2001 Overall Hard Hat Winner announced

And the winner is...er, the winners are...Kendrell Bell and Hines Ward, who are the co-winners of the 2001 Hard Hat Award, given to the Stiller player who best embodies the iron-tough, hard-as-steel attitude of the steel workers inside the blast furnace of a still mill.

KenBell, the rookie from UGA, was twice the sole recipient of the weekly Hard Hat Award, and twice shared the weekly honor. Bell established himself as a hard hatter with a multitude of brutalizing hits from his ILB spot in the NFL�s #1 defense. Bell punished many a ballcarrier, not only on inside plunges, but also going from sideline to sideline to snuff many a sweep. Nearly every one of Bell�s 9 sacks were bone-jarring, tooth-rattling hits in which he hit the QB like a runaway locomotive. No one will ever forget the spectacular play versus Jax in week 9, in which he steamrolled Jaguar Jeff Smith, then vaulted into the QB and forced a key fumble that was recovered by the Stillers. That was hard hat football, the way it was meant to be played in the Steel City. And in the MNF game vs. the Titans, Bell's helmet got broken while entangled with a Titan lineman. Despite not being able to buckle his helmet, Bell remained in the game, and on the very next play run-blitzed into the Titan backfield and dropped the RB for a 2-yard loss. That's exactly the kind of hard-hitting, disregard-for-one's-own-health that is what the Hard Hat Award is all about.

It�s unbelievably rare for a player playing a position like WR to even garner a modicum of consideration for a Hard Hat, but WR Hines Ward (also from UGA) stood out all year long with his tough, no-fear style of play. In fact, Ward twice won the weekly Hard Hat Award. In the week 2 win over the Bills, Ward turned a few short passes into solid gainers with a kamikaze-like running style in which he ran with fearless abandon. In the week 12 win over the Jets, Ward had his best all around game ever, making tough catches and running with the ball with reckless abandon. What made Ward's effort and performance all the more impressive that day was the fact that he suffered a deep thigh contusion during the game, yet fought with the coaching and medical staffs to get back onto the field, and he continued to contribute and hit. Throughout the season, Ward�s blocking was so tenacious that he put two defenders out of games with perfectly legal hits, and he inspired his fellow receivers to follow his lead with similarly tough blocking. This kind of ferocity and fire is what the Hard Hat is all about, and it�s what makes the Hard Hat Award the coveted award that it is.

Kudos to Kendrell and Hines for winning 2001 Hard Hat Award. Wear the Hard Hat proudly, men !!

Week 15, @ Cinci: Earl Holmes

Week 14, vs. Detroit: Chris Fuamatu-Ma�afala

Week 13, @ Balt: Amos Zereoue

Week 11, vs. Minnesota: Troy Edwards

Week 10, @ Tenn: Kordell Stewart

Week 7, vs. Balt: Oliver Ross

Week 5, @ Tampa: Joey Porter

Week 3, vs. Cinci: Aaron Smith

Week 1, @ Jax: Joey Porter