Hines Ward On Team’s Super Bowl Expectations And Kenny Pickett As The Franchise Quarterback

Pittsburgh Steelers great Hines Ward knows a thing or two about winning games.

The former longtime Steelers receiver played 14 seasons in Pittsburgh, helping end the franchise’s 26-year title drought when he won Super Bowl XL MVP and led the Steelers to a win over the Seattle Seahawks at the end of the 2005 season.

He did it again when he helped lead the Steelers to a dramatic win in Super Bowl XLIII over the Arizona Cardinals.

During Ward’s final 12 seasons in Pittsburgh (2000-2011), the Steelers only had one losing record during that time frame. They won two Super Bowls, advanced to three of the big games and went 12-6 in the playoffs during that era.

Fast forward to today and while the Steelers remain a franchise known for its consistency — they haven’t posted a losing record since head coach Mike Tomlin took over in 2007 — they haven’t come anywhere close to being the elite team they were during Ward’s playing days in Pittsburgh.

Since his retirement, the Steelers have gone 3-6 in the playoffs and haven’t been back to the Super Bowl. In fact, they’ve had just one conference championship game appearance since the 2011 season.

While speaking ahead of his “Home Field Advantage” tailgate party just prior to the Georgia Bulldogs’ homecoming game against the Missouri Tigers over the weekend, Ward had some interesting thoughts on the current state of the Steelers franchise.

“It is (concerning) considering all the talent (they’ve had) since I retired,” Ward said regarding the lack of playoff success since 2011. “All the talent that’s gone through there. You’re kind of like, what’s going on? When you walk through the building, you see the six Lombardi trophies, there’s expectation that comes along with that. So not having gone back (to the Super Bowl) since 2010, that’s a very long time.”

While getting to the playoffs and avoiding losing seasons would be a nice standard for a lot of franchises, it certainly is not the standard for the Steelers. The franchise has been known as one of the elite franchises since winning four Super Bowls in the 70’s. The Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins at six with the New England Patriots.

“Our fan base is Super Bowl or nothing. Other organizations are just hoping to get into the playoffs. Our mindset in Pittsburgh has always been championship or nothing. That’s why you see our fans are spoiled,” says Ward while laughing. “They’re used to success, winning championships and I don’t blame them. They have every right because that’s just the expectation mindset we have in Pittsburgh.”

A big reason for the team’s lack of success is due to the offensive unit’s struggles. The Steelers currently rank 29th in yards and points. Despite the offense’s lack of success, Pittsburgh is still 5-3 and in prime position for a playoff spot. In fact, they’ve made history as the only team to post a winning record after being out-gained in every one of their first eight games.

Despite the offense’s sluggish play, Ward isn’t overly concerned. He’s confident head coach Mike Tomlin will “find a way to get it done.”

“They’re trying to find their identity under (offensive coordinator) Matt Canada,” says Ward. “They have a young team. Mike Tomlin will find a way to get it done. They just have to find who they are and what makes them click right now. And I think they’re just in search of that.”

Kenny Pickett may not be lighting up the scoreboard with his passing numbers, but he’s certainly leading the team to wins when it counts. The second-year quarterback has a 12-8 record since taking over as the starter last season. Perhaps most important is that he’s 10-4 in his last 14 starts.

However, he’s thrown just 13 touchdowns against 13 interceptions over the course of his young career. His passer rating ranks 26th among all quarterbacks and his yards per game ranks 29th.

“At the end of the day that’s all you want, is a winner,” says Ward. “The only stat that means anything is wins and losses. As a quarterback, things sometimes start off slow, but it’s about the moments, right? When I look at situational football, Kenny has rose to the occasion. When they need to make a play in the fourth quarter and need a comeback drive, I like what I see.”

While Ward likes what he sees from Pickett so far, he’s not ready to call him the franchise quarterback just yet.

“The potential is there. The verdict is still out,” Ward says. “He’s still young, trying to find his way. It’s just hard when you’re following Ben Roethlisberger, because the expectations are what Ben’s done. That’s a lot to put on someone. But I’m not going to write him off just yet. I still think he has a lot of potential.”

While Pickett may not have completely solidified himself as the franchise quarterback just yet, Ward is real high on fellow Bulldogs alum, George Pickens.

“George Pickens is an elite receiver,” says Ward. “He may not have the stats to show it, but I can tell you game in and game out, defensive coordinators, they pull out their hair, trying to find a way to defend George Pickens.”

The former four-time Pro Bowl receiver also believes that they should find a way to get Pickens more involved in the passing game. The second-year receiver posted back-to-back 100-yard games in Weeks 6 and 7, but was limited to just three receptions for 21 receiving yards over the past two weeks.

“George Pickens is a playmaker,” Ward says. “I just wish they would get the ball to him more rather than wait until the second half.”

Pickens actually made a cryptic social media post following the Steelers’ win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 9 with the caption “Free Me.” While he has denied that it was about football, it still drew some negative attention. Ward has since given some advice to the young receiver, advising that he should be more “mindful” when it comes to social media posts.

While the Steelers may not look dominant in their wins on the field, Ward still believes his former head coach, Tomlin, will have the team in the playoff hunt at the end of the season.

“They’ll be right there in the thick of things towards the end of the year and hopefully get over the top and make the playoffs this year,” predicts Ward.