Celtics' Ward offers a big helping hand

Patrick Ward is a hot college prospect not only as a tackle but as a budding aerospace engineer.
(Michael R. Schmidt/Herald News)

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Quarterbacks get all the glory, all the attention. Quarterbacks rake in the endorsements. Quarterbacks date the prettiest girls. Every fantasy football expert in America can name Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tony Romo and, of course, Brett Favre.

But their left tackles? Hardly.

Not surprisingly, when 250-pound Patrick Ward enrolled at Providence as a freshman, the Homer Glen native and son of former University of Illinois offensive tackle Brian Ward adjusted the radar of his brain on that rock-star position.

"When I was younger, I wanted to be a quarterback," Ward confirmed. "I really didn't play organized football until my freshman year here because I was always too big in grade school, so obviously things didn't work out that way, and (tackle) is kind of a position that I grew into, you know."

Opposing defensive linemen now know all about 6-foot-7, 290-pound senior Patrick Ward. Being ballyhooed as one of the top tackle prospects from the Midwest, left-sided Ward will lead the Celtics into Friday night's 7:30 home opener vs. neighborhood rival Lincoln-Way East.

A straight-A student with a 35 ACT, Ward combines those brains and the aforementioned brawn with what Providence offensive coordinator Marty Balle called "nastiness" to gain the growing interest of Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Stanford and Virginia.

The emergence of Ward has drawn comparisons to the career path of offensive guard Eric Steinbach, who prepped at Providence and played collegiately at Iowa. Drafted in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003, Steinbach signed a seven-year, $49.5-million free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns in '07.

Protecting the QB? Priceless.

"I don't think that ever came into play," Providence coach Mark Coglianese said, smiling about the possibility of Ward taking snaps. "As a matter of fact, Eric Steinbach came in as a quarterback and he played half a game his freshman year -- the first game against St. Rita -- and that was it. Then he went to tight end, defensive end and, in the NFL, guard."

"I'm happy," Ward said. "I think that I'm at a better position for me."

***

Left tackles are considered the foundation of the offensive line. Teaming up with 6-2, 250-pound senior guard Jake Lembke, Ward gives Coglianese that impenetrable brick in the wall for the skills of junior quarterback Mike Hoffmeister and junior tailback Tim Hanrahan, both entering their first full years as starters.

Nine games on the freshman level. Nine games on the sophomore level. Twelves games last year on the varsity, a 7-5 season that ended abruptly with a 29-0 loss to Normal Community in the Class 6A quarterfinals. Ward will count on that experience as the Celtics attempt to play longer into November.

It begins on Friday night.

It begins up front.

"It's probably one of the most important positions on the field, protecting the quarterback's blind side," Ward said of his role at left tackle."I take a lot of pride in my work, and I know when everybody else on offense gets their credit, it says something about me -- that I'm doing my job."

"We'd like to think he's going to be the cornerstone," Balle said. "We can run behind Patrick when we need to get the key yards because he's a senior, because he's a captain, because he's athletically gifted. Just look at the size of him. That's how we're going to approach it. We should be able to run behind him and Jake and get the yards that we need to get."

As good as it gets as a tackle, Ward praised Lembke as "a great player." Last fall, Providence rushed for 2,123 yards -- 176.9 yards per game, 5.6 yards per carry -- behind the pair of blocking aces, with the Celtics easing back to more of their I-formation base.

"Ward's really good on double teams," Lembke said. "He's a good guy to be with, and running the football, it's very much a pride thing. We've been playing together for a while, and we want to run the ball as much as we can and try to get those yards. We have the experience there."

"Patrick moves well, he's extremely intelligent, and when you're talking about football, he's very smart," Hanrahan said. "He gets through a hole, he takes up the space, he blocks one guy, he turns and he can be like he's blocking two guys at once. Sometimes, the skill positions get way too much credit for us being successful on offense. It always starts with the offensive line."

