Being a life-long Bengals fan, one never has a whole lot of love for the Steelers...'cept for when they play the Browns. This year is without a doubt the most difficult to have been a Bengals fan. Yeah, we've sucked bad and started out 0-7 before. But not when there was a decent amount of talent on the roster. I could lament this for paragraph's, but I won't.
I always respected Hines Ward in the past. A WR that could block and block well, and not bitch, cry and moan about calls and hits. But I've noticed an increasing need for him to block and block hard, well away from the action...not "illegal", but questionable. This last Sunday he levelled a hit on Bengals rookie LB Keith Rivers, when Rivers at worst MAY have pushed Big Ben out of bounds, that wound up breaking River's jaw and sidelining him for the rest of the season, and then celebrating after it was over. Steeler's and Bengal's will give you various opinions on the "dirty" or "clean" argument. You can guess which side most will take, depending on their affiliation. I've seen it. At best, its questionable, at worst its helmet to helmet (or helmet to jaw if you'd like to call it that), that was completely unnecessary. I can guarantee you this, Hines. When the second meeting rolls around, Bengals players on defense will not think twice about penalty or suspension when you are rolling by. And as for me being a fan of yours...well, I can still respect your ability, which I do, but a fan I am no more.
