OLB Chad Brown to Seattle, which inked him to a six-year, $24 million deal.

Ward played a minor role in his first season, catching 15 passes. But by 1999, he was a starter, and he was a fixture in the Steelers' lineup for much of the next 11 seasons, thriving no matter what personality the Pittsburgh offense had taken.

Ward's career in Pittsburgh ended Wednesday, with the club announcing his impending release. Perhaps Ward, who turns 36 on March 8, will sign elsewhere. In a statement released Wednesday, Ward, according to NFL.com, said he was "looking forward to playing in the NFL, again, this upcoming season."

Smart and tough, perhaps Ward still can be effective against zone coverage. Teams looking for a possession receiver could do worse.

And he will block. Yes, he will block. It says it all about Ward that it is necessary to mention his blocking this high in the story, for if I didn't, you would say, "Well, all these numbers are nice … but what about all the times he LEVELED defensive players?"

In a 2009 game at Cincinnati, Ward famously clobbered Bengals OLB Keith Rivers with a helmet-to-helmet block. The play broke Rivers' jaw and ended his season, and the league later outlawed similar blocks.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Ward did more than his part to contribute to the Steelers' collective physicality, but his pass-catching skill and productivity ultimately will be what puts him in the Hall of Fame discussion. He caught 1,000 passes in his 14 seasons, becoming only the eighth player to reach quadruple digits in receptions. He exceeded 90 catches four times, and as recently as 2009. He was a standout in his first Super Bowl, garnering game MVP honors with five receptions, 123 yards and a TD catch. When the Steelers captured another NFL title three years later, Ward again was a key contributor, hauling in one reception of at least 38 yards in all three of Pittsburgh's postseason wins.

Those moments comprise part of Ward's legacy in Pittsburgh. The little things, though, are essential to his story. Grinding his way forward on a screen pass, working his way open for Ben Roethlisberger time-and-again in key situations — that was the essence of Hines Ward. A little more than 84 percent of his receptions went for less than 20 yards.

Ward's release is not a total surprise. His role had diminished last season, with Antonio Brown taking his starting spot. If Ward had returned to Pittsburgh, he might have been the fourth or fifth option at his position.

Whatever is next for Ward, we know this much: the Steelers were rather well-compensated for their free-agency troubles of 1997. And few have ever done more with their NFL shots than Hines Ward.

Free Agent Preview: Mike Wallace

By Bill Barnwell on February 27, 2012
http://www.grantland.com/



NFL free agency is all about value. Anyone in the NFL can spend money, but good organizations succeed in the marketplace by identifying players who will produce more value than their contractual demands suggest; in other words, guys who are better than everybody else realizes. That might evoke images of teams signing guys for pennies on the dollar before they turn into stars, but teams don't necessarily have to be cheapskates to find value. The Saints shelled out a huge contract to Drew Brees in 2005, but they obviously got their $60 million worth over the course of the ensuing six seasons. A good general manager plows into free agency and finds players that fit his team's holes before signing them at a market price below their "true" value.

The job of an agent is diametrically opposed to that of a general manager. The agents' job, of course, is to make the players they represent look as valuable as possible. That doesn't necessarily mean wildly distorting a player's abilities — nobody's going to buy that Marion Barber is worth $40 million — but it does involve creating the best possible context for their player. A good agent not only creates demand, he creates doubt in the heads of general managers by convincing them that the player they're trying to sign is worth more than the GM's valuation.

As part of our preview of this year's free agency period, we're going to approach the market from an agent's perspective. You may be familiar with the "books" that baseball mega-agent Scott Boras prepares for his top free agents, binders with page after page of arguments detailing why Alex Rodriguez or Prince Fielder deserves a $200 million contract. Football agents, as you might expect, prepare similar sorts of packets for their players.

Well, all this week, we're going to step into the shoes of those agents. We don't have the time, staff, or obvious financial motivations of someone like Boras to prepare a 72-page document for a player, but we're going to prepare abbreviated "books" for five of the NFL's most interesting restricted and unrestricted free agents. While we often use statistics to try to get accurate gauges of a player's value or performance, that's not going to be our goal here. Instead, these books will attempt to make each player look as valuable as possible, even if we don't truly believe that the player is actually worth as much as the books suggest.

Today, we start with explosive Steelers wideout Mike Wallace. See? We've already started talking these guys up. We're basically agents already. And where did these six cell phones come from?

The Book on Mike Wallace

At 25, Mike Wallace is the most promising young receiver in all of football. He's accomplished more during his first three years in the league than any other wide receiver in recent memory, despite unfavorable conditions, regular absences from his starting quarterback, and the presence of two of the league's most decorated wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart when he entered the league. Any team lucky enough to have Mike Wallace on its roster can expect to have the best wideout in football in its uniform for the next several seasons.

An Auspicious Debut

No active receiver has put together a more impressive résumé during his first three seasons as a pro than has Mike Wallace. If you compare what Wallace has done during that time to every other active wideout over the first three years of their respective careers, Wallace's statistical record is staggering. Consider:

• Among active wideouts, Wallace's 3,206 receiving yards are the second-most accrued during a player's first three seasons, behind only Anquan Boldin.

• Among receivers with a total of 60 receptions or more during their first three seasons, Wallace has averaged more yards per catch.

• He's scored 24 touchdowns in his first three seasons, more than any other receiver in football besides Braylon Edwards.

Wallace's performance during his first three seasons compares favorably to stars like Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, and Roddy White over the first three years in their respective careers. The table below lists the three-year totals for Wallace, those receivers, and other notable players, ranked by receiving yards:

RECEIVERS OF NOTE

Rank	Player	Team	Rec	Yds	Yds/Rec	TD
1	Anquan Boldin	ARI	259	3402	13.1	16
2	Mike Wallace	PIT	171	3206	18.8	24
3	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	230	3135	13.6	24
4	DeSean Jackson	PHI	172	3135	18.2	17
5	Calvin Johnson	DET	193	3071	15.9	21
6	Hakeem Nicks	NYG	202	3034	15.0	24
7	Marques Colston	N.O.	215	3000	14.0	24
8	Brandon Marshall	DEN	226	2899	12.8	15
9	Lee Evans	BUF	178	2878	16.2	24
10	Chad Ochocinco	CIN	187	2850	15.2	16
13	Andre Johnson	HOU	208	2806	13.5	12
21	Santonio Holmes	PIT	156	2587	16.6	15
31	Roddy White	ATL	142	2154	15.2	9
32	Steve Smith	CAR	152	2136	14.1	10
39	Reggie Wayne	IND	144	1899	13.2	11
42	Sidney Rice	MIN	129	1849	14.3	16

Only two receivers in the past 30 years have gained more receiving yards and scored more touchdowns during their first three years than Wallace, and they make for pretty good company: Randy Moss and Jerry Rice.

Could He Be Better Elsewhere?

