Hines Ward says you ‘can’t compare’ his stats to AB’s

[hawaiiansteel]

Ward says you ‘can’t compare’ his stats to AB’s

By Hunter Homistek
Posted on July 8, 2019

Hines Ward retired from football after the 2011 season as the Steelers' all-time leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He still holds those records.

And just as Ward's records live on in the Steel City, so does his appreciation for the city that gave him his start as a pro. Drafted in 1998 out of the University of Georgia, Ward quickly became a fan favorite for his tenacious style and gritty attitude — always, somehow, delivered with a smile.

"I wasn't the biggest, I wasn't the fastest, but I worked my butt off," Ward recently told 247Sports in an interview. "Coming from a blue-collar city like Pittsburgh, I think fans could appreciate that."

Ward went on to call the fan base "unreal ... like no other," saying he and his wife still travel to Pittsburgh frequently for charity work. To Ward, that matters. Pittsburgh didn't take him for granted and he's making sure to return the favor, even after football.

"For me, [it's about] always representing the black and gold no matter where I'm at, all over the world," Ward said. "I just think I'm always going to have a special place in Pittsburgh because I bleed black and gold."

It wasn't all smiles for Ward with the Steelers, of course. Throughout his tenure, the team won two Super Bowls — one in which Ward was named the game's MVP — but they also lost a third shot at the Lombardi Trophy, falling to the Packers, 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV. Reflecting on his career, Ward says that's the one that still stings the most. In fact, he's actively tried to erase it from his life.

"When we lost to the Packers, I didn't want to watch television for about a month," Ward said. "All the Sports Illustrated commercials ... I didn't want [to] see any of that stuff. I don't have any of my Super Bowl memorabilia from that loss to the Packers [laughs]. I gave it all away to family and friends."

While Ward maintains major receiving record for the Steelers, many — myself included — felt Antonio Brown was destined to snag them all. Brown was on pace to do just that — and then "Mr. Big Chest" happened. I don't think we need to go through that saga again.

What we do need to address, however, is a comment Ward made regarding this dynamic. Even though Brown had the numbers, focusing solely on stats misses the point in his eyes.

"Yes, we were a running team, I played with Jerome Bettis, we ran the ball 40-50 times a game," Ward said. "You can’t compare my stats to what Antonio Brown is doing right now. It’s not even comparable. But in the big games, when it mattered the most, I took great pride in being the go-to guy, being someone the team can lean on. I played like that, I learned that from [Lynn Swann] and [John Stallworth]."

Ward repeatedly referred to his Steelers' squads as a "family," remarking upon chemistry both on and off the field. That aspect is certainly important to him, as he was quick to criticize last year's Steelers team when things began to unravel. Now, Ward maintains his overall point, but he's softened his stance just a touch.

"I get it. Being a former player, I do get embarrassed talking about the drama more than the football itself," Ward said. "I understand the culture [in Pittsburgh], I’ve been there, I've played there 14 years. When you talked about Steelers football, it was never about off the field stuff. It was always about ‘Let’s prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers because they’re gonna hit you in the mouth regardless, on offense and defense.’ That’s what it should be about.”


https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2019/07/08/hines-ward-interview-antonio-brown-steelers-hh/

[Eich]

I agree with Hines that you can't really compare his stats with AB. Different era. Different strategy.

Stats aside, Ward created his share of drama as a player and at times throughout his career, I was getting tired of some of it. But it played out well and he retired a Steelers hero. One of the toughest SOBs to ever play the position.

When you look back on it now, in comparison to AB, Hines Ward was a SAINT! LOL

I would take the player Hines Ward over AB all day.

[Steel Maniac]

Ditto......

[Buzz]

Ward has something Brown will never have ... Super Bowl wins.

[STH70]

Ward has something Brown will never have ... Super Bowl wins.

He also cared more about his teammates, Winning and being a Pittsburgh Steeler than AB will EVER feel about ANY team.