In the huddle, however, Ward has been known to defer to his quarterbacks, like last year's starter, Tom Barry, and rightfully so. While the coaches believe words and Ward will go hand in hand this season, the biggest helping hand of Ward remains natural.

"He doesn't say anything on or off the field," Hanrahan nodded. "He's a very quiet, humble kid. But when it comes to playing football, he gets the job done and he gets after things."

***

Left tackles are placed in the most precarious spot on the offensive line. Without the benefit of a tight end, which in high school can be a glorified extra tackle, players like Ward can expect to see the Michael Strahans and Shawne Merrimans of the world -- those wild-eyed defensive ends and pass-rush linebackers.

If Ward succeeds, Hoffmeister has the time in the pocket to pass and Hanrahan has the seam to navigate past the line of scrimmage for positive yardage. The cheers will cascade from the stands for H&H, but the coaches will save nods for No. 79.

It begins on the left.

It begins with the hike.

"Oftentimes, you don't have a tight end lined up with you, so you're pretty much on an island," Ward said. "It's a lot more base blocking, and against better teams, you'll see a better athlete lined up across from you to try and get to the edge and put pressure on the quarterback. It's a different style of game on the left."

"His experience alone will be big for us," Coglianese said. "He's someone we feel we can depend on to protect the blind side of the quarterback, and hopefully behind Ward and Lembke, they're going to be our anchors for trying to run the football. We're going to count on those guys more to open up some holes for us."

For the past three years at Providence, Ward has opened up holes like valets open up doors. He projects as the veteran of a green but talented offensive line, a strength for the Celtics throughout the salad days of Matt Senffner and an ode to the learning.

"Experience is very important in this game," Ward said. "You can't come out here one year, play this game and be a star. You really have to work at it, and it takes time and experience to get good at it. It's about spending an extra hour in weight training and in morning conditioning to do the extra set and to get better."

"His responsibility is huge," Balle said. "He needs to be the leader of the offensive line. When the questions arise, because we have a couple of juniors and a sophomore on that line, he's going to have to be the calming force to get things straightened out when things maybe aren't going right. The good thing is he likes to get after it."

Typically, where that gets Ward is on the outer reaches of the offensive line, that towering, physical left tackle who is left to fend for himself.

"That's the way I like it," Ward said. "You get to go one-on-one out there and find out who is better."

***

Quarterbacks. The Ward family has been the security blanket for quarterbacks dating back to the 1980s. Brian Ward played at Hinsdale South with Balle, and they were the best man in each other's weddings. Ward played in three bowl games at Illinois, the Rose, the Liberty and the Peach, and son Patrick soon followed.

Talk about left tackle? Definitely.

"My dad has taught me a lot about different techniques and the approach to the game," Patrick said. "And also with all of the recruiting, he has been a guiding force in the process."

"Obviously, Patrick's a great kid and I take great pleasure in coaching him because I've known Brian since fourth grade," Balle said. "They're great people, a great family, and Patrick has that mental edge some big kids don't have. There are a lot of big kids who are kind of soft, and Patrick's not soft. He's big, light on his feet, and he has that aggressive, nasty side that makes him so attractive to colleges."

That decision, Ward noted, could be made before the conclusion of September. He also has his sights set on Champaign for Thanksgiving weekend.

"It's everyone's ultimate goal," he said. "More than anything else, that's what we want this year -- to get to the state championship game. This is our last chance for the seniors on our team, and we have to do everything that we can to make it a great year. We expect to win and we will win."

With Ward in the fold, Providence received a win-win situation during his freshman year. While the Oakland Raiders drafted the likes of JaMarcus Russell, a 6-6, 250-pound quarterback out of LSU in the first round of the 2007 draft, Ward's story shapes up like another Steinbach.

Switching to QB? Fuhgetaboutit.

"With that size," Coglianese said, glancing over at Ward, "you knew where he was going to wind up."