Steelers receiver Hines Ward said on Tuesday that he’s still reeling from Sunday’s Super Bowl XLV loss to the Packers.
“It’s tough,” Ward told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I was really depressed. I didn’t want to watch TV because all you saw was Green Bay and stuff. It hurts more I think because we had an opportunity to win the game.”
Ward said that when the Steelers got the ball back, down six points, late in the fourth quarter, he was sure they were going to march down the field for the game-winning touchdown. Ward had visions of being the hero, but after he caught one pass for five yards, the Super Bowl ended when Ben Roethlisberger threw three straight incompletions.
“I’m thinking deja vu, here we go again,” Ward said. “Two minutes, let’s go down there. I really felt like I was in a zone, that anything that came my way it was going to get caught no matter what. I didn’t get an opportunity. I would like to have gotten opportunities [on the final series] but it didn’t happen.”
Soon Ward will have surgery on his left knee and left thumb, and then he’ll start getting ready for next season.
“They said it’ll feel much better,” Ward said of his knee. “I’ve been playing for so many years on it and never really had surgery on it. They’ll go in there and clean it up a little bit and I’ll be fine.”
At least, he’ll be fine physically. It may take more time to get over the depression.