Hines Ward: Steelers punched bully Ravens in the mouth

[mesaSteeler]

Hines Ward: Steelers punched bully Ravens in the mouth
11:04 PM
http://content.usatoday.com/communit...in-the-mouth/1
By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY


PITTSBURGH -- On the Pittsburgh Steelers' first offensive play Saturday, wide receiver Hines Ward drew a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness on Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed.

After all, it was a Ravens-Steelers game.

"How'd I get a roughness call? I got four guys beating me up," Ward said after Pittsburgh's 31-24 comeback win.

"Ed Reed and I have our battles. No disrespect to Ed. He probably thinks it's a little personal. But it's playoffs. Loser go home. … We go out there and fight, scratch, claw, do whatever it takes to win a ballgame."

But Ward was still shaking his head at the early penalty.

"I had four guys beating me up under the pile, and I come out with the personal foul. It wasn't even off-setting," said Ward. "I just chuckled about it."

Ward also said his team knew what to expect from Baltimore.

"They always pride themselves on bullying guys, bullying people," he said. "They always do all the trash-talking. They have been trash-talking all week, how they want to break (Ben Roethlisberger's) nose again and stuff like that.

"Sometimes, when you are fighting the bully, you just have to hit them in the mouth, and you shut them up."