Urban linked to it today;
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1148881/index.htm
November 24, 2008
A Pair Of Aces
The Cards are stacked at wideout, with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin carrying Arizona toward a rare playoff berth while taking a joint run at history
JIM TROTTER
AFTER THE Cardinals drafted him out of Florida State in the second round in 2003, Anquan Boldin heard all the talk about how wide receivers tend to struggle as rookies. His Arizona debut? Ten catches, 217 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener at Detroit. Boldin couldn't help but wonder what the fuss was about.
He stopped wondering the next Sunday. When Boldin jogged to his position in the slot, he saw a Seahawks linebacker immediately across from him, a cornerback crouching five yards behind the 'backer and a safety sitting over the top. Boldin caught eight passes, but they went for only 62 total yards, and there were no trips across the goal line.
"I'm looking at it like, Man, y'all really don't want me to touch the ball today," Boldin recalls. "When you see things like that, you appreciate having another receiver on the team who can make plays. I've never been against having a guy on the other side, because the more talent you have on the field, the easier it makes your job."
Boldin's cavalry arrived the next year, when the Cardinals drafted Larry Fitzgerald of Pitt with the No. 3 pick. Since then, the two have not only established themselves as individual stars, with a pair of Pro Bowl appearances each, but they've also joined forces to become the best pass-catching tandem in the league—with the potential for even greater things. In their first four seasons together Boldin and Fitzgerald combined for 642 receptions. That's more than such legendary duos as the Steelers' Lynn Swann and John Stallworth (227), the 49ers' Jerry Rice and John Taylor (443) and the Rams' Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt (613). Only Cris Carter and Randy Moss (645) of the Vikings had more.
But catches alone do not determine greatness. Boldin, 28, and Fitzgerald, 25, lead the league with 129 combined receptions, but they need to showcase their skills when it matters most: the playoffs. On Sunday in Seattle the two took their biggest step yet toward their first postseason appearance, teaming for 23 catches and 337 yards in a 26--20 victory that pushed the Cardinals to 7--3 for the first time since 1977, when the franchise was in St. Louis.
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http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1148881/index.htm
November 24, 2008
A Pair Of Aces
The Cards are stacked at wideout, with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin carrying Arizona toward a rare playoff berth while taking a joint run at history
JIM TROTTER
AFTER THE Cardinals drafted him out of Florida State in the second round in 2003, Anquan Boldin heard all the talk about how wide receivers tend to struggle as rookies. His Arizona debut? Ten catches, 217 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener at Detroit. Boldin couldn't help but wonder what the fuss was about.
He stopped wondering the next Sunday. When Boldin jogged to his position in the slot, he saw a Seahawks linebacker immediately across from him, a cornerback crouching five yards behind the 'backer and a safety sitting over the top. Boldin caught eight passes, but they went for only 62 total yards, and there were no trips across the goal line.
"I'm looking at it like, Man, y'all really don't want me to touch the ball today," Boldin recalls. "When you see things like that, you appreciate having another receiver on the team who can make plays. I've never been against having a guy on the other side, because the more talent you have on the field, the easier it makes your job."
Boldin's cavalry arrived the next year, when the Cardinals drafted Larry Fitzgerald of Pitt with the No. 3 pick. Since then, the two have not only established themselves as individual stars, with a pair of Pro Bowl appearances each, but they've also joined forces to become the best pass-catching tandem in the league—with the potential for even greater things. In their first four seasons together Boldin and Fitzgerald combined for 642 receptions. That's more than such legendary duos as the Steelers' Lynn Swann and John Stallworth (227), the 49ers' Jerry Rice and John Taylor (443) and the Rams' Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt (613). Only Cris Carter and Randy Moss (645) of the Vikings had more.
But catches alone do not determine greatness. Boldin, 28, and Fitzgerald, 25, lead the league with 129 combined receptions, but they need to showcase their skills when it matters most: the playoffs. On Sunday in Seattle the two took their biggest step yet toward their first postseason appearance, teaming for 23 catches and 337 yards in a 26--20 victory that pushed the Cardinals to 7--3 for the first time since 1977, when the franchise was in St. Louis.
MORE