In addition to his impressive performance, there are reasons to think that Wallace's statistics might understate his true level of performance. While Wallace has made it through every contest in his 48-game career without missing a game and has yet to be placed on the injury report with an ailment that classified him as "Questionable" or "Doubtful," that hasn't always been true of his quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger missed one game during the 2009 season and another during the 2011 season thanks to injury; beyond those absences, Roethlisberger was a dramatically limited player during two other 2011 games because of his high ankle sprain, and was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season.

Together, those injuries mean that Wallace has had to play just under 17 percent of his career with a backup quarterback under center. When Roethlisberger's been in the lineup and (relatively) healthy, Wallace has been a far better player. In fact, if we prorate each set of numbers to a 16-game season, Wallace has been about twice as good with Roethlisberger in the lineup as he has been when Roethlisberger's been injured and/or unable to play:

THE BIG BEN FACTOR

Status	Games	Rec	Yds	TD
With healthy Roethlisberger	40	152	2836	22
Without healthy Roethlisberger	8	19	370	2
Prorated to 16 games
With healthy Roethlisberger	16	61	1134	9
Without healthy Roethlisberger	16	38	740	4

Furthermore, if you take Wallace's statistics with a healthy Roethlisberger and prorate them to a full 48-game career, he would have 3,403 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns, which would give him more receiving yards and touchdowns than anybody selected in the draft during this millennium.

During Wallace's tenure with the Steelers, he's also been part of a team that's played at a very slow pace. In fact, last year, Pittsburgh's offense only ran 165 possessions, the lowest total in football.
Fewer possessions, of course, mean fewer chances to rack up totals. Compare that to the Jets, who had 198 possessions to work with over the course of their season; receivers on the Jets got 33 more possessions to work with, or nearly 20 percent of Pittsburgh's entire total. If you take Wallace's statistics from 2011 and adjust them for a 198-possession rate, he finishes with 1,431 receiving yards, improving his total from 11th in the league to fourth.

In addition, while other players get to pad their statistics by making plays and picking up meaningless yardage in garbage time, Wallace has rarely enjoyed such a luxury during his time with the Steelers. Over his first three seasons, just 7 percent of Wallace's receptions have come while his team trailed by 14 or more points. The league average for receivers is just under 16 percent, and similarly skilled players on subpar teams get even higher; Larry Fitzgerald has accrued nearly 19 percent of his receptions in those scenarios. Wallace's production has come when it's mattered most to his team, to an extent that virtually no other player in football can match.

If Wallace plays on a team with a healthier quarterback that moves the ball up and down the field at even a league-average pace, his performance will improve beyond his already impressive rates.

Wallace vs. Holmes

When Mike Wallace entered the league in 2009, he had little claim to regular playing time. The Steelers were coming off a win in Super Bowl XLIII, and their starting receivers were a pair of Super Bowl MVPs: Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. Wallace was also behind Limas Sweed, whom the Steelers had chosen in the second round of the previous year's draft. Wallace quickly beat out Sweed for the third wideout job in training camp, and less than two years later, he was Pittsburgh's no. 1 receiver in the Super Bowl.

In the process, the Steelers elected to trade Holmes to the New York Jets in a decision that was clearly motivated by aspects beyond football. Wallace, regarded as a model teammate and without any embarrassing off-field incidents on his résumé, took over and allowed the Steelers to proceed without missing a beat. In fact, since Holmes went to the Jets and signed a five-year, $45 million contract, Wallace has very clearly been the better player:

WALLACE VS. HOLMES

2010-2011	Games	Receptions	Yards	TDs
Holmes	28	103	1400	14
Wallace	32	132	2450	18

The disparity between their performances is obvious, but it stretches even further when you remember the difference in possessions between the two teams; even though Holmes missed four games of the 2010 campaign because of a suspension, he's still seen action on more drives than Wallace has over the past two years. And Wallace is also playing at this superior level of performance while he's two years younger than Holmes. Wallace has clearly been the superior player to last year's free agent catch, and he should only continue to get better over the next several seasons.

Conclusion

Very simply, the chance to acquire a 25-year-old receiver with this sort of electric skills and proven track record of production does not come around frequently, if ever. Imagine that your organization could have signed Jerry Rice or Randy Moss to a contract three years into their careers while merely sacrificing a first-round pick. On the rare occasions when players of this ilk become available, they usually have baggage of some nature attached and require far more than a first-round pick. There is no such baggage surrounding Wallace, and because of Pittsburgh's salary cap situation, the league has been presented with a chance to acquire him for a price far below his true market value.

Mike Wallace isn't just a free agent. He's a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Photo: Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Steelers disrespecting Ward

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Monday, February 13, 2012

Just to get this on the record: I won't complain if the Steelers release Hines Ward, given his performance last season, the three young receivers ahead of him and that he'll turn 36 next month. I also won't complain if the Steelers keep Ward by securing a huge pay cut from the $4 million he's due in 2012.

These aren't easy calls for the front office, but either would be the right call from the football standpoint.

If only someone can find the fortitude to make it.

And make it The Steelers Way.

Remember that?

Goes something like this ...

Player X — let's call him Franco Harris, Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland or Joey Porter — looks to have reached the finish line.

Coach Y — let's call him Chuck Noll or Bill Cowher — addresses that player respectfully but forthrightly: Thanks for everything. It's time to part ways.

Team Z elsewhere might give that player a chance, or the player might choose to retire. Either way, the Steelers move on. And, just as important, they maintain their reputation for being first-class in these affairs.

So how to explain the classless way they're treating Ward?

The day after the playoff loss in Denver, Mike Tomlin declined to address the Ward topic, unless you count, "We love Hines." There was no commitment nor a timetable to establish one. And that's no stunner. When I asked Tomlin about Ward's demotion in November, Tomlin abruptly ended the interview. He's been hypersensitive to this for months.

Team president Art Rooney II did address Ward in his end-of-season meeting with reporters, saying, "You want it to end the right way whenever it ends, but it's a two-party decision. We'll evaluate how we feel about it over the next few weeks."

That at least was something, if only a hint that the Steelers might take Ward back if he takes that huge pay cut.

So why, according to Ward's representatives, has there been no formal contact from the team in the month and change since season's end?

And, way, way above that, who from the Steelers could have had the audacity to leak word to NFL Network — with the news broken Friday night by veteran reporter Jason La Canfora — that they don't want Ward back for 2012?

Whoever it was, that person or persons should look Ward in the eye and apologize.

I'm not getting into guessing the source of the leak. Only a handful in the Steelers' upper hierarchy would have hard knowledge of Ward's future, but there's still no way to narrow it down. Or, for that matter, to know if the leak was aimed at pressuring Ward to drop his price to rock bottom.

Again, if that's the goal, fine. The Steelers have big-time cap issues.

But to do it like this?

