Truthfully both players are overreacting

Hines Ward thinks Ben Roethlisberger should play hurt. Roethlisberger isn’t making as demonstrative comments, but is making slight digs at Ward. Following the 2007 season Roethlisberger commented he hoped the Steelers would acquire a tall receiver. Ward, listed at 6-0 but commonly believed to be an inch or two shorter (I have been measured at anywhere from 6-0 to 5-10 tall and when I have stood next to Ward as a credentialed reporter in the Steelers locker room always felt slightly taller), felt slighted by this comment and said so publicly. “We won a Super Bowl, we didn't have a tall receiver then,” Ward told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a Jan 25, 2008 article. “I don't see Tom Brady caring about whose tall or not.” The whole Ward-Roethlisberger feud seems petty, but it demands a bit of background. Back in 2003 when I was covering the Steelers for the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat , Ward was often savaged by opposing defenders during an unspectacular 6-10 season. While playing hurt is commonplace in the NFL, Ward was taking a beating that was more and more evident to those around him throughout the season. On one occasion, at his Heinz Field locker following a loss, he was asked how he felt and he told reporters that he was in a daze. Impressed by his ability to handle questions intelligently and with an even temper under such circumstances, I later asked Ward if, since the Steelers were going nowhere and he was a primary component of the team, if he would consider taking himself out of the lineup to heal. No sense in risking a severe injury that could end his career so Pittsburgh could go 6-10 instead of 5-11. Ward would have none of it.

Otherwise, your mettle is questioned by your teammates and your starting position might be in jeopardy. This provides some insight into Ward’s comments to Bob Costas prior to the Steelers’ 20-17 overtime loss at Baltimore Nov 29. Truthfully, both players are overreacting. Roethlisberger saying he wished he had a receiver he could lob easy touchdown passes to, a la Weegie Thompson. This is not necessarily a slight on Ward, though it is a wish that could hamper the veteran receiver’s statistics. And Ward’s now infamous, "it's almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room: Should he play Shouldn't he play It's really hard to say. When Jerome Bettis retired following the 2005 season, he left the question of who the team leader would be. Roethlisberger’s brash and blunt personality certainly helped kick the Steelers in gear during their 15-1 2004 campaign, but it also reportedly rubbed some veterans the wrong way. He was the quarterback, a position that demands leadership by design. But he also was the sort of guy who seemed to be too cocky at times, be it by nearly losing his life by riding a motorcycle without a helmet or telling reporters to their face that “we laugh at you,” for suggesting the Steelers’ offense passed too much. Ward, meanwhile, was the veteran leader; an undersized third-round pick who had beat out players drafted in higher rounds and more physical ability with his work ethic to become not just a starter, but a Hall of Fame candidate.

He not only was the sort of player teammates admired, but he often trained in the offseason with them, most notably fellow 1998 draft choice Deshea Townsend. That 50-50 toss up could easily go down the lines of who the Steelers’ feel is their leader. What’s lost in this divide is the cavalier attitude Ward is taking toward head injuries. Just a month after Jeanne Marie Laskas wrote in GQ how former Steelers Mike Webster, Terry Long, and Justin Strzelczyk died young with dementia, following brain injuries suffered by playing football, Ward reportedly theorizes his quarterback should play concussion or not, because, after all, I’ve played “dinged up!” It’s an attitude prevalent in NFL locker rooms that needs to be retired. I don’t necessarily look to Ward as the bad guy in this divide. He is, after all, only giving the Steelers the total loyalty the NFL demands from their players having risked his own health for the sake of the team. And there is no evidence that Roethlisberger would not do the same, rightly or wrongly. He has often played hurt, even when, in hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have. But in trying to figure out why the Steelers are on the longest losing streak a defending Super Bowl champion has ever had, save for the 1987 New York Giants, who lost three of five with a replacement team during a players strike; the question must be asked: Could it have something to do with a locker room divide. MINNEAPOLIS(Business Wire)With Marks & Spencers shedding staff, Debenhams and Next reporting weak salesover Christmas, Zavvi in receivership and others major stores in freefall, thereis one retailer in the UK notable for its positive results - New Look. Instead,the UKs third largest womenswear retailer have seen like-for-like sales rise by2.8 over the 14 weeks to January 3, bucking the downward trend that has beenthe leading feature of the high street over this period. Amongst one of the tools allowing them to grow is a new software systeminstalled in 2008 called Q by Quantum Retail, which allows retailers to achievetheir merchandising goals for every product, in every store.

In laymans terms,this means an intuitive system that detects when one size is selling faster thananother, when a line is not moving or when a certain item is flying off theshelf and adjusts the buying accordingly so that the customer gets what theywant, when they want, every time. Quantums goal is to see its software installed not just at mainstreamretailers, but in every mom and pop shop around the world, guaranteeing that allinventory is sold off and that wastage is reduced to zero, meaning the end ofseasonal sales, clear-outs, and bargain racks. Quantum was founded by a world class team of retail industry experts,technologists and scientists who believe that there is a better way to leveragetechnology to solve retails age-old challenges. Quantum Retails Q software addresses: Out of stocksUnproductive inventory Disparate processes and goalsHistoric data and reportingCostly and complex systemsIt may not be a great start to 2009 for most retailers, but at least for NewLook, the future is looking very good indeed. About Quantum Retail Technology, Inc.Quantum Retail Technology, Inc. is a leading provider of software solutions thatenable demand driven supply networks. Quantums flagship solution, Q, allowsretailers to optimize inventory availability and supply network performance withlow risk and high ROI.