“Embarrassing” isn’t a word often used in association with the Pittsburgh Steelers since Chuck Noll took over in 1969. But that’s how Hines Ward described the state of the franchise today.
https://steelersdepot.com/2019/01/hi...-the-steelers/
Array title="Shoes has a reputation beyond repute">
“Embarrassing” isn’t a word often used in association with the Pittsburgh Steelers since Chuck Noll took over in 1969. But that’s how Hines Ward described the state of the franchise today.
https://steelersdepot.com/2019/01/hi...-the-steelers/
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
I heard that interview in the car and completely agree with Hines.
Hines Ward has a great conversation about the Steelers and excellent perspective IMO, starting at the 1:08.00 mark of this video.
some of his comments below are:
The standard is the standard....Mike Tomlin has to be accountable because the current standard is not the standard of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Explains how Hampton, Farrior, , Keisel, Porter, Ward, Bettis and all those vets had 1 rule...."keep my name out of your mouth when you are talking to the media". If we are a brotherhood, then come talk to me face to face and not in the media.
Recievers depend on Quarterbacks for our livelihood. When I hear stories of QB saying I'm not going to throw you the football, then that is a personal attack of taking food off our table.
When the president of the Steelers calls you, then you have to pick up the call. For Antonio Brown to not respond to the guy that pays your check, that is disrespectful. Hines told Stephen A, that if Mr. Rooney called him right now that he would have to cut the interview short to take the phone call.
They are all grown men, all over 30 years old. They need to sit in a room and say Ben, I don't like when you do that...AB, I don't like when you do that...Mike Tomlin say Ben, stop talking about players, AB stay off social media,......it aint about you, its about the team because That is The Standard.
Array title="AtlantaDan has a reputation beyond repute">
Like this?Originally Posted by El-Gonzo Jackson
In a taped interview with Bob Costas aired beforehand on NBC's "Football Night in America," the Steelers' all-time leading receiver talked about the locker room being "like a 50-50 toss-up" over whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should have played last night despite a concussion from seven days earlier. Ward talked about lying to team doctors on occasions when he suffered from concussion symptoms and how many NFL players overlook them, statements that league officials won't relish reading and hearing amid an increased effort to protect players from such life-altering injuries. And he talked in such a way that his predecessor as the player voted the league's dirtiest, NBC analyst Rodney Harrison, criticized Ward for questioning his team leader's toughness...
"It's almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room: Should he play? Shouldn't he play? It's really hard to say. I've been out there dinged up; the following week, got right back out there. Ben practiced all week. He split time with Dennis Dixon. And then to find out that he's still having some headaches and not playing and it came down to the doctors didn't feel that they were going to clear him or not -- it's hard to say. Unless you're the person [himself]. ... I've lied to a couple of doctors saying I'm straight, I feel good when I know that I'm not really straight."
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/200911300141
Or this SI article when the team was the defending Super Bowl champ and Cowher was still the HC?
And while it would seem that the hard-nosed Ward would be the ideal Bill Cowher guy--tough, physical,intense--the wideout says he's never had a warm relationship with him. "I don't have anything to say to him," he says. "After what he did to me, after how he treated me, no. The numbers I put up? The seasons I had, for them to keep on bringing in guys...?"
https://www.si.com/vault/2006/05/15/...-long-way-home
Too bad for these former Steelers who prattle on about the good old days of the brotherhood that their former statements and conduct are just a cut and paste away online
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
Good one... selective memory haha...Like this?
Ward is still right in principle even if he didn't always follow the rule.
Array title="pczach has a reputation beyond repute">
Like this?
In a taped interview with Bob Costas aired beforehand on NBC's "Football Night in America," the Steelers' all-time leading receiver talked about the locker room being "like a 50-50 toss-up" over whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should have played last night despite a concussion from seven days earlier. Ward talked about lying to team doctors on occasions when he suffered from concussion symptoms and how many NFL players overlook them, statements that league officials won't relish reading and hearing amid an increased effort to protect players from such life-altering injuries. And he talked in such a way that his predecessor as the player voted the league's dirtiest, NBC analyst Rodney Harrison, criticized Ward for questioning his team leader's toughness...