It wouldn't be the first time for such a tactic: In 2009, La Canfora wrote in an NFL.com chat that the Steelers were considering cutting Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton. That didn't happen, of course. But Hampton was aware of the report and, unlike the previous year, he showed up for training camp in good shape.

If the mission was to motivate Hampton, it was accomplished.

This is different, though. It's not about calories or contracts or other tales that have navigated this particular pipeline.

This is Hines Ward.

This is the franchise's most accomplished receiver, a two-time Super Bowl champion, a heart-and-soul contributor on and off the field. This is someone who, even when reduced to responding to this report through his Facebook account, wrote that he'll accept less money to "make sure" he stays with the Steelers.

He deserves some respect.

If Ward isn't done, if he can still help the receiving corps, if pending free agent Jerricho Cotchery is as unlikely as it appears to re-sign for more duty as a No. 4, then tell Ward as much. Work something out promptly.

If Ward is done, then tell him that sometime soon. Face to face. Man to man.

Used to be The Steelers Way.

Haley's hire a nutty narrative

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Nothing says you're nuts quite like aspiring to become the Steelers' offensive coordinator. Except, of course, accepting when they offer.

So, Todd Haley is nuts.

This became official when the team announced his hiring Tuesday by way of a written statement in which Haley described himself as "excited about the opportunity." You know, the opportunity to be an idiot when the Steelers lose, a bumbling obstacle when they win, and generally less popular than anyone in town except the county treasurer whose name you fill out on property-tax checks.

You've got to be nuts.

Just ask Bruce Arians, who dealt with all of that, won a Super Bowl, was fired by Art Rooney II and immediately latched on with the Indianapolis Colts to take the same job.

He's twice as nuts.

This whole offensive coordinator saga is nuts, actually, and it's hard to imagine it's playing out with a franchise as founded in non-nuttiness as the Steelers.

Let's start with Haley himself, whose behavior throughout his 15-year NFL coaching career has been outright certifiable.

How about the interview Haley granted to the Kansas City Star in December, shortly before the Chiefs fired him, in which he first swept a PR office for bugs he suspected were placed by upper management to spy on him?

Haley went on to tell that interviewer he also thought his cell phone, which he owned before joining that team, had been bugged by those same spies. Others have made similar accusations against the Chiefs' autocratic general manager, Scott Pioli, but no proof ever has emerged.

How about the relentless criticism in Kansas City that Haley was more about promoting himself than doing right by the Chiefs?

Jason Whitlock, Fox Sports' renowned Kansas City-based columnist, wrote in January 2011 that Haley tried to compensate for not having played football even at the high school level — back problems limited him to golf at Upper St. Clair — and that Haley was "too insecure to work in a professional manner with confident, competent people for an extended time." Indeed, Haley fired or pushed out two experienced offensive coordinators, Chan Gailey and Charlie Weis, in just two-plus seasons as head coach. Whitlock and others charged that those moves were made to get Haley more credit for the Chiefs' successes.

And, going off the rails a bit, how about in 2009, when Haley and his family sued a McDonald's for $1.7 million after his wife found a dead 6-inch rat in her salad?

Haley's lawyer riotously explained to the Associated Press that the ingestion of the rat caused "violent physical illness" — how do you lift a whole rat onto a fork to ingest anything? — that the store manager "brought them no comfort" when visiting their house, and that "the family needs closure" on the matter. They ended up securing an out-of-court settlement, not to mention securing Haley's perpetual place as the butt of rodent jokes.

Nuts, all of it.

And this is to say nothing of how Haley's spotty background won this job, how his pass-specialist pedigree will address Rooney's wish to bolster the run, how being passed over will sit with the rest of Mike Tomlin's staff and, in the biggest issue by far, how Haley might — or might not — coexist with Ben Roethlisberger. Haley has clashed with some of his best players, often in public.

Are the Steelers nuts, too?

Look, I had no issue with Rooney stepping in to make the call on Arians. Owners are right to get involved when they see something amiss, and they're right to help maintain a franchise identity. Rooney didn't want Arians in the role, and he got rid of him. That's only meddling if it happens regularly.

But to hire this guy?

Rooney had a longtime connection with Haley's father, Dick, the Steelers' famed personnel man from 1971-90, and this sure has the feel of that connection paying off. Yes, Tomlin interviewed Todd Haley. Yes, there's even a chance Tomlin liked him, though they appear to have zilch in common. But this process has Rooney's fingerprints from start to finish.

We know Tomlin wanted Arians back, but Rooney overruled him.

We know a few of Tomlin's players — notably Roethlisberger — pushed for quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner to get Arians' old job, and Rooney evidently overruled that, too.

It's hard to tell what anyone's thinking on the South Side. Tomlin has barely made a peep since the Steelers were Tebowed, and he wasn't quoted in the team's statement Tuesday. Haley himself was whisked in and out of headquarters without a spoken word.

Pardon this pun, especially if you're picking through a salad, but I smell a rat.

Haley doesn't figure to buddy up to Ben

By Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
February 7, 2012

If indeed he's the Steelers' new offensive coordinator, Todd Haley will have a few things in common with the guy he reportedly will replace.

Like Bruce Arians, Haley loves the passing game.

Like Arians, Haley has a passion for the game of golf.

I point that out because Ben Roethlisberger has similar interests.

Roethlisberger, the quarterback and face of the Steelers' franchise, likes it best when he's moving the offense via the pass. And when football season is over, he knows how to manuever around a golf course quite well. Often over the years, he'd tee it up with Arians. They've both been members at a private venue in western Pennsylvania as well as one in Georgia.

They used football, golf and an occasional game of cards to develop a very close relationship not often found between athlete and coach.

Maybe that's one reason Steelers president Art Rooney II decided to part ways with Arians two weeks ago, that the close bond between Roethlisberger and Arians was too close.

That doesn't figure to be the case with Haley and Roethlisberger ... at least not right away.

Roethlisberger was upset when Arians wasn't retained. And, based on his past, Haley, the former head coach of the Chiefs, probably won't care if he ever develops a friendship with Roethlisberger. Over the years, Haley has gained the reputation of a combustible, headstrong egomaniac who's not afraid to be confrontational with his players.

Haley, who could be named O.C. as early as today, has ties to the Steelers. His father, Dick, played defensive back for the Steelers from 1961-64. Then from 1971-90, he was director of player personnel and responsible for drafting many of the great Steelers from the 1970s.

When Todd Haley was a kid growing up in Upper St. Clair, he'd spend time at training camp as a ball boy. But when he attended high school, he didn't play football. Instead, he played on USC's golf team.

After working for his dad in the Jets' scouting department in the mid-1990s, Todd Haley decided to enter the coaching profession. He coached wide receivers for the Jets and Bears. He coached in Dallas for three years as the Cowboys' wide receivers coach and passing-game coordinator.