[Oh wow]

Let’s slow down a bit. Hines was awesome but he also threatened to hold out and called Ben out ON AIR for not playing due to an “injury”

He also bashed Ben anytime he said he wanted a big target WR.

I think if we dealt Hines to another team when he was at his worst we would probably be viewed much differently.

Now granted he never said he wanted to move on from the Steelers publicly but man, Hines and Ben used to go at it and used the media that was available at the time to jab each other.

Imagine if Hines has access to Twitter or Instagram when they were beefing?

Hines is just lucky he wasn’t around for the 24/7 access we have these days.

[STH70]

Let’s slow down a bit. Hines was awesome but he also threatened to hold out and called Ben out ON AIR for not playing due to an “injury”

He also bashed Ben anytime he said he wanted a big target WR.

I think if we dealt Hines to another team when he was at his worst we would probably be viewed much differently.

Now granted he never said he wanted to move on from the Steelers publicly but man, Hines and Ben used to go at it and used the media that was available at the time to jab each other.

Imagine if Hines has access to Twitter or Instagram when they were beefing?

Hines is just lucky he wasn’t around for the 24/7 access we have these days.
From 12/2/2009
PITTSBURGH -- Hines Ward's apology to Ben Roethlisberger was extended to the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. Pittsburgh's veteran receiver said at a team meeting that he regretted creating a distraction when he questioned why a concussion had kept Roethlisberger from playing against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, a game the struggling Steelers lost in overtime.

"I apologized to the team for having to even answer questions about this. ... That was never my intention, I didn't want this to be a distraction," Ward said. "I should have just took the time and took the emotions out of it and just gave the politically correct answer."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=4707191

Hmmm, when's the last time AB did something like this?

[Oh wow]

From 12/2/2009
PITTSBURGH -- Hines Ward's apology to Ben Roethlisberger was extended to the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. Pittsburgh's veteran receiver said at a team meeting that he regretted creating a distraction when he questioned why a concussion had kept Roethlisberger from playing against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, a game the struggling Steelers lost in overtime.

"I apologized to the team for having to even answer questions about this. ... That was never my intention, I didn't want this to be a distraction," Ward said. "I should have just took the time and took the emotions out of it and just gave the politically correct answer."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=4707191

Hmmm, when's the last time AB did something like this?

When has a player ever called the media to question the toughness of their QB?

He should’ve apologized.

I’m a Hines fan but I’m not going to act like he didn’t show his diva side with Ben.

[Buzz]

When has a player ever called the media to question the toughness of their QB?

He should’ve apologized.

I’m a Hines fan but I’m not going to act like he didn’t show his diva side with Ben.

If Hines had a "diva side" then AB is the Queen Bee. I don't care for a few of the things Ward did, but he's a choir boy next to Mr. Mayhem-like-me.

[Eich]

Let’s slow down a bit.


I don't think anyone started off too fast. I acknowledged in my first reply to this post that Hines had his share of drama. But it ended well and he retired a Steelers hero.

It does not matter one bit that AB has access to twitter and Instagram. He was hell-bent on leaving the Steelers and decided to do it using bad (moronic, idiotic, unprofessional, child-like) behavior. He could have accomplished the same without twitter.

Again, IMO, AB makes Hines Ward look like a Saint.

[Oh wow]

If Hines had a "diva side" then AB is the Queen Bee. I don't care for a few of the things Ward did, but he's a choir boy next to Mr. Mayhem-like-me.

AB was definitely worse because he forced a trade but IMO I don’t think they were that far apart when it comes to their beef with Ben and off field drama.

It’s not like AB was a pain from day 1. His antics are still fresh so they sting much more but Hines was a piece of work when he was doing his thing off the field.

Some folks think Twitter doesn’t make a difference but I think it does. These days a few question marks or an emoji turn into think pieces online.

Not trying to dog Hines out but I think history is much kinder after the dust settles.

