Steelers Great Hines Ward Advances In Hall Of Fame Voting While James Harrison Does Not

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a tough loss to the Chicago Bears in which the team seemed to be unable to take advantage of key drives to score points. The Steelers' offense was unable to generate any kind of momentum within the passing game in the second half, with the leading wide receiver for the Steelers being Calvin Austin III with only 36 yards on four receptions. They were also unable to make anything happen on the defensive side of the ball throughout the majority of the contest, with this winnable game getting out of reach late. However, there are still reasons to celebrate as a fan base this week.

Back in October, it was announced that four legendary former Steelers players had advanced in the voting process to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the Class of 2026. Earlier on Tuesday, it was announced that 26 modern-era players have been selected as semifinalists and one of those players who advanced is former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. Ward was one of four Steelers players who had a chance to advance to the semifinal round of voting, and unfortunately for the other Steelers players selected, none of the others aside from Ward advanced.

Ward had many amazing moments in his time with the Steelers, becoming one of the team's greatest wide receivers in the storied history of the team. The Steelers could have certainly used Ward out there against the Bears in the current time as well, considering the Steelers' offense was unable to put together a solid final drive against the Bears in Week 12 to put the team in field goal range to tie the game late. Nonetheless, Ward advancing to the semifinal round of voting is a bright spot in the week for Steelers fans who remember Ward's play fondly.

Plenty of both former and current Steelers players and coaches had incredible things to say about Ward, including current Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. In his weekly address to the media, Tomlin pitched his case for why Ward should make the Hall of Fame.

"Numbers do not tell his story," Tomlin said. "Although his numbers are special. They are. That's a guy with a thousand or so career catches. But man, if you were around him, if you were in stadiums with him, if you were a member of this team or an opposing player, you understood what playing with and against Hines Ward was about. He was a football player first, a wide receiver second. To be quite honest with you, he was an offensive perimeter bully. And I say that in a complimentary way. To me, he's a legendary player of his generation because of the way that he played, the amount of respect that he carried when he didn't have the ball in his hands, when it wasn't even a pass, is the stuff of legend."

With any luck, and if Tomlin's words are taken into account, hopefully Ward can advance to the next round of voting and be announced as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 when the official announcement is made in February of 2026 at the NFL Honors. As for the other former Steelers players who didn't advance to the next round of voting, they'll get another shot at making the Hall of Fame next year when the voting process begins again. Next year, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger becomes eligible for nomination to make the Hall of Fame as well. This gives the players who didn't advance in this year's voting a chance to enter the Hall of Fame with Roethlisberger, who will hopefully be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. 

Steelers Need To Find A Wide Receiver Like Hines Ward In Current Era

Currently, the Steelers have a stout, but questionable wide receiver room. Many would likely agree that the receiving room does not have anyone close to the talent level that Ward was at in his prime with the Steelers. Pittsburgh should make it a priority in the offseason to bring a wide receiver to the team that can replicate the level of play Ward was at, or at least be close to it. At the moment, the Steelers' offense feels sluggish, and someone that took after Ward would be a huge boost to the offense in the future.

Even through the disappointing loss to the Bears, seeing Ward advance to the next round of voting to enter the Hall of Fame in 2026 will hopefully be a brighter spot in the week, as Steelers fans everywhere hope that Ward's elite play earns him a well deserved spot in the Hall of Fame.

What did you think of the news that Ward is advancing to the semifinal round of Hall of Fame voting? Let us know in the comments below.

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