From 2007-2008, he was the offensive coordinator in Arizona and helped the Cardinals make it to the Super Bowl XLIII against the Steelers. In '08, the Cardinals had one of the NFL's most explosive offenses. Of course, it helped to have Kurt Warner at quarterback and Larry Fitzgerald at wide receiver.

But in the past three years as head coach in K.C., Haley's teams went 4-12, 10-6 and 5-8 in the regular season. The Chiefs did win the AFC West two seasons ago, but this past year Haley was fired after 13 games.

So now it appears that Haley, 44, is headed back to Pittsburgh. No doubt, the ties his father had with the Steelers didn't hurt his chances of landing the job. But most importantly, he got the job because of his offensive expertise.

It will be his job to make the Steelers a more explosive offense than they were under Arians.

If Haley does that, it won't matter if he ever calls Roethlisberger his friend.


Mike Bires can be reached online at mbires@timesonline.com or by phone at 724-622-4284

Steelers' Dermontti Dawson, Jack Butler make Hall of Fame

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Sunday, February 5, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS — That richly traveled road from Pittsburgh to Canton gained four more followers Saturday with the Pro Football Hall of Fame elections of center Dermontti Dawson and cornerback Jack Butler of the Steelers, running back Curtis Martin of Allderdice High School and Pitt and defensive end Chris Doleman of Pitt.

Still no Bus on that road, though.

Jerome Bettis, who barreled his way to the NFL's No. 6 all-time rushing yardage with 13,662, fell short of election in his second year of eligibility. The 44-member selection committee, which met yesterday at the Super Bowl XLVI media hotel, doesn't release vote totals, but Bettis fell short of the 80 percent needed to join the class of six that also included offensive tackle Willie Roaf and defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy.

Enshrinement will be Aug. 4 in Canton.

Bettis didn't even make the cut of 10 out of the 15 modern-day finalists entering the day. Martin, like Bettis in his second year of eligibility, had the edge with a committee that was reluctant to add two running backs in the same class. In Bettis' first year, Marshall Faulk got the nod.

No more than five modern-era candidates can be elected in one class.

Dawson, 46, was seen by many in the football community as woefully overdue, finally making it in his eighth year of eligibility. He was born in Lexington, Ky., where he lives and works as a real estate developer. After a brilliant career at the University of Kentucky, he became a six-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection in 13 seasons with the Steelers, retiring after 2000.

"It's a great honor to be elected," Dawson said. "I never would have thought I'd be in this position. I feel very fortunate. It's something my kids and grandkids can see, to take a look at what their granddad did."

Following the Hall of Fame footsteps of Mike Webster, Dawson might have been even better. His streak of 170 consecutive games was second-longest in franchise history, and his extraordinary athleticism for a big man - he was nationally ranked in discus and the shot put in high school -- afforded him a then-rare ability to lead sweeps and execute blocks as far downfield as the safety.

"Kudos to Dermontti," former Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "He played center better than any other during my 22 years of coaching. A true professional and better person."

Before Webster, Ray Mansfield held the Steelers' center position in 1966-75, making for a three-player, 35-year run unlike any in NFL history.

"I learned a lot from Mike Webster in my first year, how to take care of yourself, how to prepare," Dawson said. "That's something I always valued, and it means so much to me to join this group."

As friendly off the field as he was fiery on it, Dawson was held in such high regard that the Steelers' offensive linemen showed up at the Super Bowl's Media Day in 2009 wearing his No. 63 jerseys to support his Hall induction.

The elections of Dawson and Butler, the only choice of the Hall's senior committee, raised the Steelers' Hall total to 20 who spent significant time with the organization. Dawson joined cornerback Rod Woodson (2009) as just the second player from the post-dynasty era.

"They're both deserving of this honor for all they've done throughout the years to help build and continue our rich tradition," Steelers president Art Rooney II said.

Butler, 84, was born and raised in Oakland near Forbes Field before starring at St. Bonaventure, then for 103 games in 1951-59 for the Steelers. His 52 interceptions - including four in one game Dec. 13, 1953, against the Washington Redskins -- were second-most in NFL history at the time of his retirement. He was All-Pro in his final five seasons before a knee injury ended his career.

"It's an honor and privilege," Butler said. "Everybody knows that. But I love this. I love being here."

Even if it took a half-century.

"I never, ever thought I would be here. I just didn't think this was reality. When I was a kid, I dreamed about being a football player. And here I am, Jack Butler from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, going into the Hall of Fame. I can't believe it."

Butler went on to work 44 years for the Steelers as a scout/manager.

Martin, 38, also was a Pittsburgh native, growing up in Homewood, Wilkinsburg and Duquesne before finally joining the football team at Allderdice High School as a senior. He was an immediate sensation at running back, linebacker, even quarterback, before the secret was out with four flashy years at Pitt.

In 1995-2005 with the New England Patriots and New York Jets, Martin amassed the NFL's No. 4 all-time rushing yardage - two notches ahead of Bettis - at 14,101. He won a rushing title in 2004 and was a three-time All-Pro.

"This is one of the most humbling feelings I've had in my life," Martin said. "I'm so grateful to all my coaches and teammates."

Martin has been deeply active in community endeavors, including in the Pittsburgh area. That prompted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to say upon his retirement, "Curtis Martin represents everything an NFL player should be."

Martin spoke emotionally of being raised by a single parent.

"Football was something I did just to stay out of jail back in Pittsburgh. Shows what can happen if you do the right thing."

Doleman, 50, had 150 1/2 career sacks over 15 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. Before that, the York, Pa., native excelled in four years at Pitt with 25 sacks, still sixth-most in school history.

This was his eighth year of Hall eligibility, and he and Kennedy emerged from a pack of formidable pass rushers.

"When they call your name, you're absolutely numb," Doleman said. "There are times you wonder if you've been overlooked, but I've always had the respect of my peers. I always went out and played for God, family and friends. It is a big payoff, I'll tell you that."

The elections of Martin and Doleman give Pitt eight players in the Hall, along with Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka, Russ Grimm, Joe Schmidt and Rickey Jackson.

The rest of the 17 finalists yesterday who didn`t make it were former Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Charles Haley, Andre Reed, Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Aeneas Williams, Bill Parcells and Eddie DeBartolo Jr.

Enshrinement will be Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

Pittsburgh Dad Talks Super Bowl

End of an era for Steelers defensive line

By Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
January 27, 2012

Brett Kiesel, Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith (Duane Reider/Whirl Magazine)

PITTSBURGH — Although it wasn’t a full-blown retirement dinner, Chris Hoke couldn’t have asked for a better farewell meal.

Not only did Hoke break bread with team president Art Rooney II and coach Mike Tomlin, but also seated at his cafeteria table at Steelers’ headquarters Thursday were a trio of veterans sure to be remembered as three of the finest at their positions in the franchise’s proud history.

Aaron Smith. Casey Hampton. Brett Keisel.

Over the past several seasons, those three provided excellence on the defensive line. They comprised the second-best defensive front in the team’s first 79 years of the existence.

