The back-and-forth in the Hines Ward Saga stepped up quickly after a report yesterday suggesting Hines Ward will be released.

This time, it's Ward denying any knowledge of the alleged imminent release, as well as the team's denial of such a stance, as reported here by the Post-Gazette.

Ward wrote on his Facebook page, "I don't normally like to respond to rumors, but as I've said all along, I want to finish my career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And as I've already told the organization, I am willing to work with them to restructure my contract to make sure this happens."

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What do Joe Montana, Joe Namath, O.J. Simpson and Jerry Rice all have in common? They were legendary football players who were almost synonymous with the teams they played with in the prime of their careers, yet, they all retired after playing their "golden" years with other teams.

There's been much talk and speculation in Steeler Nation about whether or not Hines Ward has played his last game with the Steelers, and whether he'll retire as a member of the Black and Gold or finish out his playing days with another team.

According to reports, the Steelers may part ways with Ward even though he's willing to do whatever he can to restructure his contract in-order to help the team fix their cap troubles.

If Hines Ward does have to leave, many fans (including me) would hate to see him play out the twilight of his career with another team.

In today's day and age of free agency and rampant player movement, it's always refreshing to see a legend play for the same team his entire career. It certainly makes for a great story, but at the end of the day, if Hines Ward still wants to play football, I hope he's not judged too harshly by the fans and media for it.

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Dear Hines,

Growing up in the DC area, I would watch the occasional Redskins game, root for them when it was convenient, but I never really felt like a part of the Burgundy and Gold. It wasn't until 2004 that I really started paying attention to football. My dad loved to push people's buttons, so he rooted for the Cowboys. After the Steelers beat the Cowboys that year, he wouldn't stop talking about how overrated Ben Roethlisberger was and how much he hated the Steelers. Maybe I got it from him, but I started rooting for the Steelers to get under his skin. What I didn't know was how that would grow into a love and passion for this team.

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A couple days ago I took a look at my top 11 1st round prospects for the Steelers and today I will look at my top 11 2nd round prospects.

Requiring a Trade Up

1. Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia - I listed Glenn at the very bottom of the 1st round prospects and suggested that I would love to trade down to the 30-34 range and take him. If we could do that while aquiring another 2nd or 3rd round pick. I think a good trading partner would be with Philadelphia, which would put us with picks at 14 and 19 in the 2nd round to go along with our pick at 24.

2. Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis - If we could complete that trade with the Eagles, I would suggest grabbing Poe at 14 or using our new wealth of picks to trade up (above the Chiefs) in the 2nd round to take him. He is a great NT prospect that could become an elite player in the NFL. However, at this point, I would be more comfortable taking him in the 2nd round because he has never played against good competition.

3. Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma - Lewis is an athletic LB built in the mold of a Lawrence Timmons. With the new era of the TE's that are just freaks, having two great, athletic ILBs might be a necessity.

4. Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State - Osemele is a good, mauling prospect who has some athleticism as well. He will probably go between 10 and 20 in the 2nd round.

If we stay put

5. Alameda Ta'amu, NT, Washington - Ta'amu is the 2nd best NT in this class but he is a very good prospect. In my opinion, we must land either Poe or Ta'amu because after that there are question marks with all the NTs.

6. Markelle Martin, FS, Oklahoma State - Martin is a very athletic, play making safety. His stock is currently the mid to late 2nd round.

7. Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin - Zeitler is not great at any one thing but he is good at everything. He would be an instant upgrade to both our guards.

8. Nate Potter, OT, Boise State - Potter is the last OT prospect that projects as a possible immediate starter at LT. He may never be elite but he should be better than Starks at LT.

9. Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson - Remember what I said about TE's now a days? Remember when Todd Haley said he likes TE's? Well Allen is an absolute freak but he is more of a luxury pick. However, if he is available at 2(24) (which is highly unlikely) we have to take him. You can't pass on a player of his talent that late in the 2nd round.

10. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona - Criner is a massive WR with good hands and route running. He has seen his stock soar recently and would be a good pick at 24.

11. Josh Norman, CB, Coastal Carolina - Norman is a small school corner who has great size and speed and is a ball hawk. If none of the above prospects are available, I would be comfortable taking him at 24.

If none of these players are available, I want to trade down.

What I want in the first two rounds (I will expand on this as I continue to publish this series)

Trade Round 1 PIck 24 to the Eagles for Round 2 Pick 14 and Round 2 Pick 19

Round 2 Pick 14 - Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis

Round 2 Pick 19 - Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State

Round 2 Pick 24 - Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin

I think in the first two rounds we have to avoid the luxury picks and bolster our line. Adding Poe would give us flexibility when dealing with Hampton's contract and adding Osemele and Zeitler would give us bookend guards and make our OL go from VERY bad to VERY good.

NFL.com has a slew of mock drafts from several writers employed by the site, and while several predict the Steelers will take Georgia combo lineman Cordy Glenn with the 24th overall pick, Alabama S Mark Barron and Virginia CB Chase Minnifield came up in two of them.

Barron, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound safety, looks like a strong run defender, but today's safeties will really be looked upon more for pass defense. Considering the onslaught of nimble and huge tight ends, bringing in a safety-sized defensive back to play the nickel position is becoming more en vogue.

Bucky Brooks has the Steelers taking Barron, who, physically, looks like the kind of player who could grow into that kind of a role, but many other mocks have him off the board by the time the Steelers are on the clock.

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Here's my take:

5. Jack Lambert

4. Troy Polamalu

3. Joe Greene

2. The Bus

1. Hines Ward

There are certainly many others that could be placed on this list but the rationale for this specific fanpost is that many Steeler fans' #1 player would be Hines Ward. He is everything that embodies not only Steeler football but the general identity of the region's people: hard work, perseverance, toughness, and resiliency. It would certainly be a day of mourning when he isn't wearing Black n' Gold.