Back when it was happening in real time it was ugly and unprofessional. One thing players never should do is question another players toughness publicly when injured.

[Buzz]

AB was definitely worse because he forced a trade but IMO I don’t think they were that far apart when it comes to their beef with Ben and off field drama.

Really??? Hines never did anything CLOSE to getting PUT OUT about his TEAMMATE winning MVP, and then QUITTING on his TEAM when they were making a push for the playoffs. Hines never did anything CLOSE to chucking an ottoman off a balcony, and narrowly missing a little kid below. Hines never did anything CLOSE to VIOLATING his coach's orders/team protocol by livestreaming his coach's lockerroom address. I don't recall Hines ever throwing a cooler on the sideline or otherwise going off on a tantrum because he wasn't getting the ball as much as he wanted. If you don't think Ward and Brown were that far apart, then you probably think the Pittsburgh Hills are nearly as tall as the Himalayas.

[Northern_Blitz]

If I had to choose one player in their prime for one game, I'd take AB without thinking about it. I think he's probably the best WR we've ever had (and we've had lots of good ones).

There's lots to like about them both. They were both underdogs from their draft position that worked their asses off to be the best WRs on their respective teams.

Hines won a SB and got the MVP (in a game where there probably wasn't a clear choice).

AB never won a SB, but consistently made insane catches all over the field.

I think putting Hines on the team for the past few years doesn't overcome the lack of D and AB probably contributes as much as Hines on those teams if he doesn't lose his ****.

But losing his **** ended up being the other thing AB was really good at. But maybe he just figured that we weren't going to win a championship with this D when Ben was still here, so he might as well try to maximize his income.

A lot of the BS with AB gets put on Tomlin for appeasement, and that's probably fair. But I also wonder if extending him early the first time (which I think was reasonable given how he outperformed his contract) made him feel like he could demand similar treatment again when he was already making a ton of $$$.

[BURGH86STEEL]

Brown is probably a better WR than Ward. No question that Ward was a better football player than Brown.

[Northern_Blitz]

Brown is probably a better WR than Ward. No question that Ward was a better football player than Brown.

Better team mate at the very least.

And Ward was a great player too.

But if you can't compare their stats directly, you can compare them to their peers. AB was a 4x all pro, Ward made that team 0 times. Not the be all and end all, but I think that's why AB will make the Hall and Ward will be just short.

[NorthCoast]

Let’s slow down a bit. Hines was awesome but he also threatened to hold out and called Ben out ON AIR for not playing due to an “injury”

He also bashed Ben anytime he said he wanted a big target WR.

I think if we dealt Hines to another team when he was at his worst we would probably be viewed much differently.

Now granted he never said he wanted to move on from the Steelers publicly but man, Hines and Ben used to go at it and used the media that was available at the time to jab each other.

Imagine if Hines has access to Twitter or Instagram when they were beefing?

Hines is just lucky he wasn’t around for the 24/7 access we have these days.Oh wow, I think you are making more of this than there really was. This was two good players goading each other to be better. I just finish rewatching PIT-GB in 2009 on NFLN (great game btw). In the post game on the field, I am pretty sure I heard Roethlisberger call out Hines for running a bad route. The jabs never got to the flame level that AB fanned. And while Ward threatened to hold out, he didn't follow through with it and didn't make a media event of it by rapping on the team. So no, I don't see the two situations in the same light. (maybe my Ward glasses have me blinded....).

[STH70]

IMO I don’t think they were that far apart when it comes to their beef with Ben and off field drama.
.
.
Back when it was happening in real time it was ugly and unprofessional. One thing players never should do is question another players toughness publicly when injured.

Hines made a really bad statement about Ben right after an emotional loss without Ben.
At the time he didn't know that Ben was not cleared by the doctors to play.
But, he cared enough to publicly apologize not only to Ben but all of his teammates as well.