The “Steel Curtain” of the 1970s is one of the most famous front fours in NFL annals. But the Smith, Hampton and Keisel collaboration has been special, too.

Smith and Keisel, defensive ends in the Steelers’ 3-4 scheme, have each played in one Pro Bowl. Hampton, the burly nose tackle, has played in five NFL all-star games. They’ve been part of three Super Bowl experiences, including two won by the Steelers.

However, that trio will probably never play together again.

Smith will likely follow Hoke’s lead.

Hoke, the 35-year-old back-up nose tackle, announced his retirement Wednesday. Like Hoke, the 2011 season ended prematurely for Smith because of a neck injury that required surgery. Hoke cited his health reasons for calling it quits.

Smith, who turns 36 in April, should do the same. After all, he’s missed 33 of the last 48 regular-season games with injuries. His body is clearly breaking down.

Hampton, who’ll be 35 in September when the Steelers open the 2012 season, has no intentions of retiring. However, there are no guarantees he’ll be back. He’ll have surgery Friday to repair a torn knee ligament. That doesn’t bode well for a man of 350 pounds or so who’s had trouble making weight in recent years.

Plus, Hampton is due to make $4.89 million next season. With the Steelers close to $20 million over the proposed cap of $125 next season, Hampton may be cut for financial reasons.

Keisel, who’ll be 34 in September, has job security for at least one more year. But as just as Ziggy Hood replaced Smith this year, Cameron Heyward is destined to take away Keisel’s starting job in a year or so. After all, Hood (2009) and Heyward (2011) are former first-round draft picks.

And although it’s a bit early to say who the Steelers will draft in the first round this year, there’s a chance it could be Dontari Poe, a mammoth defensive tackle out of Memphis.

“History will look back very fondly on that group of guys,” Hoke said at his retirement press conference Thursday while Smith, Hampton and Keisel stood by his side in a show of support.

“You have these guys ... Casey, Brett and Aaron ... all they did was go out and work every day. They did their jobs. They will be compared and be in the same class as those (“Steel Curtain”) guys in the 70s.”

After the press conference, those four defensive linemen who bonded so well on and off the field for so many years, headed to the cafeteria.

It may have been their last lunch together.

Arians' firing makes little sense

By Mark Madden
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
January 23, 2012

Is Art Rooney II qualified to run a football team in any way that goes beyond his birthright?

That doesn’t matter. The birthright does.

That truth was held to be self-evident this past week as the Steelers president, after doing a round of media self-promotion, decided to use his thunderbolts to smite Bruce Arians, relieving the offensive coordinator of his duties.

The Steelers say Arians retired. That’s a lie. The Steelers decided to not renew his contract.

Head coach Mike Tomlin wanted Arians back, having reportedly told him that since the playoff loss at Denver. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is an Arians supporter and friend, having saved his job two years ago, and is said to be miffed that Arians got dismissed. Can’t wait to hear what Roethlisberger has to say at the Pro Bowl (where Arians and his wife will be Ben’s guest).

So, who’s left? General Manager Kevin Colbert? Colbert wouldn’t overrule Tomlin in this situation.

It looks like Rooney, after saying it was “Mike’s decision,” dropped the guillotine.

Why?

The Steelers’ red-zone efficiency was dismal at Denver, leaving lots of points on the table in the first quarter. But the Steelers’ defense was pathetic all day, adjusting not one bit as Tim Tebow carved them to ribbons. Arians is the scapegoat. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is Teflon.

Looking at the regular season, the Steelers were 12th in the NFL in yards gained, just 21st in points. Not a good contrast. But the Steelers’ offense was doubtless hurt by a defense that collected just 15 takeaways, fewest in the league. The offense didn’t get many short fields, or easy points.

Receivers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown each caught over 1,000 yards worth of passes. Roethlisberger threw for over 4,000. The Steelers sent four offensive players to Pro Bowl. That hadn’t happened since 2004.

You can’t knock the running game, either: It averaged 4.4 yards per carry, the best mark since 2001.

Looking at Arians’ five-year tenure, his offense helped the Steelers get to two Super Bowls, winning one. His successor will not have done that, or do that. Guaranteed.

Arians hasn’t always had the best players to work with, particularly on the line. When it comes to excellence, the Steelers spend on defense first. You can’t cook gourmet meals when half your ingredients are from 7-11. All things considered, Arians did fine. Overachieved, even.

So why was Arians fired? For a few debatable play calls? Why not fire Tomlin for consistently poor clock management? Or LeBeau for the debacle at Denver?

Or why not leave pretty good alone? An early playoff exit aside, 12-4 is an excellent season.

This is bizarre. This seems like a decision made by a talk-show caller. Knee-jerk. Hasty. Against the grain.

In 2010, Rooney said that he wanted the Steelers to run more. This season, they ran on 43 percent of their offensive snaps. Is that enough? Arians is the man who minimized Steelers’ icon Hines Ward. Perhaps that didn’t sit well with upper management. Word is the Steelers may bring back Aaron Smith despite injuries that sidelined him for most of the last three seasons. Tradition counts.

Maybe it counts too much.

Maybe Rooney wants to pay Roethlisberger $102 million to hand off more.

Maybe Rooney wants to pound the ball on the ground, just like granddaddy’s team. According to ESPN.com, sources say Arians was canned with an eye toward shifting “the offense back toward its blue-collar identity of years past, in line with the desires of Steelers president Art Rooney II.”

Anybody got Jerome Bettis’ number?

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).

Steelers wants more from offense than Arians gives them

By Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
January 19, 2012

Last week when I saw Bruce Arians at Steelers headquarters, I asked if he'd be back in 2012.

"Yeah, I'll be back," he said.

But as it turns out, it doesn't look like he will return. There's growing speculation that Arians is being forced out. His five-year run as offensive coordinator is all but officially over.

Word is that either team president Art Rooney or coach Mike Tomlin - or perhaps both - have told Arians he must resign or be fired.

So it appears that all those Arians critics, and there sure are plenty of them, will get their wish. That won't have B.A. to bash any more.

If indeed Arians is done, it will be interesting to see Ben Roethlisberger's reaction.

They are very close friends. They golf together. They play cards together. They even own homes in the same golf course community near Atlanta, Ga. They are so close that Roethlisberger is taking Arians and his wife Christine to Hawaii next week for the Pro Bowl.

To be sure, there have been some prolific offensive performances under Arians' watch.

Roethlisberger set franchise records with 32 touchdown passes and a 104.1 passer rating in 2007 and 4,328 passing yards in 2008.

Willie Parker led the NFL in rushing in 2007 before breaking his leg in the 15th game of the season.

Rashard Mendenhall's 1,273 yards in 2010 rank fifth on the team's all-time rushing list.

Twice under Arians, the Steelers had a pair of wideouts who both racked over 1,000 yards in receiving yards (Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes in '09, and Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown this season).

