Team MVP?

Ward giving his all
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
By Teresa VarleySteelers.com
Wide receiver Hines Ward could not hide the disappointment on Sunday after the Steelers lost to the Broncos, dropping their record to 2-6 for the season.
His trademark smile was replaced by a look of frustration, despite putting up good numbers in the game.
"It's tough," said Ward. "I think the guys came out here and put their blood, sweat and tears into this game. It's been a constant thing all year. We turn the ball over and can't win. To start off like we did, down 14-zero, it's hard to come back and win games like that."
Ward caught seven passes for 127 yards in the game. He pulled in a pass from Ben Roethlisberger early in the fourth quarter and broke free down the sideline for a 63-yard gain to the Broncos 17-yard line. But a false start penalty and a sack backed the Steelers up and they weren't able to capitalize on his efforts, having to settle for a field goal.
But it was a play with less than two minutes to go that really bothered Ward. The Steelers had a first down at the 11-yard line. Roethlisberger hit Ward who gave his best effort to get the ball in the end zone. But Broncos safety John Lynch hit him and knocked the ball loose. The Broncos recovered the fumble and any chance for a comeback was halted.
"I thought I did everything I possibly could to help this team win and I let them down at the end," said Ward. "I try to be a complete player and play 100 percent. That's one percent I didn't do well on.
"I tried to make a play, dove into the end zone. I thought the ball was over the pylon, but I guess I was a yard short. That right there just took everything out of me personally. I just have to continue to fight hard. And I'm going to do that. I'm not going to give up."
Ward's fumble was one of six turnovers in the game for the Steelers. It's a trend that they are going to have to stop fast in order to turn their season around.
"If you turn the ball over, that just shows you that you can't win ball games by doing that. The more and more we do it, the less and less we're going to win. We just have to go back to the table and get more fundamentally sound. But that's been the case all year - me included. I have to tuck the ball more I guess, concentrate on that. It's not good being 2-6, trust me."