I must've missed the part where AB apologized for ANY of his crap, and that's a long list.
The Hines vs AB diva comparison is not even close.

[Oh wow]

Really??? Hines never did anything CLOSE to getting PUT OUT about his TEAMMATE winning MVP, and then QUITTING on his TEAM when they were making a push for the playoffs. Hines never did anything CLOSE to chucking an ottoman off a balcony, and narrowly missing a little kid below. Hines never did anything CLOSE to VIOLATING his coach's orders/team protocol by livestreaming his coach's lockerroom address. I don't recall Hines ever throwing a cooler on the sideline or otherwise going off on a tantrum because he wasn't getting the ball as much as he wanted. If you don't think Ward and Brown were that far apart, then you probably think the Pittsburgh Hills are nearly as tall as the Himalayas.

Like I said.. the wounds are still fresh from AB’s antics.

But if we listed off Hines off field drama it’s not much better.

DUI
Held out for more money
Threw Ben under the bus
Temper tantrum anytime we drafted or talked about a tall WR.

People keep bringing up the live stream on FB.

Hines CALLED a sports reporter to air out Ben over not playing and said 50% of the team was upset with Ben.

Just sayin’

Hines wasn’t far from a saint next to AB.

[Oh wow]

Oh wow, I think you are making more of this than there really was. This was two good players goading each other to be better. I just finish rewatching PIT-GB in 2009 on NFLN (great game btw). In the post game on the field, I am pretty sure I heard Roethlisberger call out Hines for running a bad route. The jabs never got to the flame level that AB fanned. And while Ward threatened to hold out, he didn't follow through with it and didn't make a media event of it by rapping on the team. So no, I don't see the two situations in the same light. (maybe my Ward glasses have me blinded....).


Media event? Announcing that you are holding out to the media is a media event.

Rapping badly about it isn’t a media event. It’s just bad rapping

[NorthCoast]

The HC met privately and asked Ward to end his holdout and come to camp. And it was all Ward needed. Quite a contrast to the Steelers owner having to fly to meet his #1 and hear his reasoning for not living up to a contract he had already signed.

One memory that Ward will not cherish, and that he continues to live with to this day, was his decision to hold out for a new contract during training camp in 2005. “The year that we won the Super Bowl [in the 2005 season], I held out that year”, he said, “and I remember coming into training camp and he was one of the first guys that I saw when I got into Pittsburgh, and coming out of that holdout”/

“I apologized” said the former wide receiver. “I told him I never wanted to bring negative attention to our organization. It was a misunderstanding on my behalf, on behalf of my agent, and part of a miscommunication with the Pittsburgh Steelers”.

“But I never, ever, ever—that is something I will always regret, of holding out for the Pittsburgh Steelers because he’s given me so much”, reflected Ward about his time with the Steelers and with Papa Rooney. “He gave me the opportunity to live my dream. And playing for 14 years, there’s not a day that goes by that I [don’t] just feel bad for having that kind of dispute with the Pittsburgh organization, holding out”.

Rooney’s response to Ward’s apology was a simple one. “He said ‘hey, don’t worry about it’”, he recalled, continuing to tell the receiver that “’we want you to be a Pittsburgh Steeler for life, and go out there and help us win a Super Bowl’”.

Steelers Coach Bill Cowher talked at length with the four-time Pro Bowl receiver on Sunday night and convinced him of his importance to a team that went 15-1 last season.

"For me, I needed to hear that from my head coach, this support -- that's all a player can ask for. If your coach doesn't have confidence in you as a ballplayer, maybe you need to part ways," Ward said before the game. "It's been a long time since we had a conversation like that. ... That's why I'm
here, showing good faith, because I want to retire a Steeler."