And don't forget that the Steelers did play in the Super Bowl twice in the past four years and won one of them.

However, the Steelers have never been an dynamic high-scoring offensive machine under Arians.

Only once under Arians have the Steelers ranked in the top 10 in total offense (No. 9 in 2009). Only once have the Steelers ranked in the top 10 in scoring offense (tied for ninth in 2007).

And this year, the Steelers only averaged 20.3 points per game. That's their lowest point production since 2003 when they averaged 18.8.

Granted, the Steelers seem to always had issues on the offensive line. That certainly was the case again this season. But ultimately, the coach is man who's most accountable.

That's why someone with authority is forcing Arians out. Either Rooney or Tomlin or both want more from the offense.

Arians, who's 59 and a prostate cancer survivor, did consider retirement a year ago. But he was talked out of it by Roethlisberger.

Last February, Arians didn't even join Tomlin and the other Steeler coaches in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine as he spent time deciding whether or not to return for the 2011 season.

This year, it appears he has no say in the matter.


Mike Bires can be reached online at mbires@timesonline.com or by phone at 724-622-4284


Steelers' NFL offensive rankings under Bruce Arians

YEAR=TOTAL YARDS=SCORING

2007=17th=tie 9th (24.6 ppg)

2008=22nd=20th (21.7 ppg)

2009=7th=12th (23.0 ppg)

2010=14th=12th (23.4 ppg)

2011=12th=21st (20.3 ppg)

Steelers’ final grades

By Joe Starkey, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, January 12, 2012

The combination of 12 wins, a playoff appearance and a gallant effort in the Wild-Card round would constitute a successful season for many franchises.

Not this one.

The standard here, as you may have heard, is considerably higher.

Injuries or no injuries, a season that ends without a parade is deemed a disappointment at Steelers headquarters. One that ends without a playoff win is considered a flat-out failure.

Which is at it should be, for what is true in the classroom is true on the football field: High expectations create the environment for high achievement.

No franchise sets the bar higher. None owns as many Super Bowl trophies.

With that in mind, it's report-card time. Let's start with an explanation of the grading policy, in hopes of avoiding angry calls from parents.

Several injured players got incompletes. Grades are based on reasonable expectations coming into the season:

A — Far exceeded expectations

B — Exceeded expectations

C — Met expectations

D — Fell short

F — Stunk

So if a star player gets a C and Isaac Redman gets an A, it simply means the star met high expectations while Redman exceeded moderate ones.

Kapeesh?

Let's get to it ...

QUARTERBACK

Ben Roethlisberger, C- Typically good numbers. Tons of courage. Gave his team a chance. But his last-drive magic has been missing in two straight postseason games.

RUNNING BACKS

Rashard Mendenhall, D Had him pegged for his best year. Didn't happen. Tiptoed too much, though he was coming on before tearing ACL.

Isaac Redman, A Delivered in short yardage, and when his name was called in playoffs.

Mewelde Moore, C Huge in Indy, New England wins. Quiet otherwise.

RECEIVERS

Mike Wallace, C- Drew more defensive attention. Numbers dropped from 2010. Has 141 total receiving yards in four playoff games.

Antonio Brown, A Set franchise record for all-purpose yards, became Ben's favorite target.

Hines Ward, D Decline was coming one of these years for franchise legend. As with Marvin Harrison, it came quickly.

Emmanuel Sanders, C- Salvaged up-and-down campaign with stellar playoff.

Jericho Cotchery, C Produced when called upon.

TIGHT ENDS

Heath Miller, C As always, dependable receiver and blocker. Not built in mold of sleek modern tight end. Just gets job done.

David Johnson, C- Decent lead blocker. Franchise will survive if not re-signed.

Weslye Saunders, B Played more than anticipated, early candidate for breakout in 2012.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Max Starks, A Nothing was expected because he was sitting around in Arizona when his phone rang. Stepped in admirably.

Marcus Gilbert, A Ticketed for rookie backup duty, forced into action. Showed enough promise to make you wonder if he could protect Ben's blind side.

Chris Kemoeatu, F Penalties, pass-blocking issues cost him starting job. Worth $4.4 million cap hit in 2012?

Doug Legursky, B Versatility helped. Errant snap in Denver hurt.

Ramon Foster, B- Quietly performed.

Maurkice Pouncey, C- Less dominant than in 2010. Warning: Do not inform him of this grade via Twitter.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Ziggy Hood, C- Wanting more from '09 first-rounder.

Brett Keisel, B+ Easily led club in combined QB hurries/pressures.

Cameron Heyward, C+ Showed flashes.

Casey Hampton, C- No longer dominant, $7 million cap hit next year.

Steve McLendon, B+ Who thought he'd even play?

LINEBACKERS

Lawrence Timmons, D For the money ($10M cap hit next season), way more splash plays required.

James Farrior, C+ Avoided Hines-like slippage in reduced role.

James Harrison, C- Nine sacks in 11 games, but Ryan Clady owned him last Sunday.

LaMarr Woodley, C- Quiet at first, then torrid, should have rested hamstring until playoffs.

Jason Worilds, D Unlike, say, Gilbert, Worilds failed to fully seize opportunity.

SECONDARY

William Gay, B- Fans didn't want him. Won job, fared OK.

Keenan Lewis, C Was projected to contribute and did.

Ike Taylor, C- Aced every test until final, which he failed in historic fashion.

Troy Polamalu, C- We've come to expect superhuman feats. He delivered again, though not on level of 2010.

Ryan Clark, B+ Had his best year, first safety to lead Steelers in tackles.

Ryan Mundy, C+ Solid backup.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Shaun Suisham, C Do not doubt The Mighty Suisham, who came on late and had perfect playoff.

Jeremy Kapinos, A His job now.

COACHES

Mike Tomlin, D Led banged-up team to 12 wins but only one of high quality (New England) before perhaps worst playoff loss in franchise history. Questionable late-game management against Baltimore, Denver. Usage of injured stars Roethlisberger (leaving him in late at San Francisco and Cleveland), Woodley (came back too soon) and Pouncey (kept him in all game against Cleveland?) was ill-advised.

Bruce Arians, D The Steelers didn't score enough again, largely on account of more mediocre red-zone play. However, I'm giving Arians a pass on the playoff game. Nine of 11 drives should have resulted in points, except for player malfunction (dropped passes, errant snap, Ben's fumble/sack on final drive, etc.). The players were the problem, not the plan.

Dick LeBeau, D Regular-season ranking (1st overall) was great, but this unit did not attack passers, produce turnovers or stop the run near to the level of LeBeau's best. The Denver game was a mile-high meltdown, one where LeBeau and Tomlin stubbornly dared Tim Tebow to beat them even after he repeatedly proved he could.

So he did.

