Make no mistake where Hines Ward’s allegiance lies when the Jets play the Steelers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Ward may have spent all 14 years of his NFL career in Pittsburgh, but the former wide receiver turned Jets assistant coach is bathed in green this week rooting against his old team.
Ward is ending his first season as an NFL coach, working with Jets receivers. That trumps being a player in Pittsburgh, where he helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls and was named MVP of Super Bowl XL.
“It will be special for me,” Ward said of Sunday’s game. “I want to win. I want to be beat the Steelers as much as anybody in this building. Trust me. I’m telling my guys they’ve got to win this one for me. I want the Gatorade shower and all that if we win.”
An otherwise meaningless game has plenty of meaning for Ward, who is testing his appeal for coaching after trying a number of different ventures since he retired following the 2011 season. The Steelers’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown receptions, spent four years on television as part of NBC’s “Football Night in America.” In May 2011, he won the 12th season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
This coaching thing may not be long-term, but Ward is all-in for now.
“There’s nothing like being around a locker room and being around an organization,” Ward said. “I’ve been to the pinnacle. I’ve been to the mountaintop. I’ve gotten everything I’ve wanted out of football. I want to share that knowledge with younger guys. That’s the whole reason I wanted to get into coaching.”
Besides having great hands and being physically tough to defend, Ward was considered one of the game’s best blocking receivers. Delivering a crushing blow gave him as much joy as scoring a touchdown. Some of that is starting to rub off on Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson.
“He’s our most explosive guy and he gives us those explosion plays and I get excited,” Ward said. “But I get super excited watching Robby out there blocking. That gets me fired up.”
Great players aren’t always great coaches. Their expectations and standards can be above the norm. Ward tries to focus on the details and fundamentals.
“I pride myself about going out there and being the best coach that I can be and make sure our guys are prepared to help our team win games,” Ward said, adding, “Each day when you step on the field, if you can take a step forward we’re headed in the right direction.”
There have been constant calls from Pittsburgh from those with ticket requests or wanting to arrange dinner when they arrive this weekend. If they expect Ward to be wearing black and gold, they’ll be disappointed.
“It’s probably the first time ever you’ll see me rooting against the team I played my whole career for,” he said. “But I’m super excited about the opportunity. To be dressed up in green and knowing how Steeler nation is going to be out there. I’m still a competitive guy. I’m going to do all I can to prepare our guys and go out there and win.”
He already sounds like a head coach when he talks about getting better each practice and not looking too far in the future. The Jets have benefited from his presence.
“Right now, I want to beat Pittsburgh bad,” he said.
When Ward, 43, retired, most of today’s players were in high school — if that. He doesn’t remind them of his résumé, which includes 12,083 receiving yards and 85 touchdowns. The Jets pick his brain about football and life.
“I want them to look at me as a guy who is trying to help them get better, a coach,” Ward said. “We discuss some life situations and stuff like that. That’s been valuable, hearing it from somebody who has been through it and how I came out the other side of it. That’s when guys gravitate to me.”
They’ll gravitate to him with a Gatorade bucket if things go well on Sunday.