[hawaiiansteel]

Hines Ward Ready To See Steelers ‘Just Line Up And Kick Tail’, Leaving Drama Behind

By Matthew Marczi
Posted on July 9, 2019

Hines Ward is one of the most beloved members of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ franchise. Not just in recent years, but in their entire history, which includes an awful lot of players that people have loved over the years. There are many people for whom Ward is and will always be their favorite player. In many ways, he personified the image of ‘Steelers football’, which is why he even made the occasional appearances in the Renegade montages. Not ordinarily the domain of a wide receiver.

A third-round pick who didn’t even have an ACL, Ward made something of himself and even won his share of battles. When it came time to decide who was going to get a new contract between himself and Plaxico Burress, it was Ward who remained with the franchise, and ultimately retired as a Steeler.

It’s for these and many other reasons that people still listen when he talks. And he’s had a few things to say about his former team this offseason, which have been polarizing to some degree. While giving an interview for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently, he did briefly revisit the Steelers, asked about his thoughts on the changes the team has made this offseason.

It’s just getting back to Steelers football. Not really the drama that goes on outside of football, off the field. It’s really, let’s just line up, come together as a team, just line up and kick tail, that’s the Pittsburgh way. In order to get over the hump and get past New England and all that, I think that’s key is just lining up and focus on football, leave all the other stuff at home.

Ward himself hasn’t always been free of drama, most notably publicly questioning Ben Roethlisberger not playing due to a concussion in a big game during a primetime broadcast. That raised some eyebrows at the time and soon after he apologized for his comments.

Still, I think pretty much everybody can get on board when he says that the Steelers need to “just [line] up and focus on football, leave all the other stuff at home”. There’s no doubt that there has been too much of the other stuff over the course of the past couple of years, but there is an overwhelming sense, and projection from the players, that that stuff is behind them.

Of course, riding a 2-4 record into a postseason-less season just a year after going 13-3, and having been in position to have a bye week for the second year in a row, can have a pretty sobering effect in and of itself.

Outside of the removal of two very high-profile personalities from the equation this offseason, I also think that the intense attention and scrutiny the team has been under has been a key factor in their rallying together as a team more than they have in years. How will that tangibly affect the on-field factor? That remains to be seen.


https://steelersdepot.com/2019/07/hines-ward-ready-to-see-steelers-just-line-up-and-kick-tail-leaving-drama-behind/

[rpmpit]

Hines won Dancing with the Stars.

AB didn't even make it to the finals.

End of discussion...

:p

[RuthlessBurgher]

Hines won Dancing with the Stars.

AB didn't even make it to the finals.

End of discussion...

:p

https://media2.giphy.com/media/wWue0rCDOphOE/giphy.gif

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I have had the discussion often, stating that it is difficult to compare players because every player plays within his own situation.

Hines Ward was the number one WR on a run first, power football offense.

Antonio Brown was the number one WR on a wide-open, pass happy offense.

Not saying that one is better than the other, but if numbers define how good a receiver is then you'd expect both AB and Ju Ju to put up similar numbers to last season this year, but I am willing to bet that one or both has at least a 20% change in production in '19.

[Eich]

If I was building a team today to win a ring and I could choose Hines Ward in his prime or AB in his prime, I'd take Hines Ward. They both play with heart and give 110% but I think Hines is the better overall football player (which includes brutal blocking) and he's more wiling to sacrifice individual statistics for team goals. AB is a more precise route-runner and is quicker and more elusive. But I'd still take Hines for the team chemistry and on-field toughness.

And interestingly enough, I think we have the next Hines Ward on the team. His name is Juju. And I think he has the potential to be more productive. And if his attitude stays the way it is now, he has the opportunity to become a Steelers icon.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Yup...Juju brings Hines Ward's physicality and mindset to a modern day 2019 NFL offense.

[Oh wow]

Yup...Juju brings Hines Ward's physicality and mindset to a modern day 2019 NFL offense.

Yeah. JuJu and Hines are damn near the same player. Ju Ju is physical, isn’t fast on paper but always finds a way to outrun faster guys and he is always smiling.

When we drafted him Hines was the first person that came to mind.