"It's almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room: Should he play? Shouldn't he play? It's really hard to say. I've been out there dinged up; the following week, got right back out there. Ben practiced all week. He split time with Dennis Dixon. And then to find out that he's still having some headaches and not playing and it came down to the doctors didn't feel that they were going to clear him or not -- it's hard to say. Unless you're the person [himself]. ... I've lied to a couple of doctors saying I'm straight, I feel good when I know that I'm not really straight."
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/200911300141
Or this SI article when the team was the defending Super Bowl champ and Cowher was still the HC?
And while it would seem that the hard-nosed Ward would be the ideal Bill Cowher guy--tough, physical,intense--the wideout says he's never had a warm relationship with him. "I don't have anything to say to him," he says. "After what he did to me, after how he treated me, no. The numbers I put up? The seasons I had, for them to keep on bringing in guys...?"
https://www.si.com/vault/2006/05/15/...-long-way-home
Too bad for these former Steelers who prattle on about the good old days of the brotherhood that their former statements and conduct are just a cut and paste away online
This is what everyone on the "Throw Tomlin overboard" train doesn't want to acknowledge.
Many of the ex-players bitching about the state of the Steelers did exactly the same things when they were there.
There is no getting around that simple fact. Every one of these guys had WTF moments publicly.....yet because they no longer play, they are romanticized as the pillars of how players should conduct themselves.
Complete and total hypocrisy.
Totally. But it doesn’t change the state of the Steelers now and the state of the Steelers back then wasn’t publicly drama filled as it has been/is week in and week out. Sure you can say winning cures that but it hasn’t really cured that for this current group...even when winning, there’s some sort of drama surrounding the team.
Enthroned Into The Good Old Boys Club - 2024
Array title="AtlantaDan has a reputation beyond repute">
Unlike when that 2004-2010 team was at its peak after winning SB XLVIII 10 years ago
The Steelers today had little reaction to Ben Roethlisberger's comments that he played Super Bowl XLIII with two broken ribs.
"To our knowledge, he was ready, willing and able to go and obviously he performed admirably," said Kevin Colbert, the Steelers director of football operations.
The breaks did not show on an X-ray taken before the Super Bowl, but did turn up on an MRI he had in Pittsburgh last week, Roethlisberger told Peter King of Sports Illustrated.
"Fractured ribs," Roethlisberger said. "Luckily, in the game, I didn't take any big hits to make 'em hurt. But I knew all along there was something wrong. There wouldn't have been anything they could have done about fractured ribs anyway. It was just suck it up and play."
Roethlisberger was not listed on the Steelers injury report at all before the Super Bowl, and did not miss a practice. Coach Mike Tomlin denied a report in the days leading to the Super bowl that Roethlisberger had x-rays taken on his back/ribs.
"Not that I heard," Tomlin said. "Ben's health is often the subject of inaccurate reports. He's fine."
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/200902090147
Did you listen to the audio of the Stephen A Smith show from the 1:08.00 mark that was posted above?Like this?
In a taped interview with Bob Costas aired beforehand on NBC's "Football Night in America," the Steelers' all-time leading receiver talked about the locker room being "like a 50-50 toss-up" over whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should have played last night despite a concussion from seven days earlier. Ward talked about lying to team doctors on occasions when he suffered from concussion symptoms and how many NFL players overlook them, statements that league officials won't relish reading and hearing amid an increased effort to protect players from such life-altering injuries. And he talked in such a way that his predecessor as the player voted the league's dirtiest, NBC analyst Rodney Harrison, criticized Ward for questioning his team leader's toughness...