Tim Tebow Silences All

The Broncos quarterback had a playoff performance for the ages, by any definition

By Bill Barnwell
http://www.grantland.com/
POSTED JANUARY 9, 2012

DENVER, CO - JANUARY 08: Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos looks to pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 8, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

The knock on Tim Tebow during Denver's six-game win streak this season was that his level of performance didn't match up to his team's win-loss record. That his stats didn't befit a guy who seemed to back into wins on a weekly basis. That he was bound to eventually turn back into an extremely marketable pumpkin. We made that argument here, and unless you actually live in Grantland and don't have a passport, you read the argument elsewhere. Heck, the rumor du jour this week was that the Broncos were about to bench Tebow for Brady Quinn, who couldn't beat out Derek freaking Anderson for a starting job in Cleveland. If Tebow somehow won against the mighty Steelers in the first round of the playoffs, it was probably going to take a couple of pick-sixes and Ben Roethlisberger's ankle disintegrating on national television. Right?

Well, on Sunday Tebow delivered one of the finest performances a quarterback has delivered in recent memory. Not in some intangible quality — leadership, heart, grit, you name it, whatever — but an actual quantifiably great game. He's delivered that before as a pro, but not as a passer, and not against a fantastic defense. In the wake of Sunday night's remarkable upset, we are here to tell you that Tebow delivered a game as a passer that is worth your respect and then some.

Recognizing that involves looking past his ugly completion percentage. In going 10-for-21, Tebow completed just 47.6 percent of his passes. What mattered, instead, is what Tebow got out of each of his dropbacks. By throwing for 316 yards on those 21 attempts, Tebow averaged a whopping 15.0 yards per attempt. That's only happened five times in the past five years, and the company isn't shabby: Drew Brees, Matt Schaub, Jeff Garcia, Kurt Warner, and Philip Rivers matched Tebow's feat.
If you want to subtract some credit for Tebow's inaccuracy, use passer rating instead. Passer rating is flawed for a variety of reasons, but the biggest reason is that it favors quarterbacks with excellent completion percentages who never make big plays downfield. The second biggest reason is that it doesn't consider a quarterback's rushing ability. If there is any stat that would give an artificially low opinion of your typical Tim Tebow performance, it's passer rating. And despite all that, Tebow's performance on Sunday merited a passer rating of 125.6. Since 1990, only 29 of the 485 quarterbacks who threw 15 or more passes in a game put up a passer rating greater than 125.6.

We're just getting started, though, because there's one other piece of context we need to consider: the quality of the opposition. The Broncos were not just facing any old defense on Sunday; they were facing the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh's pass defense allowed just 5.6 yards per attempt this season, which was the best in the league by more than half a yard. Houston finished second at 6.2 yards, and they were closer to ninth than they were to first. Nary a single passer threw for more than 300 yards against the Steelers all year. They allowed a pass play of more than 45 yards just once, and that was on a 73-yard touchdown to LaRod Stephens-Howling on a wheel route in which the ball traveled about ten yards in the air. Nobody beat the Steelers deep this year. Nobody.

And then they met Tim Tebow. Tebow, of course, had completions for 51 and 58 yards on back-to-back drives before adding an 80-yarder to win the game on the opening play of overtime. All three of those throws traveled well downfield. Tebow also became the first passer to throw for more than 300 yards against Pittsburgh this season.

That sort of performance just doesn't happen against dominant pass defenses like Pittsburgh's. Consider that there have been 44 playoff games since 1990 featuring a defense that ranked first in the league in yards per attempt during the regular season. In those 44 games, the opposing quarterback has only managed to muster an average of 6.3 yards per attempt.¹ Tebow's 15.0 YPA was more than four yards better than anyone else's performance against a top-ranked defense, and only one player achieved a higher passer rating in a playoff against such a defense. That player was Brett Favre, who had a 132.9 passer rating in a January 1996 game against the 49ers.

Perhaps out of an incredulous disbelief that Tebow could actually have a huge passing day, we've seen two arguments brought up against his performance. One holds merit, but neither are enough to significantly discount what Tebow did.

The first is that the Steelers were riddled with injuries on defense and not quite the unit that their regular-season statistics would indicate. We knew that safety Ryan Clark would be held out of the game because of his sickle cell trait, but the Steelers lost defensive linemen Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel to injuries during the game, forcing them to play three down linemen for the bulk of the contest. Combine that with a clearly limited LaMarr Woodley, who played through a hamstring injury, and Tebow was actually slicing up a pale imitation of the Steel Curtain. Right?

Well, yes and no. It's obvious to suggest that Clark would have had an impact at safety, especially considering that replacement Ryan Mundy appeared to get lost on the final play. Then again, Mundy also forced the key Willis McGahee fumble in the fourth quarter that allowed the Steelers to tie up the game. Furthermore, it's not like Mundy was getting lost while he was freelancing; cornerback Ike Taylor was getting beat because Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau continued to call an aggressive game. The Steelers flooded the line of scrimmage with defenders on many plays in an attempt to flush out the Denver running game, including a big run blitz on the first play of overtime that was based upon pre-snap motion. The game plan was to shut down the running game and challenge Tebow and his receivers to beat Taylor & Co. deep. Even after the Broncos lost starting wideout Eric Decker in the first quarter,² the Broncos were able to pull that off, repeatedly, until the very last play of the game.

The other argument is that Tebow's numbers really belong to wideout Demaryius Thomas, who repeatedly torched Taylor as part of a 204-yard day. This one doesn't hold up to any scrutiny. There is, admittedly, a case to be made for the idea that yards after the catch should somehow count less for a quarterback. It's somewhat ridiculous to think that Eli Manning got credit for a 99-yard touchdown pass against the Jets in Week 16 on a play where he dumped the ball off underneath and Victor Cruz made two defenders miss before running for 90 yards. The plays Tebow made on Sunday night were not of that variety. He deserves plenty of the credit. Tebow's scrambling ability created the time for his first bomb, which went to Thomas for 51 yards (42 in the air), and then he later hit Thomas in perfect stride on completions of 58 yards (28 in the air) and 80 yards (18 in the air). Thomas' baby Megatron show was fabulous, but he wasn't doing all the work by himself.

One game doesn't make a career. For all we know, we might have just seen the best passing performance of Tim Tebow's life, a fleeting glimpse into what could happen if Tebow got to play backup free safeties with excellent pass protection every week. With that being said, if any other rookie quarterback from the past three years put up numbers similar to what Tebow did against anything resembling the Steelers pass defense in the playoffs, we would be falling all over ourselves to describe it as the first big sign that a new franchise quarterback had arrived on the scene. It's time to file Brady Quinn's name away and stop the debate about whether Tebow deserves to keep the Denver job for 2012. After a year in which Tim Tebow occasionally got more credit than his play deserved, on Sunday, Tebowmania lived up to every bit of the hype.