I think JuJu is has a larger catch radius than Hines too.

[hawaiiansteel]

Hines won Dancing with the Stars.

AB didn't even make it to the finals.

End of discussion...

:p

http://stillernation.com/phpbb/images/smilies/applause.gif

[NorthCoast]

..... AB is a more precise route-runner ..... and is quicker and more elusive..

Not sure how you came to this conclusion but everything that's recently been printed suggests his route running was not good and a source of friction with the QB.

[NorthCoast]

Yup...Juju brings Hines Ward's physicality and mindset to a modern day 2019 NFL offense.

Laying wood on Burfict is forever burned in my memory...

[Oh wow]

Not sure how you came to this conclusion but everything that's recently been printed suggests his route running was not good and a source of friction with the QB.

We have tons of video evidence of AB’s precise route running.

I’m sure his disgruntled practice routes were sloppy for obvious reasons.

[Eich]

We have tons of video evidence of AB’s precise route running.

I’m sure his disgruntled practice routes were sloppy for obvious reasons.

I think his disgruntled sloppy routes carried over into certain games last season as well. It was never about his talent and capability. It was all about his ego.

[Oh wow]

I think his disgruntled sloppy routes carried over into certain games last season as well. It was never about his talent and capability. It was all about his ego.

This could be true.

I was never a fan of our best players essentially resting the whole preseason.

I would like to see our starters go back to the traditional model for preseason.

1st game - don’t dress
2nd game - 1 quarter of play
3rd game - 2 quarters
4th game - don’t dress

[RuthlessBurgher]

This could be true.

I was never a fan of our best players essentially resting the whole preseason.

I would like to see our starters go back to the traditional model for preseason.

1st game - don’t dress
2nd game - 1 quarter of play
3rd game - 2 quarters
4th game - don’t dress

The only slight alterations that I would make to your preseason suggestions would be at least one series in the first preseason game (or maybe 2 if it ends up being something like a 3 and out), and then have the starters come out again after halftime of game 3 for at least one more series in the second half.

As you suggest, one quarter is fine for game 2, and I don't mind our best players sitting out game 4 entirely.

[NorthCoast]

We have tons of video evidence of AB’s precise route running.

I’m sure his disgruntled practice routes were sloppy for obvious reasons.

Some people beg to differ, even opponents

Claims Of Poor Route Running By Antonio Brown Continue To Surface

steelersdepot.com

If there is anything that we have not been lacking over the course of the past two weeks, it has been discussion over Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. We already know the many angles from which his situation has been discussed, including the decision to exclude him from the All-Pro team.

One theme that has recently surfaced, however, has been the idea that he is not a crisp route runner. Peter King recently said that, and he was evidently told that by Aditi Kinkabwala, who appeared on his podcast. She quoted Baltimore Ravenscornerback Jimmy Smith on that topic.

“There is no player that is more complicated to cover because he doesn’t do anything traditionally”, she said in citing Smith. “He’s out there making stuff up, Ben is pump-faking, and somehow finds him. And they will both tell you, there is no one that I have ever been around in 10 years of covering the NFL that improvises together that these two men do”.

While it’s true that many of the biggest plays that Brown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger have made, not just this year but also over the years, have been a product of Roethlisberger making a play and Brown putting himself in a position to get to it, the argument that he is not a crisp route runner is still difficult to buy.

Needless to say, we watch a fair amount of Brown here, and we have plenty of clips of him running routes in our weekly game breakdowns. Often enough, we feature plays in which his route-running is so crisp and precise that he leaves the defensive back with broken ankles and emerging wide open.

So while I certainly buy the argument that a lot of the pair’s success is attributable to them making things happen after the initial play breaks down, one can’t conclude from that that it’s because Brown didn’t run a crisp enough route in the first place. Frankly, Roethlisberger is often too slow to pull the trigger, which is why he has to extend as many plays as he does.

