Steelers’ Ward will miss Sunday’s game vs. Seahawks

After some heartening news that Ward was practicing Friday, it’s a bit disappointing to hear that he won’t be playing Sunday. The idea behind sitting him, however, makes a lot of sense. It just wouldn’t be smart to play Ward this early after he’s missed two weeks of practice. His greatest strength is his fearless attitude of running across the middle of the field. If he’s still uncertain how his knee will hold up, he’ll hold back and he’ll be a more ineffective receiver. Not to mention he might get hurt.

Instead, the Steelers are going to sit him this week and let him rest. Next week is a bye for Blitzburgh, so Ward has plenty of time to recover. He’s an important asset on offense and he’s a favorite target of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. And he might have the best the best hands on the team. Add it up and the Steelers are just a better team on offense because of him. He’s the type of receiver not afraid to throw a block on a linebacker if it means springing his teammate for a big gain, so he plays a role on every down.

No doubt, the Steelers — especially Ben Roethlisberger — will be happy when he returns in a couple weeks. Until then, Nate Washington (two catches last week) will start in his stead.