"Hines Ward has plans if he finds his way to the end zone Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

"If I score," the Steelers wide receiver recently said with a smile, "I'll give a 'Dancing with the Stars' tribute."

Ward has probably known for a while the specifics of the tribute he'll unleash if he drops six on the Ravens.

The 14th-year veteran, after all, said in early August that he had started focusing on the Steelers' regular-season opener in Baltimore.

The Steelers officially did the same once they set their 53-man roster last week. They literally open the season with a bang (of pads) when they visit the team that is expected to challenge them for superiority in the AFC North.

Ward is one of the faces of the bitter, hard-hitting rivalry, and not just because his career is almost as old as Baltimore's second NFL franchise.

Long before he won "Dancing with the Stars," Ward became a YouTube sensation by leveling Ravens linebacker Bart Scott and safety Ed Reed with crushing blocks."