Hard Hat Award (Game #1, vs.
Stiller RB Willie Parker and OLB LeMarr Woodley are the co-winners of the weekly 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.
Parker, playing in his first meaningful game since he broke his leg in St. Louis last December, ran the ball like a demon possessed, showing speed, toughness, agility, and most of all the same desire that catapulted him from an undrafted FA to an elite RB. Parker ran with a Hard Hat determination and fire that basically said, �I will not be denied�, as he had 3 clutch TD runs and several other nice gainers en route to a 138-yard effort. And, none of the TDs were cheesy lil� 2-foot plunges of the Bettis variety; each was a good piece of crafty, determined running.
Making his first career NFL start, Woodley was an absolute beast, wreaking havoc on the Texans with his bull and brawn. Many youngsters starting their first NFL game are meek and tentative; not so with The WoodMan, who laid the wood to the Texans. Unblocked on a 1st quarter pass play, Wooder wasn�t content to merely love-tap the QB to the ground. Rather, he delivered a blistering, yet legal, hit to Shaub, who was clearly woozy after the play. Later in the half, Woodley made a spectacular 1-handed INT on a pass near the sidelines for his first ever INT. First, as in first in his entire lifetime. In the 4Q, Woodley alertly hustled and recovered a fumble by Shaub, and later on had a strong bulrush in which he practically forklifted the RT and drove him back. In all, this was the stoutest linebacking this franchise has seen at the LOLB spot since 1995.
Others receiving consideration from The Committee were Jamie Harrison, Benji Roethlisberger, Ryan Clark, Marvel Smith, and Hines Ward.
Kudos to Parker and Woodley for winning the Hard Hat Award. Wear the Hard Hat proudly, gents!