Hines Ward retires

[Segagendude]

http://www.steelers.com/news/article...9-47b2ecf02fcf

Although they're rivals, (I'm from Cleveland), I wish him the best. See you in Canton, Hines!

[mestevo]

He won't be in the hall of fame for a long time, if ever.

[LambertandHam]

Quote: Originally Posted by mestevo

He won't be in the hall of fame for a long time, if ever.

The backlog at WR is insane. Hell of a player, wish him the best of luck in whatever he chooses.

[BurghFan]

Thanks for the memories Hines.

And yes, he will be in the HOF eventually. Definitely not a 1st balloter, but will be in. He has 2 SB's and a SB MVP, owns just about every Steeler receving record and is considered one of the best (if not the best) blocking WR in league history.

[mestevo]

I think he rides the line of Hall of Fame and "Hall of Very Good", and the backlog at WR will prevent him from making it for a long time, especially in this era, WRs have 5 more years to diminish what he's done the last 14.

This will only get harder, as players like Harrison, Bruce, Moss and Owens will likely join the crowd around the time Ward becomes eligible.

[SteelersFreak]

At some point Hines is gonna make it. Gonna be weird not seeing him in a Steelers uniform this year, I know a lot of people don't like him, but hopefully people in this thread keep it classy. Wish Hines the best.

[OSUFan_88]

Glad he's out of the league.

[ProfessaPackMan]

From Mike Florio:

Quote:

With receiver Hines Ward retiring after 14 NFL seasons, all with the Steelers, the obvious question becomes whether he has done enough to secure a bronze bust in Canton. Surprisingly, plenty of fans presume he has no shot, given an ever-growing logjam of wideout whose numbers have been pumped up by a proliferation of passing. But Ward’s credentials include something the Andre Reeds and Cris Carters and Tim Browns and (in time) Terrell Owens and Randy Mosses don’t: a Super Bowl ring. More accurately, two of them. (Having a Super Bowl MVP trophy doesn’t hurt, either.) The fact that he generated 1,000 receptions (eighth on the all-time list) for 12,083 yards (18th) and 85 touchdowns (13th) despite playing for a team that doesn’t exactly air it out makes his numbers more impressive. Them there’s the fact that Ward has more career catches that Steelers Hall of Fame wideouts John Stallworth and Lynn Swann, combined. Throw in a reputation for being a tenacious blocker with an infectious smile and no inclination to act like a diva, and Ward becomes a legitimate candidate for Canton. In the end, the rings likely will make the difference. Championship teams tend to be well represented in the Hall of Fame, and Ward was one of the biggest contributors to the Steelers teams that got the elusive “one for the thumb” and then started on the other hand, or other appendages. It may not happen on the first try, but Ward has done enough for his team and for the game to deserve a spot alongside Stallworth and Swann and the other Steelers great who will forever be honored and remembered.