Tebow makes Steelers pay with big passes in big OT upset

Don Banks
INSIDE THE NFL
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/
January 9, 2012

DENVER, CO - JANUARY 08: Demaryius Thomas #88 of the Denver Broncos stiff arms Ike Taylor #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers to score an 80 yard touchdown in overtime during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 8, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Broncos defeated the the Pittsburgh Steelers in over time 23 - 29. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

DENVER -- Consider the trigger pulled. And we even have a victim, that being the once-dangerous Pittsburgh Steelers. And talk about your smoking gun.

Challenged to let it rip by Broncos team president John Elway last week, and by the Steelers defense on Sunday, Tim Tebow cut it loose in spectacular fashion Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field, throwing for a career-high 316 yards and two touchdown passes in Denver's stunning 29-23 overtime upset of Pittsburgh in the first round of the AFC playoffs.

In a season of remarkable comebacks, Tebow staged a rally of a different sort this time, helping the Broncos shake off the doubts created by their three-game regular-season-ending losing streak, and knocking off a Pittsburgh team that was heavily favored to advance to next weekend's divisional round.

Once again, Denver's winning script was both implausible, and dare we say, magical? And there was nothing tentative about Tebow's delivery on this day.

After blowing a 14-point halftime lead, and a 10-point fourth-quarter margin, the Broncos won on the first play of overtime when Tebow hit Denver second-year receiver Demaryius Thomas in stride about 20 yards downfield, then watched as Thomas raced past Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor all the way down the right sideline and into the end zone for a jaw-dropping 80-yard touchdown catch.

Thomas' touchdown marked the shortest overtime period in NFL history (just 11 seconds), and ended the first game to be played under the league's new playoff overtime rules, a modification rendered meaningless when the Broncos scored a touchdown on their first possession of the extra period.

"We just executed a little bit better. We just tried to step up,'' Tebow said, moments after circling the field in a victory lap that doubled as a hand-slapping encounter with delirious Broncos fans. "We knew it was win, or go home. And this team wanted to fight, and we wanted to play another game. One of the great things about our team is we're a team that constantly believes. Believes in each other, believes in ourselves, believes in the coaches and what they're trying to do. Even when there were ups and downs this season, this team didn't change.''

There will be more than a few more Tebow believers after this one, which was Denver's NFL-record fourth overtime victory of the season without a defeat, a total that nearly constitutes half of the 9-8 Broncos' wins this year. And again, Tebow was in the center of the story, with pregame reports indicating that Denver might be preparing to bench him in favor of ultra-rusty backup Brady Quinn if he started slowly against the Steelers. But there was no need, given that Tebow was ready to produce the finest passing game of his brief NFL career.

"I never really doubted,'' said Broncos head coach John Fox, when asked whether he was concerned about Tebow's confidence last week. "He's a really strong young man, and really it wasn't just about Tim. A lot has been made of Tim, and he's done an amazing job, but I don't think they had too much credit for our whole team. I'm not talking about they being the Steelers, they being the people that write stuff.''

But in reality, the Steelers seemed to be doubting Tebow's ability to win a game with his arm as well, playing a lot of man-to-man coverage in the first half, with little help from their safeties over the top. It seemed logical given Tebow's struggles in recent weeks, especially considering that Pittsburgh featured the NFL's top-ranked passing defense, and had given up a league-low two passes of 40 yards or more in the regular season.

The Steelers' plan seemed to work to perfection in the first quarter, with Tebow going 0 of 2 through the air and Pittsburgh limiting Denver to just eight yards of offense in the midst of building a 6-0 lead. But then Tebow Time made an eye-opening comeback in the second quarter, with the Broncos' second-year quarterback hitting four big-play passes against Pittsburgh in lightning fashion. He completed five of his nine passes in the quarter for a whopping 185 yards, a gaudy 37-yard average completion.

Tebow started with a 51-yard strike down the left side to Thomas, came right back with a perfect 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Eddie Royal two plays later, and then added a 58-yarder to Thomas on the following Denver drive, and a 40-yard pass to tight end Daniel Fells that help set up another Broncos field goal drive later in the quarter. All told, Denver scored on its four meaningful possessions of the quarter, reeling off 20 unanswered points to take a surprising 20-6 halftime lead. The Steelers wound up giving up more passing yards in that quarter (185) than they allowed on average in games this season (171.9).

"The number of (pass attempts) wasn't surprising,'' Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. "The number of long completions was. I think the significant difference is the number of big plays they were able to connect on. It was throwing and catching by them. Execution.''

It was execution the likes of which we have rarely seen from Tebow in Denver's one-of-a-kind passing game. And it infused the Broncos with the hope and belief that an upset of the mighty Steelers could be in the offing on this day.

"We had struggled over the last couple of weeks, and I think a lot of that progress (we made) was because of our quarterback,'' Fox said. "A lot is said. A lot was written. A lot of critique on him. And I thought he stepped up in a huge way tonight. I think he was a big part of us winning the game.''

It's amazing how much this town and this team is now Tebow's. Once he starting completing passes early in the second quarter, the Broncos defense responded to his enthusiasm, and the Denver crowd came alive with Tebow Fever. It was as if the Broncos' dismal three-game losing streak never happened.

"It definitely gave us some momentum when we hit (Thomas) down the sideline, and then we hit Eddie (Royal) for the touchdown and that gave us some more momentum,'' Tebow said. "We were cooking pretty good from then on out.''

Tebow and Thomas abused Taylor almost unmercifully, connecting four times for a franchise postseason record 204 yards and two touchdowns, with those big-play strikes of 51 and 58 yards in the second quarter, and the game-winner from 80 yards. On the overtime touchdown, Thomas got inside of Taylor, caught the ball near the Denver 40, and the Broncos benefitted from both his deceptive speed and their having caught Pittsburgh's defense in a run-heavy front. Once Thomas stiff-armed Taylor, he was gone down the right sideline, on his way to the longest overtime scoring play in NFL playoff history.

Asked his thought as Thomas broke free, Tebow was Tebow, saying "First of all, 'Thank you, Lord,' and then I was running pretty fast, chasing him -- like I could catch up to (him). Then I just jumped into the stands -- first time I've done that; that was fun -- and then I just got on a knee to thank the Lord again and tried to celebrate with my teammates and the fans.''

With his 10 of 21 passing for 316 yards, no turnovers, and a 125.6 passer rating, Tebow's first career playoff performance was epic in many ways. He quieted the critics for at least another week, and now, who knows where the story of his unforgettable 2011 season might lead? Next week, in a plot twist that seemingly only Tebow could inspire, he and Thomas get to face off in New England against newly rehired Patriots offensive assistant Josh McDaniels, the former Broncos head coach who drafted both of them in 2010's first round.

You can't make this stuff up. The Tebow magic is back, and the playoff version is better than ever. With the top-seeded Patriots (13-3) awaiting in the divisional round, somehow I don't think Brady Quinn should anticipate getting any sniff of the first-team offense in practice this week.