Boldin on bike; No Pads

[MoeIsBetter]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4801788

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who sprained his left ankle during Sunday's 33-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers, was relegated to the stationary bicycle at the start of Wednesday's practice.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

That is a good sign. The fact he is doing anything is a plus.

 

[MoeIsBetter]

Yeah but here is your biggest dilema as head coach. We put up 41 points the last time we didnt play with Boldin and he came back from his injury the next week and has been our most consistant reciever since then. Do you play him injured (look at his stats the first half till bears game) or do you sit him against a packers team game planning for him and PRAY you beat them to use him the next round?

Edit: I scary as it is I say sit him and take the Packers game plan by suprise. No doubt the last 5 weeks have been Boldins best and that has to be a major concern for the Packers game plan. Throw a wrench in at the last minute and come out with what our game plan looks like without him in. LOTS more two TE sets (that most of us love) and can still use 3 recievers.

But I'm not the Head Coach for a reason lol.

 

[imaCafan]

I would like to see us keep him on the game day actives list (unless he absolutely can't play) but tell him he sits unless the game starts to get out of hand. If things aren't going well without him by mid second quarter or so, throw him in the mix to see if he gives us a spark.....he may get pissed about this, but if we do need him he'll kick some DB BUTT 'cause he's so mad.......

 

[Shane]

The fact that he is riding a bike is a good sign. But the bottom line is we wont know anything until game day. To see how his leg/ankle holds up during warm ups.

 

[stewdog1]

I guess we could always use him as a decoy again.

But I get the feeling that this will be Doucet's coming out party.

 

[Shane]

But I get the feeling that this will be Doucet's coming out party.

How many times has that been said on this board?

 

[wilycoyote24]

I would like to see us keep him on the game day actives list (unless he absolutely can't play) but tell him he sits unless the game starts to get out of hand. If things aren't going well without him by mid second quarter or so, throw him in the mix to see if he gives us a spark.....he may get pissed about this, but if we do need him he'll kick some DB BUTT 'cause he's so mad.......

You're playing with fire if you do this. I would play him unless he can't play. This may be our last game of the season and you don't want to a) go less than all out for it and b) have Boldin sitting at home all offseason thinking about the Cards not allowing him to play in their only playoff game.

 

[DieHardCardFan]

They just said he had the MRI. Sprained MCL and high ankle sprain.

 

[Shane]

Not good: Now Antrell still isnt practicing. That must be one helluva thigh bruise.

Also Reggie Wells now having back trouble.

 

[joeshmo]

I actually think him riding a bike is a bad sign. Usually just riding the bike is the bottom of the barrel activity right above doing nothing on the "limited" scale of things players do in practice. It means he cant even run in a straight line let alone make a cut.

Also heard he was moving around on crutches right after the MRI yesterday. May be a cautionary thing though.

I don't think he plays and if he does he will be just as ineffective as he was the first game of the season.

 

[RedRob]

Not good: Now Antrell still isnt practicing. That must be one helluva thigh bruise.

Also Reggie Wells now having back trouble.

Urban has Lutui with back trouble, not Wells.

 

[English on tour]

Yeah but here is your biggest dilema as head coach. We put up 41 points the last time we didnt play with Boldin and he came back from his injury the next week and has been our most consistant reciever since then. Do you play him injured (look at his stats the first half till bears game) or do you sit him against a packers team game planning for him and PRAY you beat them to use him the next round?

Edit: I scary as it is I say sit him and take the Packers game plan by suprise. No doubt the last 5 weeks have been Boldins best and that has to be a major concern for the Packers game plan. Throw a wrench in at the last minute and come out with what our game plan looks like without him in. LOTS more two TE sets (that most of us love) and can still use 3 recievers.

But I'm not the Head Coach for a reason lol.

dont agree, if he is 80% then we suit him up and run a few plays with and see how it goes, we are down then let him see what happens. Its playoff football and we cant treat it like his last injury in terms of rest.

 

[Buckybird]

I really don't think Q will be effective even if he plays. It might take a few weeks for him to be healthy. Earlier in the year he struggled with a high ankle sprain & highly doubt he could be much better with an ankle & knee.

We are very lucky he didn't suffer an ACL tear the way his knee was been while the foot was planted.

 

[stewdog1]

How many times has that been said on this board?

Whenever what is thrown sticks to the wall.

 

[Bert]

How many times has that been said on this board?

Shane, some Cardinal fans are still waiting for Kent Graham to have his breakout game.

 

[Indiana Hoosier]

They all be ready, wait and see.

 

[Totally_Red]

The crutches are just a ruse to make the Hackers think he's out.

 

[nastynas]

The Cardinals are 5-1 without Boldin.

 

[Duckjake]

The Cardinals are 5-1 without Boldin.

Interestingly the Cards are 2-4 the last two seasons in games where Q played but had 3 or fewer receptions.

 

[Shane]

Interestingly the Cards are 2-4 the last two seasons in games where Q played but had 3 or fewer receptions.

Good stuff.

Yea anyone using the 5-1 argument is being asinine. The Cards are obviously a better team with him in uniform playing on Sundays. Thats not even debatable.

That would be like saying the Giants and the Broncos who were 6-0 and 5-1 respectively after 6 weeks of the season are great teams. Obviously not so.

Just not a big enough of a sample size to make a conclusion.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Good stuff.

Yea anyone using the 5-1 argument is being asinine. The Cards are obviously a better team with him in uniform playing on Sundays. Thats not even debatable.

That would be like saying the Giants and the Broncos who were 6-0 and 5-1 respectively after 6 weeks of the season are great teams. Obviously not so.

Just not a big enough of a sample size to make a conclusion.

The Cardinals are better when a healthy Boldin is on the field. When Boldin is at 50% and can't make a cut he actually hurts the team by being on the field.

 

[chickenhead]

Interestingly the Cards are 2-4 the last two seasons in games where Q played but had 3 or fewer receptions.

I don't remember those games offhand, but at face value I'd say that if Boldin is playing and healthy, and you can only get the ball in his hands 3 times or less, the opposing D is doing something right. Would be interesting to see Fitz and Breaston's production in those games, though.

 

[Shane]

The Cardinals are better when a healthy Boldin is on the field. When Boldin is at 50% and can't make a cut he actually hurts the team by being on the field.

Agree. but thats not what people are trying to infer when they make the comment that the team is 5-1 without him. Trying to ignorantly infer that we are better without him.

 

[Duckjake]

I don't remember those games offhand, but at face value I'd say that if Boldin is playing and healthy, and you can only get the ball in his hands 3 times or less, the opposing D is doing something right. Would be interesting to see Fitz and Breaston's production in those games, though.

The first two losses this season were to SF and Carolina. That was when the Cards would do nothing but dump the ball off to Hightower who had 20 receptions for 176 yards in the two games. But Fitz had 12 catches for the two games and Breaston and Urhban combined for 11.