"It's almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room: Should he play? Shouldn't he play? It's really hard to say. I've been out there dinged up; the following week, got right back out there. Ben practiced all week. He split time with Dennis Dixon. And then to find out that he's still having some headaches and not playing and it came down to the doctors didn't feel that they were going to clear him or not -- it's hard to say. Unless you're the person [himself]. ... I've lied to a couple of doctors saying I'm straight, I feel good when I know that I'm not really straight."
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/200911300141
Or this SI article when the team was the defending Super Bowl champ and Cowher was still the HC?
And while it would seem that the hard-nosed Ward would be the ideal Bill Cowher guy--tough, physical,intense--the wideout says he's never had a warm relationship with him. "I don't have anything to say to him," he says. "After what he did to me, after how he treated me, no. The numbers I put up? The seasons I had, for them to keep on bringing in guys...?"
https://www.si.com/vault/2006/05/15/...-long-way-home
Too bad for these former Steelers who prattle on about the good old days of the brotherhood that their former statements and conduct are just a cut and paste away online
What are your thoughts on the insight and opinions of how things currently are in the Steelers organization and how this likely could get resolved?
Array title="AtlantaDan has a reputation beyond repute">
Listened to it and did not hear anything that has not been said before. His observations were what has been posted here by many posters, including me, about Ben's radio show being a problem, Tomlin should have done something about AB acting out along with other players going public with their grievances years ago, and at some point the Steelers may have no choice but to get the aggrieved parties in the AB unpleasantness together for a sit down.
Of course as far as Ward saying on the one hand everyone needs to sit down and hash out their grievances (no kidding - that is how adults presumably would handle it) while on the other hand acknowledging AB was out of line by not responding to AJRII, not certain how you have a sit down if AB apparently is not even responding to teammates, Tomlin or the owner but using Drew Rosenhaus as his messenger boy while giving dazed mini-interviews in Atlanta.
But the credibility of anything Ward says about keeping it in the locker room (including Ben said I will not throw you the ball - that was new - only quote I have seen that comes close to that is Radio Ben saying after the Denver cluster he would have preferred on first & goal to try four passes to JuJu) is undermined by Ward unloading on Ben on NBC before the Ravens game in 2009.
If Stephen A. wanted to really engage Ward he could/should have asked if keeping it in the locker room was so sacred when Ward was on the team and how the 2004-2010 Steelers rolled why did you go public with the locker room allegedly being split 50/50 on Ben not playing in the Ravens game.
But it it is pretty clear Stephen A. is among those who wants Ben to take a greater share of the blame for the current State of the Steelers (I have posted Ben is a major contributor) so no chance Ward was going to be asked about his NBC comments by Stephen A. Given his history with Ben no surprise Ward was glad to help advance that agenda.
What are your thoughts on the apparent hypocrisy of Ward being a champion this week of what happens in the locker room staying in the locker room while disclosing in the Football Night in America interview his version of locker room discussions about Ben playing in the 2009 game at Baltimore that ran immediately before that game?
From what I recall, Ward thought Ben should cowboy up and go to battle with his teammates in a big game that had implications for playoffs. Ben was dealing with some after effects of a head shot. Its a time and era where there was a transition from the culture of NFL tough guys playing thru head injuries to the now hypersensitivity to head injuries.
IMO, Ward was an old school thinker that wanted their franchise QB to play thru the head injury because it was a big game. I thought he later changed his point of view and don't think it was in the same vein of much of the "blame game" after the fact that goes on in Ben's radio show broadcasts.
As for discrediting anything Hines Ward said, because he made a mistake once and spoke to NBC in a way that wasn't complimentary of his QB in 2009. A QB that in the offseason after that was involved in the incident in Milledgeville, GA, suspended by the NFL and later admittedly said he and his "big Ben" alter ego was at times larger than him?? Ward should have kept his comments in the locker room, but maybe he was frustrated because Big Ben at that point in his career was bigger than Ben Roethilisberger and might not have responded rationally to comments from veteran teammates.
