The smiling assassin: one of the keys to Pittsburgh's offense will be Hines Ward--the Steelers' always-grinning, butt-kicking receiver.(PREVIEW)

The first thing you notice is the smile. It radiates from behind Hines Ward's facemask because he doesn't wear a mouthpiece. It never disappears, even though opponents have tried to strip it with vicious hits. Steelers receivers coach Bruce Arians calls it "one of those assassin smiles" because Ward can give as much as he receives.

That's the next thing you heed: Ward's stoutness. He's a 6-0, 215-pound wideout with the attitude of a steamroller. "I never look at him as (just) a receiver," says Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle. "I look at him as a tough football player."

Blocking is as much a part of Ward's job description as catching passes. It distinguishes him from other NFL receivers, some of whom wouldn't know a block from a rock, and will be a critical piece in Pittsburgh's vaunted running attack Sunday against Seattle in Super Bowl 40.

"For our running game to go, he has to block," says Arians. "He's that crucial. He's just like an offensive lineman."

Ward doesn't simply run downfield and wall off cornerbacks. He collides with safeties, cracks back on ends and often is sent out to search and destroy outside linebackers.

A running gag plays out every Wednesday morning in the receivers meeting room. Ward looks at Arians' grease board, notes the essential running plays in that week's game plan and starts bargaining: "OK, how many linebackers do I have to block and how many touchdown passes are you going to get me?"

This season, Ward had 11 touchdowns among his 69 receptions for 975 yards (he has added 10 catches for 137 yards and two TDs in the Steelers' three playoff victories). Those numbers weren't good enough to garner him a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl selection, however. "Just because I didn't make the Pro Bowl, I don't feel like my skills diminished," says Ward, who was picked by Steelers teammates as the team's co-MVP with nose tackle Casey Hampton. "It's kind of hard to put up big numbers when you don't get those opportunities."