Ward eases way into shape

Ward eases way into shape
January 29
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Hines Ward did not fully practice yesterday when the Steelers took the field for the first time at the University of South Florida, but he did run and cut and went through his own workouts after joining his teammates for some sessions.

Each of the two Super Bowl teams' practices are open to one pool reporter. Peter King, of Sports Illustrated, is assigned to Steelers practices.

Here is his report:

The team worked without pads on a beautiful Florida afternoon -- 77 degrees, sunny, with 15 mph winds from the south -- on the USF campus north of downtown Tampa. Second-year coach Mike Tomlin began the one-hour, 58-minute session with a shout of "Let's go to work, men," and pronounced himself satisfied with the work on what Steelers observers said was the most pleasant outdoor practice day the team has had since October.

"It was a good start to our week," Tomlin said after practice. "We practiced fast, and I thought we practiced aggressively. But it's like I say to the team after every Wednesday practice: It's a good start, but we've got to be better tomorrow."

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had intermittent shoulder problems during the season, looked sharp and threw several tight long spirals, including one bullet to Santonio Holmes through the wind. Running back Willie Parker, after battling shoulder and knee problems during the regular season, ran fast and confidently.

Other than Ward, whose right knee was sprained in the first quarter of the Jan. 18 AFC championship game, the Steelers have no health issues on either side of the ball, Tomlin said. But the coach was dismissive when asked if he was concerned about Ward's status for Sunday's game. Here's the evidence that Tomlin is not fretting about Ward: Tomlin didn't watch his star receiver running and cutting on the side field during the hour that Ward worked out away from the team.

Ward is expected to practice with the regular offense more today. "Hines is playing," Tomlin said. "I'm not worried about him."

Wearing a small black knee brace yesterday, Ward walked onto the practice field shortly after 1 p.m. and walked through some plays with the first-team offense just before practice began at 1:30. Then, at the start of practice, he jogged through a few pass routes with the regular offense before working out on his own for the next 55 minutes.

Ward caught balls from the Juggs machine. Then four cones were laid out in a 10-yard square, and he ran 10-yard incut pass routes at about half-speed and caught passes. Then he ran sideline to sideline at slightly better than half-speed before encasing the knee in ice for about a half-hour. From the looks of how he ran yesterday, Ward won't be 100 percent Sunday, but there's little doubt he'll be in the starting lineup.

Tomlin said he was pleased with the condition of the practice fields at USF, though the freshly installed Bermuda sod was damaged by two days of sub-freezing temperatures at
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