As players began their annual pilgrimage to Latrobe for training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a few interesting announcements which may hold great importance as we watch the 2011 season unfold.
First, they agreed to terms with draft picks OT Marcus Gilbert, CB Cortez Allen, LB Chris Carter, OG Keith Williams and RB Baron Batch. This leaves only third round pick CB Curtis Brown and first rounder DT Cameron “IronHead Jr.” Heyward unsigned. With Will.i.am Gay and Anthony Madison unrestricted free agents and absolutely no proof Keenan Lewis deserves a hat on Sunday, Brown is a complete idiot if he doesn’t sign soon. Rookies practically never play for this team but the nickel back job would seem to be wide open.
They also placed two players on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Chris Kemoeatu is experiencing some pain and swelling in his knee which is understandable considering he didn’t have OTAs keeping him away from the buffet table. The other player on the list is [intlink id=”34″ type=”category”]Hines Ward.[/intlink]
Wait, WHAT?
Hasn’t Ward, who spent his off-season dressing like one of Lady Gaga’s back-up dancers, been doing nothing but performing? If he was physically able to jitterbug with some scantily clad Aussie babe, how is it that he’s unable to practice? Evidently he had thumb surgery which he hasn’t fully recovered from. “But Chris,” you say, “his thumb didn’t seem to bother him when he was prancing around like a sissy.”
That’s because he put off surgery until after he won the Mirror Ball trophy. So now we seewhere Hines’ priorities lie. Look, nobody is a bigger fan of #86 than yours truly but it’s pretty clear his best days are behind him. And not only do we know it but he knows it, too. Thus, outside interests have started taking precedence over his football career.
Hey, I don’t begrudge him his moment in the sun. I will always appreciate Hines’ rugged style of play and all that he’s done for both the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh. However, when you go from being focused on winning the Super Bowl to being focused on how many slide steps in a fox trot, it’s time to move on. We need guys who are hungry to win another championship, not complacent with past glory.