Wow, This Really Got Me Pumped For The Season

[darklight1216]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' date='10 August 2009 - 05:49 PM' timestamp='1249940965' post='217296']
Needless to say, I'm curious to see how the "Hines Ward Rule" affects his "blocking" this year.
[/quote]
Ward told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he has Steelers coach Mike Tomlin

[Ed_Reed20]

Honestly, if I was Keith Rivers, I would take the fine or suspension and blow him up the first game Cincy plays Pittsburgh.

Hines Ward is a great player. He's had a long and successful career. What he does on 3rd down is incredible and he's as tough as ANY player in the league. I'll never forget when he outran DeAngelo Hall with one shoe back in '06. However, his blocks in recent years have just become ridiculous. Purists and Steeler fans will say you're supposed to play till the whistle blows but the majority Ward's blocks are right when the plays ends or no where near the action.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='darklight1216' date='10 August 2009 - 04:56 PM' timestamp='1249941412' post='217298']
Ward told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he has Steelers coach Mike Tomlin

[Ed_Reed20]

Now this is a crisp but clean block! It's around the play and he used his body rather than his helmet like a certain someone does:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UEZLNlyRSk

[Corvus]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='10 August 2009 - 12:32 PM' timestamp='1249921937' post='217176']
I have no problem with Hines playing hard every play but there is no way anyone can tell those blocks weren't dirty. Keith Rivers is a good LB but I don't think he would have made the tackle had Hines not him. The same goes for the other plays. They were both at least five yards away from the play and Hines led with his helmet on both plays. How isn't that dirty?

Look at this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbLNFiQSTyE

Some of those blocks were great but the majority of them are right between when the play ends and the ref blows the whistle. That's cheap to me.
[/quote]

Of the 5 blocks in that video, 3 of them feature helmet to helmet hits and very blatantly: the hits on Ed, Daven Holly, and Keith Rivers. The only one that was an actual block, and a good one at that, was on Nick Ferguson. And go figure, Hines actually used his body and not his helmet on that one.

The hit on Daven Holly just makes me sick though. The Steelers' ball carrier was clearly already being tackled and was already on the ground a full second before Hines cheap shots Holly with the crown of his helmet. It would have been one thing if momentum from running simply carried Hines into him, but he was almost at a standstill on the field when he just lowers and hits like a battering ram long after the play was over. Disgusting.

[darklight1216]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' date='10 August 2009 - 06:05 PM' timestamp='1249941926' post='217303']
Anyways, I hope he does continue to just put his head down and create sickening helmet-to-helmet hits. Because eventually Tomlin is going to change his mind, when for every first down they get, Ward makes them lose 15 yards.
[/quote]
See that's what I wonder about... like the author of this article pointed out, Ward seems to be imune from penalties. I suspect that he may continue to get away with it while everyone else (dare I say it "everyone who plays agasint the Steelers") will be the ones losing yards.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='darklight1216' date='10 August 2009 - 05:37 PM' timestamp='1249943858' post='217312']
See that's what I wonder about... like the author of this article pointed out, Ward seems to be imune from penalties. I suspect that he may continue to get away with it while everyone else (dare I say it "everyone who plays agasint the Steelers") will be the ones losing yards.
[/quote]

Good point. I guess we'll just have to see what happens during the season. I would love to see Ward kept in check. Not just because he loves cheap shots, but for the safety of the defense playing against him. No one else needs to have their season cut short because Ward broke their jaw.

[WinnipegRaven]

[quote name='darklight1216' date='10 August 2009 - 04:37 PM' timestamp='1249943858' post='217312']
See that's what I wonder about... like the author of this article pointed out, Ward seems to be imune from penalties. I suspect that he may continue to get away with it while everyone else (dare I say it "everyone who plays agasint the Steelers") will be the ones losing yards.
[/quote]
Usually they occur away from the play where there is no ref to see the hit.