Mike Tomlin's extended push for Hines Ward's Hall of Fame candidacy

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t said — or done — a lot to make Steelers fans happy. But his recent soliloquy endorsing Hines Ward’s Hall of Fame candidacy will certainly have football fans in Western Pa. waving their Terrible Towels and humming “Renegade.”

Last week, Ward was named as a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist. This is the sixth straight year the retired Steelers wide receiver has gotten this far in the selection process.

The modern era semi-finalists will be trimmed to 15 before the Pro Football Hall of Fame committee will meet to decide the 2022 class.

Ward totaled 1,000 career receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 receiving touchdowns in 14 seasons. He won two Super Bowls and was named Super Bowl XL MVP. He was elected to the Steelers Hall of Honor in 2020.

Other wide receivers on the semi-finalist list include Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith and Reggie Wayne. Steve Tasker and Devin Hester are also on the list largely for their special teams work.

The arguments for Ward have always been that he was a uniquely physical blocker who came up clutch in big situations with a perennial playoff franchise, and he won rings.

The argument against Ward is that many of his contemporaries have better statistics, and wide receiver is a statistically driven position.

Plus, as passing proficiency continues to rise over eras in the NFL, his stats may sparkle even less as time goes by.

That said, Ward’s numbers are at least comparable and, in some cases, better than those who are also nominated as wide receivers on the list.

Ward is 27th all-time in receiving yards — in front of Hall of Famers Michael Irvin, Don Maynard and Calvin Johnson. He’s 14th in receptions — in front of Hall of Famers Randy Moss, Andre Reed, Steve Largent and Art Monk. Ward is also 16th in receiving touchdowns — tied with Hall of Famers Lance Alworth and Paul Warfield.

That’s pretty exclusive company. So maybe the “Hines doesn’t have the stats” argument that is so quickly regurgitated doesn’t quite have the teeth when examined closely.

On Sunday’s Steelers Radio Network pregame show, Tomlin — Ward’s head coach with the Steelers from 2007-11 — made an extended, in-depth pitch to get Ward into the Hall of Fame.

“He’s got the hardware on his finger. He’s a multiple-time world champ. And that’s a component of it, I think. But also, everybody who witnessed him play, they know that the style of play is above and beyond the statistical analysis,” Tomlin said. “The nature in which he played. The way that he redefined the position. He did things differently than others. His point-of-attack blocking was a weapon. He was a true weapon in that space. And there aren’t a lot of stats that measure that.”

Tomlin referred to Ward as an “offensive counterpart” to Hall of Fame safety John Lynch. That’s another player Tomlin coached, who didn’t have a lot of Hall of Fame stats but played his position with uniquely physical attributes.

“You can ask John Lynch about Hines Ward, and I’m sure the first thing that comes out of his mouth won’t be stat-related. It’ll be the nature in which he played the game. That’s something that always has to be quantified. I know it is debatable. But those of us that were close to it. Those of us that saw it, it is not debatable, it’s crystal clear. It was unique. It was different. It was position-defining. And those are the characteristics that define a gold jacket guy,” Tomlin explained.

That’s an argument I always made about Jerome Bettis when there was consternation about whether or not he’d get into the Hall of Fame because some of his stats were marginal by Hall of Fame standards, too (just 3.9 yards per carry).

But Bettis’ uncanny, nimble yet punishing style as a plus-sized, quick-footed, but bruising running back was replicated by few — if any — in NFL history. Let alone in his era of the mid-1990s through the 2000s as the league was evolving into a pass-happy format.

Ward falls under the same umbrella. Like “The Bus,” Ward was singularly definable for what he did at his position, on a team that helped define a 15-year swath of time in the NFL.

You can’t tell the story of the first 10 years of the 2000s without the Pittsburgh Steelers. And you can’t talk about those Steelers teams without Hines Ward. It’s part of the reason why Bettis, Alan Faneca and Troy Polamalu are all in the Hall of Fame already. And why Ben Roethlisberger will be someday.

I know Ward’s stats aren’t anything to hang your hat on when stumping for him to get inducted. And I know the Steelers basically just got their own wing added in Canton this summer when Faneca, Polamalu, Donnie Shell, Bill Nunn and Bill Cowher were all honored.

Those things come into play. But if others can make the same kind of pitch on behalf of Ward that Tomlin just did, maybe his chances will improve.

You can hear Tomlin’s entire pitch to get Hines Ward into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on this “WDVE Morning Show” link at the 2:21:18 mark.