Teegre was once a big proponent of the Steelers needing to Draft Matt Elam. I don't discredit every opinion of his because he made a big mistake pimping Matt Elam. Nor do I discredit everything Hines Ward has to say about being a teammate, what goes on in unified and productive locker rooms, compared to dysfunctional and fractured locker rooms. I just don't think its prudent to avoid a persons opinion based on one mistake.
Array title="zulater has a reputation beyond repute">
Like this?
In a taped interview with Bob Costas aired beforehand on NBC's "Football Night in America," the Steelers' all-time leading receiver talked about the locker room being "like a 50-50 toss-up" over whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should have played last night despite a concussion from seven days earlier. Ward talked about lying to team doctors on occasions when he suffered from concussion symptoms and how many NFL players overlook them, statements that league officials won't relish reading and hearing amid an increased effort to protect players from such life-altering injuries. And he talked in such a way that his predecessor as the player voted the league's dirtiest, NBC analyst Rodney Harrison, criticized Ward for questioning his team leader's toughness...
"It's almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room: Should he play? Shouldn't he play? It's really hard to say. I've been out there dinged up; the following week, got right back out there. Ben practiced all week. He split time with Dennis Dixon. And then to find out that he's still having some headaches and not playing and it came down to the doctors didn't feel that they were going to clear him or not -- it's hard to say. Unless you're the person [himself]. ... I've lied to a couple of doctors saying I'm straight, I feel good when I know that I'm not really straight."
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/200911300141
Or this SI article when the team was the defending Super Bowl champ and Cowher was still the HC?
And while it would seem that the hard-nosed Ward would be the ideal Bill Cowher guy--tough, physical,intense--the wideout says he's never had a warm relationship with him. "I don't have anything to say to him," he says. "After what he did to me, after how he treated me, no. The numbers I put up? The seasons I had, for them to keep on bringing in guys...?"
https://www.si.com/vault/2006/05/15/...-long-way-home
Too bad for these former Steelers who prattle on about the good old days of the brotherhood that their former statements and conduct are just a cut and paste away online
Good memory! Ward always fancied himself the underdog and used every perceived slight to further motivate himself. I think he always had issue with Ben because of Ben's stated preference to keep Plaxico Burress. The sort of big receiver he liked.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
Array title="ALLD has a reputation beyond repute">
The standard is everybody for himself and F the team. That's why they continue to underachieve and have so much drama. Whatever happened to simply playing the game?
All Defense!
Q: Is it the state of “drunkenness” (and “drivingness”)???
he should be embarrassed and so should we all , but instead many will just keep saying DERRRRRR DER is nuttin to any of dis shit .....
looks and sounds STONED to me too fwiw
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles didn't value him either , now he is a Stain at the Mistake by the Lake 3 teams in 4 years more of a shooting star than a superstar
Array title="AtlantaDan has a reputation beyond repute">
Deplorable - if only the old Steelers like Hines Ward were still around to maintain standards and not embarrass the franchise
Then again maybe not
Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward had bloodshot eyes, stumbled through the alphabet, couldn't keep his balance and smelled strongly of alcohol when officers charged him with drunken driving in Atlanta on Saturday, according to a police report that offered new details into the early morning arrest.
https://www.post-gazette.com/local/c...s/201107120299
Array title="Shoes has a reputation beyond repute">
AB won't be a Steeler in 2019. He wants to win and he doesn't think its going to happen in Pittsburgh. He's probably right about that.
Oh Burn!!!
And somehow orchestrating his own trade out of the Burgh to the 49ers (4-12 in 2018) will fix that?
Array title="pczach has a reputation beyond repute">
Because the 49ers have done exactly what since 1998?
https://www.pro-football-reference.c.../sfo/index.htm
The link is the history of the 49ers franchise and a compilation of every season. What is it in that history that tells you that AB would have a better chance to win with the 49ers than staying with the Steelers?
