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Tomlin: Knee Won't Sideline Steelers' Ward

The Associated Press

Hines Ward, right, practiced Thursday for the first time since straining his MCL in the AFC Championship Game.

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By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2009

TAMPA - The Pittsburgh-area reporter hadn't even begun to ask his question at this morning's news conference when Steelers coach Mike Tomlin cut him off.

"Hines is great," Tomlin said, prompting laughter from the audience.

Yes, the status of Hines Ward's right knee remains the hottest topic leading to Sunday's Sunday Bowl, but Tomlin is increasingly adamant that there's no reason for concern regarding his gritty receiver.

Ward practiced Thursday for the first time since straining his medial collateral ligament in the AFC Championship Game nearly two weeks ago, working with the regular offense and running at "perhaps three-quarters speed," according to a pool report.

"Hines looked pretty good yesterday," Tomlin said this morning. "We'll see where he is today, and we'll continue to push forward toward Sunday. But our mentality regarding Hines has not changed. He's intent on playing in the football game."

Tomlin noted that the 11th-year pro and Super Bowl XL Most Valuable Player has overcome pain before – including last year's playoffs. Ward was inactive for the final week of the 2007 regular season with a knee injury but returned to start against Jacksonville in the first round of the playoffs and tally 135 yards on 10 receptions.

"I have a level of expectation for him in terms of dealing with this situation," Tomlin said. "It's not going to be an excuse for us; it's definitely not an excuse for him. His standard's his standard, and we expect him to be Hines Ward on Sunday."

Tomlin also expects the guy throwing passes to Ward to be in good health. A report Thursday on Profootballtalk.com that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had undergone X-rays on his back this week caused a stir, but the coach said there was nothing to it.

"Like a lot of situations that go with Ben's medical status, I don't know where that report came from," Tomlin said. "Ben's fine, he's going to play."

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