Bruising blocker Ward is an endangered species

LATROBE, Pa. -- It was a short inside route, one Hines Ward has run probably hundreds of times, and the result is normally just as predictable. It ends in a catch. Only this time, it ended with a drop.

Mark the moment: August of 2009, Anno Domini ... Ward dropped an easy pass in practice. Not unheard of but rare, like Steelers and Browns fans living together.

If you're polling opposing defenders, Hines Ward won't win a popularity contest. (Getty Images)

When the pass skipped off Ward's hands, there was an audible gasp from several hundred fans watching in the stands. Ward smiled; Ward always smiles. Then Ward pumped out 10 pushups as self-punishment and smiled some more.

No, Ward isn't perfect, but he's darn close.

Ward has always engendered a highly visceral response from fans and the media. To his backers, he's a blue-collar hero who has been the backbone of two Super Bowl teams. To his critics, he's a punk whose cheap-shot tactics are so plus-sized, teams have allegedly put bounties on his head.

To me? It's much more the former than the latter. One day in the future, after Ward has retired and entered the Hall of Fame as arguably the best receiver in Steelers history, he'll be missed. He'll still be hated by some, but he'll be missed, because there won't be many more football players like Ward ever again.

In the modern NFL there are few receivers who enjoy the thrill of a spleen-numbing block as much as they do a touchdown catch. Many receivers today despise blocking. They're too pretty to do it. Ward is brutish elegance.

"Blocking is fun," Ward said while walking off the field after a recent practice. Then he flashed that Ward smile.

Blocking is a dirty and nasty business. What was routine in the old-school NFL -- Hall of Fame runner Jim Brown once said that the worst blocking receiver in his day would be among the best today -- is now only done well by a handful of wide receivers. Ward might be the best blocking receiver in history.

Ward's blocking makes him loved by the Steelers and their fans but despised by almost everyone else. Some NFL players believe Ward attacks defenders when they don't see him and can't fully defend themselves.

This criticism reached a high point after Ward's vicious block on Cincinnati linebacker Keith Rivers in 2008. Ward hit Rivers so hard it broke Rivers' jaw. The league next instituted a new set of rules preventing blindside blocks around a player's head. The rule has been nicknamed "the Hines Ward rule."

Ward would only say: "The new rule is going to lead to guys getting hurt."

His reasoning makes sense. If blockers fear getting a penalty for hitting high (even if the block is blindsided) they're now going to aim lower. Lower hits could mean more knee and leg injuries.

How will Ward adapt to the change in rules named after him is an interesting question. Will this temper his notorious and delicious blocking aggression?

Don't count on it.

What is certain is that when Ward leaves the game he'll be the team's leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches.

Dropped passes: a few, sure.

Monster blocks: a bazillion.