azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 24, 2005 12:00 AM
Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin and Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich became friends early in 2003 while preparing for the NFL draft. They have stayed close and sometimes wondered what it would be like to play together.
It didn't have to be a dream.
Had the Cardinals made a different decision in 2003, Leftwich could be throwing to Boldin on Sunday in Sun Devil Stadium instead of playing against him.
The Cardinals had the sixth pick that year, and the Jaguars had the seventh. The Cardinals traded down, sending the pick to New Orleans for the 17th and 18th selections.
Jacksonville then took Leftwich, who has become one of the league's best young quarterbacks. The Cardinals took receiver Bryant Johnson and defensive end Calvin Pace, neither of whom has become a regular starter.
"That's one of those picks, in hindsight, you wish you would have made," Rod Graves, the Cardinals vice president for football operations, said of Leftwich.
Leftwich replaced Mark Brunell and gave the Jaguars a young, reliable player who should be the team's quarterback for years. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have started five quarterbacks in the past three seasons.
Stability at quarterback is one reason the Jaguars are 7-3 and contending for a wild-card spot in the playoffs, and the Cardinals are 3-7.
"The transition period can sometimes take teams a long time to go between a guy the caliber of Mark Brunell and finding the next quarterback," Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said. "We were able to make that transition.
"To be able to get your franchise quarterback settled, I think that's very important for an organization to be able to do."
The Cardinals' situation is still unsettled. John Navarre, who is third on the depth chart, is the only quarterback under contract for 2006. The team likely will try to re-sign Kurt Warner, but he'll be 35 next season and isn't the long-term answer.
In 2003, there was a faction of the Cardinals organization that wanted the team to draft a quarterback and have him compete for the starting job with Josh McCown, who had been taken the year before in the third round.
But most of the focus in the draft that year was improving a weak pass rush and replacing receiver David Boston. The club not only passed on taking Leftwich. It also gave up the chance to take Arizona State's Terrell Suggs, rated as the top pass rusher.
"We weren't as focused on Leftwich as far as our plans were concerned," Graves said. "But our grades were stout on him, the arm strength, the competitiveness, the toughness.
"We were just more focused on the 'need' factor, as opposed to taking the best player available."
Leftwich doesn't remember the Cardinals showing any special interest in him, but he did think there was a possibility they could take him.
"I knew once they made that trade there was no way I was going to the Saints because they've got (Aaron Brooks) down there," he said. "But they (the Cardinals) do got my boy down there. Anquan, that's my boy."
With their second-round pick, the 54th overall, the Cardinals took Boldin, who made the Pro Bowl his rookie year.
In the past three seasons, Boldin and Leftwich have remained close friends. They talk to each other on the phone often. After Sunday's game in St. Louis, Boldin heard from Leftwich, who had seen highlights of Boldin eluding seven Rams on a touchdown catch.
"I told him he was trying to run everybody over," Leftwich said.
In the off-season, the two sometimes daydream about playing together. "But he's in Jacksonville and I'm in Arizona," Boldin said.
Boldin could have ended up in Jacksonville. He was on the board in the second round when Jacksonville took cornerback Rashean Mathis, who has played well.
"I guess I have to make them pay for it this Sunday," Boldin said, laughing.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/1124cards1124.html
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 24, 2005 12:00 AM
Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin and Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich became friends early in 2003 while preparing for the NFL draft. They have stayed close and sometimes wondered what it would be like to play together.
It didn't have to be a dream.
Had the Cardinals made a different decision in 2003, Leftwich could be throwing to Boldin on Sunday in Sun Devil Stadium instead of playing against him.
The Cardinals had the sixth pick that year, and the Jaguars had the seventh. The Cardinals traded down, sending the pick to New Orleans for the 17th and 18th selections.
Jacksonville then took Leftwich, who has become one of the league's best young quarterbacks. The Cardinals took receiver Bryant Johnson and defensive end Calvin Pace, neither of whom has become a regular starter.
"That's one of those picks, in hindsight, you wish you would have made," Rod Graves, the Cardinals vice president for football operations, said of Leftwich.
Leftwich replaced Mark Brunell and gave the Jaguars a young, reliable player who should be the team's quarterback for years. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have started five quarterbacks in the past three seasons.
Stability at quarterback is one reason the Jaguars are 7-3 and contending for a wild-card spot in the playoffs, and the Cardinals are 3-7.
"The transition period can sometimes take teams a long time to go between a guy the caliber of Mark Brunell and finding the next quarterback," Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said. "We were able to make that transition.
"To be able to get your franchise quarterback settled, I think that's very important for an organization to be able to do."
The Cardinals' situation is still unsettled. John Navarre, who is third on the depth chart, is the only quarterback under contract for 2006. The team likely will try to re-sign Kurt Warner, but he'll be 35 next season and isn't the long-term answer.
In 2003, there was a faction of the Cardinals organization that wanted the team to draft a quarterback and have him compete for the starting job with Josh McCown, who had been taken the year before in the third round.
But most of the focus in the draft that year was improving a weak pass rush and replacing receiver David Boston. The club not only passed on taking Leftwich. It also gave up the chance to take Arizona State's Terrell Suggs, rated as the top pass rusher.
"We weren't as focused on Leftwich as far as our plans were concerned," Graves said. "But our grades were stout on him, the arm strength, the competitiveness, the toughness.
"We were just more focused on the 'need' factor, as opposed to taking the best player available."
Leftwich doesn't remember the Cardinals showing any special interest in him, but he did think there was a possibility they could take him.
"I knew once they made that trade there was no way I was going to the Saints because they've got (Aaron Brooks) down there," he said. "But they (the Cardinals) do got my boy down there. Anquan, that's my boy."
With their second-round pick, the 54th overall, the Cardinals took Boldin, who made the Pro Bowl his rookie year.
In the past three seasons, Boldin and Leftwich have remained close friends. They talk to each other on the phone often. After Sunday's game in St. Louis, Boldin heard from Leftwich, who had seen highlights of Boldin eluding seven Rams on a touchdown catch.
"I told him he was trying to run everybody over," Leftwich said.
In the off-season, the two sometimes daydream about playing together. "But he's in Jacksonville and I'm in Arizona," Boldin said.
Boldin could have ended up in Jacksonville. He was on the board in the second round when Jacksonville took cornerback Rashean Mathis, who has played well.
"I guess I have to make them pay for it this Sunday," Boldin said, laughing.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/1124cards1124.html