Fans here complain about what the Steelers have done since 2010!
Take a look at the franchise history of the Steelers and compare: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/
People are getting too emotional about things and not thinking clearly. They just want heads to roll because......because......because they just want it OK!! I know it's frustrating because I feel the frustration too. I just think that some are overreacting. If there's another bad year then maybe it's time to think about going in a different direction, but just read what you said above and look at both of those links I posted. I don't understand how anyone can come to that conclusion. There is literally no evidence to support that.
Come on Shoes....get a hold of yourself!
Array title="Shoes has a reputation beyond repute">
And somehow orchestrating his own trade out of the Burgh to the 49ers (4-12 in 2018) will fix that?
Because the 49ers have done exactly what since 1998?
https://www.pro-football-reference.c.../sfo/index.htm
The link is the history of the 49ers franchise and a compilation of every season. What is it in that history that tells you that AB would have a better chance to win with the 49ers than staying with the Steelers?
Fans here complain about what the Steelers have done since 2010!
Take a look at the franchise history of the Steelers and compare: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/
People are getting too emotional about things and not thinking clearly. They just want heads to roll because......because......because they just want it OK!! I know it's frustrating because I feel the frustration too. I just think that some are overreacting. If there's another bad year then maybe it's time to think about going in a different direction, but just read what you said above and look at both of those links I posted. I don't understand how anyone can come to that conclusion. There is literally no evidence to support that.
Come on Shoes....get a hold of yourself!
You guys need to get a hold of yourselves. I didn't say a word about the 49ers. I think there will be more teams than the 49ers in play for AB. AB knows if he returns to the team this is all going to repeat itself. I'm sure AB didn't want to say what he feels in public, but its possible a win for him would be getting out of Pittsburgh. Sometimes a change of scenery is needed for everyone involved when it gets to a certain point.
Last edited by Shoes; 02-01-2019 at 12:22 PM.
Array title="pczach has a reputation beyond repute">
Shoes, that's where AB has been saying he wants to go. I'm showing the hypocrisy of his statement of wanting to win by pushing for a trade to a team that has sucked for a long time.
I'm messing with you with the get ahold of yourself comment.
yet he flirts with the 49ers who have won in the last 5 seasons less games than the steelers last 2 ....
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles didn't value him either , now he is a Stain at the Mistake by the Lake 3 teams in 4 years more of a shooting star than a superstar
Exactly.
I don't know what Hines is complaining about, there is nothing wrong with this team. I mean they had a winning season, they almost won the division last year and were a few bad calls away from a divisional round playoff loss I mean appearance. Why would the team keep most of the coaches if something was wrong?
Array title="Shoes has a reputation beyond repute">
Fingerprints.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
Tomlin has never had a losing season. Tomlin > Belichick.
Oh no...let’s pile on a rag on another veteran for speaking the truth!!
Lol. As a fan if you’re not embarrassed, you’re drinking some kind of kool aid.
Bleier, Harrison, Ward, Bettis, Bradshaw, etc all saying similar things...yet they are just grumpy old men...lol.
Bottom line...franchise is fucked up right now and there’s been one common factor in all of their comments and it’s not AB or Ben.
#pilngon
When Cowher was having his down year in 2003, all of a sudden, Plax being late to meetings was a “story” (whereas that story disappeared quickly once Cowher’s team started winning). Similarly, Cowher’s affair(s) only seemed to surface in the media after losses. Et cetera.
Look, Tomlin is not without fault. But, drunk drivers, liars, adulterers, and wife-beaters live in glass houses... and thus, they probably shouldn’t be throwing rocks.
What is ironic, is that these former players are finding every media outlet that they can in order to scream: “This should be handled behind closed doors.”
What is ironic, is that these former players are finding every media outlet that they can in order to scream: “This should be handled behind closed doors.”
It'll be nice when SB week is over and they all STFU.
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