I don’t think the origin of the poll discounts that Hines Ward could be dirty, after all he has that reputation for a reason. I do think it casts some doubt on some of the other poll results. I think Hines Ward plays dirty, or with an edge as they put it when it’s a good player who does it. I also think he plays tough. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. I thought his hit on Ed Reed was just tough football. The hit on Rivers was legal but unnecessary. I’m at work and can’t watch the hit you linked to.
I do find the smug arrogance you carry yourself with amusing. You are so confident that you have it nailed, and yet you have never been right about anything we’ve ever argued about.
I am not illogically biased against the Steelers. I want them to fail, sure, but that does not make me somehow blind on the issues related to them. Judging by the average football knowledge and observations of the Steelers fans around here, though, I’m not sure I can say the same thing about their ability to honestly evaluate matters relating to their team.
Did you notice what this thread was about? Oh, right, the NFL PLAYERS THEMSELVES casting the most votes for dirtiest players to Hines Ward. So if I chime in and say yes, Ward is dirty, while all the Steelers fans say “What? Ward has never done anything dirty! WTF IS THIS!?!?!” who’s being biased?
I love the irony of Steeler fans talk about “manning up” and being tough, in a thread dedicated to whining about a poll of NFL players. Especially when there are important issues, like how James Harrison is held on every single play and never gets a call.
WWWWAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
Pipe down or we’ll send our slot receiver to beat you up. 
Well, this Bengals fan sees it the same way, particularly on that pointless hit on Holley. Ward looks for cheap shots. And the NFL is starting to call him on his BS illegal contact too, where he tries to block downfield on a short pass route, but conveniently forgets that he cannot hit the defensive player until the ball arrives. Silly Hines.
NFL players give unnecessary tough hits all the time, but usually it’s directed towards a wide receiver. Every time a receiver goes across the middle, if the ball is anywhere near, he’s gonna take a hard shot, whether the ball is catchable or not, whether the ball has all ready passed the receiver or not. But give those same players a taste of their own medicine, and OMG!! it’s the worst, dirtiest play ever!!! It’s fuckin laughable.
So, explain this to a guy you doesn’t the sport at all… this is a Human Catcher who rolled double sixes twice, isn’t it ? Yeah, that’s annoying.
But that’s what chainsaws are for.
Well, offensive players aren’t allowed to tackle…they have to block. I understand what you are saying, but a wideout’s job sometimes involves going across the middle of the field where players are criss-crossing, and you can gain some good yardage there, but you have to be ready for the shot you may have to take as the price for going over the middle.
OTOH, downfield wideouts on a play where they do not have the ball do not have the luxury of hammering a defenseless player that’s not involved in the play. It’s a ball proximity issue.
Not a fan of any of the teams mentioned so far. The video linked is an unquestionable cheap shot. If it’s typical of Ward, he is a coward and a bad sportsman.
Do you see any other wide receivers on the list? Didn’t think so.
I fail to see what that has to do with what I said. You’ve got one WR who dishes out what these DBs and LBs dish out regularly, and it’s so out of the ordinary that they have to call him dirty.
No. I got what you were trying to say. It was just dumb. What in the world does this have to do with high school injustice? And even if you COULD tie it to HS somehow what high school in the world has a 200lb QB that gets picked on and made fun of? None.
That is one of the weird defining characteristics of the SDMB. People on here haven’t let go of HS hardships. It rears it’s ugly head in many threads with talk of the “cool kids” and “nerds” and “outcasts”. People need to let it go.
FWIW though I like HW.
Heh. I was wondering what kind of dopey response you would give, but I didn’t think you’d announce that Hines Ward is the only WR in the entire NFL to aggressively block and/or hit defensive players. I mean, that’s right up there with the idea that James Harrison gets held on every single play and never gets a call. Thanks for the chuckle.
Would you cut out that bullshit? No one said every single play. If you’re going to attempt to mock Steeler fans at least try and make it a little bit sensible.
Besides, as long as the refs give every single close call to the Steelers it doesn’t matter if he gets held.
I wonder what it’s like when Ward tries to block Harrison in practice. It’s like the unstoppable cheapshot vs the unblockable force.
Remember when Harrison body slammed the guy who ran on the field in Cleveland? Hines Ward plays tough, James Harrison is tough and mean. I’m predicting Hines doesn’t spear him in the chest during practise.
I agree that Hines doesn’t spear him in the chest in practice. His MO is to go for the head or neck.
I have mixed feelings about all this. I like Hines Ward; he has good hands, reads zones well, takes hard hits well, blocks hard and plays tough. I also, however, agree that the hit on Holley was a cheap shot and he plays dirty and belongs on that list. As long as he’s on my team I love him. If he played for the Browns I’d hate his guts.
James Harrison is not known for being a nice guy even amongst his teammates. If there’s one guy Hines Ward doesn’t hit in practice, anywhere, it’s him.
Incidentally, I don’t disagree that in a lot of ways Hines Ward is a very likable football player. He does indeed block with authority and enthusiasm when he does it legitimately and he’s managed a long and successful career as a receiver even though he physically doesn’t do anything that well. But he is also dirty and takes cheap shots on a regular basis, which unfortunately taints to some degree everything good about him.
He’s had a successful career even though he doesn’t do anything physical very well? Can you explain that, because otherwise it reads like someone whose judgment about a player is extraordinarily biased by … something.
I’ll be happy, by the way, to start pulling statistics to compare Ward with other recievers throughout his career.
Apropos of nothing, but my son’s team won their super bowl yesterday!