Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines Edward Ward, Jr.is a retired American football wide receiver, businessman, and television personality. He is the current NBC studio analyst who played 14 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Georgia. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and he became the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Ward was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL, and...
ProfessionFootball Player
Date of Birth8 March 1976
CitySeoul, South Korea
It gave us the momentum. It got our crowd back into it.
He laid it on the line. He did what he had to do to drive us down the field. Everybody made plays. We came into San Diego, nobody really gave us a chance. We fought our tails off and ended up winning the game.
We gave ourselves a chance to win the ballgame,
The Super Bowl tickets, that's the worst headache. I'm glad they gave us the week off. You really need a couple of days. They say you lose family members over the Super Bowl and I can see why because everybody in the family didn't get tickets. They're mad at me now. That's when I realized we were going to the Super Bowl.
We practice that. He gave me a chance to make a play.
I think we need to put a good drive together. Don't let us come out until we put seven, eight plays back-to-back. Then, I'm happy with that.
I think when Champ intercepted that ball and ran it all the way back and (almost) scored, Denver had the game in control.
It has been a heck of a ride. We get the opportunity to go down in history among some of the greatest players. This is what the Super Bowl is all about.
I think they went out of their way. It was far more than what I expected.
Jerome has just meant so much to us. For him to go out the way he went out (as a Super Bowl champion), if I was retiring and my career was towards the end, that's how I would want to go out.
Jerome has inspired each individual on this team in some form or way. He kind of inspires us to go out and play hard so we can get him that Super Bowl ring and end on a great note.
Jerome sort of acted as the mediator. One thing he mentioned during the holdout - and he's been through them - was not to make it personal because eventually it was going to get done and you have to come back and play for the team. You hold your ground but understand that it's a business.
Last year, going 15-1, everyone's patting you on the back telling you what a good job you did, it kind of got overwhelming. It can get overwhelming even for veteran guys.
Last year, everything was new to him, so he was just winging it. Now he's prepared himself, he's having fun, he's becoming a leader out there. He's a very situational guy. Third-and-short, he's looking for the guy to pick up the first down. I don't know what he was, completion-wise, but he was pretty good.