Hines Ward and the Steelers have a chance to do something special

Now that the season is over for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it seems the #1 subject on the minds of yinzers everywhere is the future of Hines Ward.  One of the most beloved and accomplished Steelers of all time, Ward is at a crossroads in his Hall of Fame career.  After a disappointing end to 2011, the Steelers seem to be all in on wholesale changes to the roster for 2012, and that could mean the end of the line for many of the names this generation of Steeler Nation has grown up with.  Ward is no longer the player he once was, and besides the obvious push of getting him to 1,000 career receptions over the last few games, the Steelers seem to have lost faith in his ability to contribute to the team in any capacity at wide receiver.  The image of Ward standing on the sideline wearing a coat during the Steelers 14-point comeback and subsequent overtime loss in Denver is an image that many Steelers fans will never forget.  Big plays during the biggest games were always "Hines" moments during the last decade, and the sight of a true Steelers hero being held off the field during a playoff game could be the last memory that we all have of Hines Ward wearing the black and gold.

But should it be?

The NFL has never been Major League Baseball.  Even in the salad days of the NFL, great players would always seem to end up wearing a different jersey to end their careers.  Think back to Johnny Unitas toiling away for the San Diego Chargers in 1973, an almost disabled Joe Namath finishing up with the Rams in 1977, or more recently the ping-ponging of Jerry Rice between Oakland-Seattle-Denver to polish off his career.  Players that stay with one franchise for their entire careers is a rare bird in professional football, it almost never happens and when players branch out to another team they rarely finish off their legacies in a good way.  Even in baseball, a sport that gave us such love affairs as Cal Ripken Jr. and Baltimore, Tony Gwynn and San Diego, and of course Bill Mazeroski/Willie Stargell/Roberto Clemente with the Pirates, the days of those types of relationships between city and player are over.  Professional sports is a business, and unfortunately for fans the business end of the stick always hits you in the heart when you have a deep devotion to any team. 

Steelers fans like to think that the relationship between the players and the fans is different.  We believe that the love and support we put into the Steelers is reciprocated by the players on the field.  The players for the most part have bought into "Steeler Nation" and every so often you will see a player who leaves for greener pastures immediately regret his decision and return to the Steelers as quickly as he can - ala Larry Foote.  The Pittsburgh Steelers are a special organization, unlike any in professional sports.  The stability and success of the franchise is due in no small part to the fact that the Rooneys have always run the organization like a big family.  Many Steelers fans fall in love with the team for just that reason, and despite the usual comings and goings that occur on any sports team, we live by the "One big Steelers family" motto.  There may be no other team in the NFL that has their entire city in the palm of their hand the way the Steelers do in Western Pennsylvania.

For the Steelers to maintain that image, and for we the fans to continue to buy into that image, the Steelers have to make the right decision on one of their all-time great players.  A player who has been loyal, hard-working, and has contributed immensely to the success of this franchise experienced over the past 13 years.  He embodies every fabric of the "Steeler Way".  He is the blue-collar, lunchbox carrying "everyman".  If any man was born to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, it was Hines Ward. 

The issue at hand is this:  Hines Ward is no longer a starting-caliber player in the National Football League.  He is - at best - a #3/#4 WR on a contending team.  Those are the facts, and there is no denying the facts.  Hines is due a great deal of money this coming offseason and into 2012, money that the Steelers simply do not have the ability to give him.  The Salary Cap will be the Steelers biggest enemy this offseason, as they try to figure out a way to get $22m off their payroll without gutting a championship caliber team.  It would be very easy for the Steelers to simply tell Hines, we do not have a place for you, and release him from his deal.  That would be a tragic end to a career that has defined a generation of Steelers football. 

There seems to be no doubt of what Hines Wards intentions are.  He wants to be a Steeler, he is willing to take a paycut to be a Steeler, and he has publicly stated that it would kill him to ever have to don another NFL jersey that wasn't the black and gold.  He is saying everything you would expect a player in his situation to say, he is protecting his legacy....and that legacy is Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steeler.

However, Hines feels he has another season in his tank.  He wants to play in 2012, for the Steelers.  The Steelers will be working through their roster over the coming months leading up to the April Draft and need to make their decisions on player status quickly.  It comes down to this:  Do the Steelers - and specifically Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert - feel that Hines Ward can be a valuable 53rd member of the active roster in 2012?  Is Ward ready to assume duties on Special Teams if the need is there?  How much value does Ward put on finishing his legacy in a similar manner to good friend Jerome Bettis, sans the Super Bowl homecoming backstory? 

The Steelers have a few options here, one of which could be an unprecedented move that would show the loyalty they have to the players and fanbase.  It would be a move that would immediately bring scrutiny and attention nationwide and show the world just what it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler.  The connection between city/team/player/coaches/fans, all held together by a belief that the "one big Steelers family" is above and beyond anything in professional sports.  The Steelers can bring Hines Ward back on a one-year deal, contingent on his retirement at the end of 2012.  They can make him a player/coach, a player who dresses for games and is used in packages that justify his skills.  In the meantime, Ward can continue his work with the young WR core, and begin his coaching career in a solid fashion. 

Do the Steeler owe it to Hines Ward?  No.  Does Hines Ward have anything left to prove?  Maybe.  Giving Hines one more season in Pittsburgh would allow the fans and players to say their goodbyes to a man who has meant everything to this franchise.  It would allow Hines a chance to ride off into the sunset on his own terms, a chance to have his last home game, his last entrance at Heinz Field - a stadium he has filled with big plays and smiles for over a decade.  It would give us all a chance to pay homage to a man who truly appreciates Steeler Nation and understands how special it really is.  The Steelers need to make an act of faith, to us all.

While this scenario is far-fetched and perhaps a bit corny, it would go along way to showing the sports world just what makes the Pittsburgh Steelers the greatest organization in professional sports.  It would show that we understand the importance of legacy and the significance of the legacy of a player who has given his all to all of us. 

Here's hoping that the Steelers and Ward can reach a mutual understanding, and we can all enjoy one more season of watching #86 do what he loves - play football for the Pittsburgh Steelers.