“If Antonio Brown goes to the Jets, there’s no way that Sam Darnold is going to be able to do that”, Kinkhabwala said of having the post-script rapport with the wide receiver. “if Antonio Brown goes to the Patriots, there’s no way Tom Brady is putting up with that nonsense. He’ll say ‘be where you’re supposed to be at the time you’re supposed to be there’”.

“He 100 percent does not want to go right now”, she also said of Brown regarding a possible trade. “He recognizes that, acknowledges that, he is not looking to be traded. He does not want to leave”. She said that she believes the current situation is a power struggle between the quarterback and the wide receiver.

I would be curious to know where this discussion about the crispness of his route-running has emerged from, because frankly it’s not one that I’ve ever seen discussed in the national media previously. In fact, he has in the past been well-regarded as one of the sharpest route-runners in the league.

[Oh wow]

I read that article and have no idea what they are trying to imply.

Ben extends plays and AB was great at getting open once a play broke down.

That isn’t poor route running, that’s years of playing with a QB who likes to extend plays and knowing when to break a route off.

[Northern_Blitz]

I read that article and have no idea what they are trying to imply.

Ben extends plays and AB was great at getting open once a play broke down.

That isn’t poor route running, that’s years of playing with a QB who likes to extend plays and knowing when to break a route off.

I guess maybe they're implying 2 things:
1) Maybe Brown goes to improvisation too soon and it causes Ben to have to hold on to the ball too long? or
2) Maybe Ben holds onto the ball too long and doesn't throw it initially forcing Brown to improvise?

I'd imagine there's evidence of both things on tape.

[Oh wow]

I guess maybe they're implying 2 things:
1) Maybe Brown goes to improvisation too soon and it causes Ben to have to hold on to the ball too long? or
2) Maybe Ben holds onto the ball too long and doesn't throw it initially forcing Brown to improvise?

I'd imagine there's evidence of both things on tape.

Even if true for both parties that isn’t sloppy route running. That’s called miscommunication and it will happen from time to time when you have a duo who has been the best in the biz at adlibbing.

[Northern_Blitz]

Even if true for both parties that isn’t sloppy route running. That’s called miscommunication and it will happen from time to time when you have a duo who has been the best in the biz at adlibbing.

I agree with you.

There's lots to say about AB, but he's an exceptional role runner.

[sillysobriquet]

"I wasn't the biggest, I wasn't the fastest, but I worked my butt off,"

Just like Jerry Rice.

[Captain Lemming]

I agree with you.

There's lots to say about AB, but he's an exceptional role runner.

I saw you made a mistake in one of those two words.

Clearly you meant to say "role model". :)

[RuthlessBurgher]

Hines Ward, D’Brickashaw Ferguson working at Jets camp

Posted by Josh Alper on July 24, 2019, 10:04 AM EDT

D’Brickashaw Ferguson is back with the Jets, but not as a left tackle.

The longtime fixture on the team’s offensive line retired after the 2015 season and he’s trying his hand at another role this summer. The Jets announced that Ferguson and his former teammate Calvin Pace are serving as Nunn-Wooten scouting fellows during training camp.

Pace, who also retired after the 2015 season, spent eight seasons with the Jets. Ferguson was a 2006 first-round pick by the Jets and spent his entire career with the team.

Ferguson and Pace used to play against Hines Ward, but the former Steelers wideout is now on their side as one of four Bill Walsh coaching interns. Ward previously interned with the Steelers and worked for the short-lived Alliance of American Football.

Former Jets wideout David Clowney now coaches wide receivers at Howard and joins Ward, Missouri State assistant wide receivers coach Stephen Bravo-Brown and Bowie State head coach Damon Reginald Wilson as interns with the Jets this summer.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/07/24/hines-ward-dbrickashaw-ferguson-working-at-jets-camp/

[Northern_Blitz]

I saw you made a mistake in one of those two words.

Clearly you meant to say "role model". :)

Route runner. :cool: