azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Boldin brings to the total package to the Cardinals
By DARREN URBAN
Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin -- sporting his captain's "C" on his uniform -- talks with Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis after last weekend's game.
Eric Green pondered the question a moment.
The Cardinals cornerback hails from Florida and knew all about Anquan Boldin growing up, having attended a rival high school. Now he deals with him in practice every day.
So if anyone might know what makes Anquan Anquan, Green would. And he delivered his answer in a mini-monologue.
“It’s because Anquan is a running back, tailback, fullback, linebacker, safety, corner, receiver. He is everything except an offensive lineman, basically,” Green said. “He has the size to go as a tight end, he has the arm like a quarterback to throw the ball, he has the strength and quickness to be a running back, and he also has the hands and the route running to be a receiver. All that is tied into one person. He is a heck of an athlete.
“You look at him last week against one of the best defenses in the league, Ray Lewis and guys like that, and he is just bouncing off of linebackers and safeties. He is a monster. After seeing him last week, I think people know now that guy is the truth.”
Boldin’s numbers popped off the page in Baltimore: a career-high 14 catches, 181 yards, two touchdowns. But that wasn’t just what caught the eye.
It was the way Boldin scored the last crucial touchdown despite suffering a hip strain. It was the way he ran over Ravens safety Dawan Landry on that same play.
It was the way he continues to inspire the offense, one of the big reasons he was voted captain of the unit.
Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin barrels in for the second of his two touchdowns last weekend in Baltimore.
“I have been around a lot of great players,” said quarterback Kurt Warner, who threw both TD passes to Boldin. “But he is special when he gets his hands on the ball.
“The way he punishes defensive backs, he can make a secondary cower a little bit.”
That’s what has stuck out for coach Ken Whisenhunt, who already expected a good receiver when he took the job in Arizona.
What he found was a blocker on par with Steelers wideout Hines Ward, whom Whisenhunt considered among the best in the league. He found a passer who serves as the Cards’ emergency third quarterback and a perfect toy for certain gadget plays. And he found himself surprised at the skills Boldin has a running back – which is why Boldin will find himself in the backfield at times this season.
Boldin relishes those chances. He has long insisted that, rather than a receiver, he is simply a football player.
“That’s always been my mindset since I started playing football, being able to play any position,” Boldin said. “It is something I pride myself on. I was always told, ‘The more you can do.’ ”
But the power of this ’Quan extends to other areas.
Green called him a leader and a coach as well as a player, pointing out he has seen Boldin adjust fellow receivers in their spots during games.
Most teams voted their quarterback as offensive captain, but Boldin not only got the honor, he was the only one of the three units that won it alone (Adrian Wilson and Gerald Hayes share the defensive captaincy; Neil Rackers and Aaron Francisco share special teams).
“The intensity he brings to the table, he is one of those guys who just sparks your football team,” Warner said. “That’s what speaks volumes about Q. He is not a guy who speaks a lot of words or does a lot of stuff. But his intensity on the practice field and the playing field at all times is second to none in the locker room. That’s why he is the captain. That’s what all the players in this locker room feed off of.”
In Q’s world, a perfect game (assuming , of course, it came in a win) would include throwing a touchdown pass, catching a touchdown pass and running in a touchdown.
For now, Boldin would be happy with recovering from his hip injury quick enough to play against the Steelers Sunday.
He expects to play, and Whisenhunt said Boldin was improving. Given his background, most would assume Boldin would find a way to play.
“He is just one of the best football players I have ever seen, period,” said former NFL player Ron Wolfley, now a radio talk show host and analyst on Cardinals’ broadcasts. “ I don’t care if you want to talk about Lawrence Taylor, I don’t care if you want to talk about Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke … I kid you not. This guy is a wide receiver with a linebacker’s mentality. It is unbelievable to me.”
Boldin would rather let others describe what he is about. Words aren’t what he is looking for when it comes to how he is viewed.
“I still don’t think (people) understand me completely,” Boldin said. “But more and more coaches and players around the league are starting to respect what I am able to do.”
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=1947
By DARREN URBAN
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Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin -- sporting his captain's "C" on his uniform -- talks with Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis after last weekend's game.
Eric Green pondered the question a moment.
The Cardinals cornerback hails from Florida and knew all about Anquan Boldin growing up, having attended a rival high school. Now he deals with him in practice every day.
So if anyone might know what makes Anquan Anquan, Green would. And he delivered his answer in a mini-monologue.
“It’s because Anquan is a running back, tailback, fullback, linebacker, safety, corner, receiver. He is everything except an offensive lineman, basically,” Green said. “He has the size to go as a tight end, he has the arm like a quarterback to throw the ball, he has the strength and quickness to be a running back, and he also has the hands and the route running to be a receiver. All that is tied into one person. He is a heck of an athlete.
“You look at him last week against one of the best defenses in the league, Ray Lewis and guys like that, and he is just bouncing off of linebackers and safeties. He is a monster. After seeing him last week, I think people know now that guy is the truth.”
Boldin’s numbers popped off the page in Baltimore: a career-high 14 catches, 181 yards, two touchdowns. But that wasn’t just what caught the eye.
It was the way Boldin scored the last crucial touchdown despite suffering a hip strain. It was the way he ran over Ravens safety Dawan Landry on that same play.
It was the way he continues to inspire the offense, one of the big reasons he was voted captain of the unit.
You must be registered for see images
Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin barrels in for the second of his two touchdowns last weekend in Baltimore.
“I have been around a lot of great players,” said quarterback Kurt Warner, who threw both TD passes to Boldin. “But he is special when he gets his hands on the ball.
“The way he punishes defensive backs, he can make a secondary cower a little bit.”
That’s what has stuck out for coach Ken Whisenhunt, who already expected a good receiver when he took the job in Arizona.
What he found was a blocker on par with Steelers wideout Hines Ward, whom Whisenhunt considered among the best in the league. He found a passer who serves as the Cards’ emergency third quarterback and a perfect toy for certain gadget plays. And he found himself surprised at the skills Boldin has a running back – which is why Boldin will find himself in the backfield at times this season.
Boldin relishes those chances. He has long insisted that, rather than a receiver, he is simply a football player.
“That’s always been my mindset since I started playing football, being able to play any position,” Boldin said. “It is something I pride myself on. I was always told, ‘The more you can do.’ ”
But the power of this ’Quan extends to other areas.
Green called him a leader and a coach as well as a player, pointing out he has seen Boldin adjust fellow receivers in their spots during games.
Most teams voted their quarterback as offensive captain, but Boldin not only got the honor, he was the only one of the three units that won it alone (Adrian Wilson and Gerald Hayes share the defensive captaincy; Neil Rackers and Aaron Francisco share special teams).
“The intensity he brings to the table, he is one of those guys who just sparks your football team,” Warner said. “That’s what speaks volumes about Q. He is not a guy who speaks a lot of words or does a lot of stuff. But his intensity on the practice field and the playing field at all times is second to none in the locker room. That’s why he is the captain. That’s what all the players in this locker room feed off of.”
In Q’s world, a perfect game (assuming , of course, it came in a win) would include throwing a touchdown pass, catching a touchdown pass and running in a touchdown.
For now, Boldin would be happy with recovering from his hip injury quick enough to play against the Steelers Sunday.
He expects to play, and Whisenhunt said Boldin was improving. Given his background, most would assume Boldin would find a way to play.
“He is just one of the best football players I have ever seen, period,” said former NFL player Ron Wolfley, now a radio talk show host and analyst on Cardinals’ broadcasts. “ I don’t care if you want to talk about Lawrence Taylor, I don’t care if you want to talk about Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke … I kid you not. This guy is a wide receiver with a linebacker’s mentality. It is unbelievable to me.”
Boldin would rather let others describe what he is about. Words aren’t what he is looking for when it comes to how he is viewed.
“I still don’t think (people) understand me completely,” Boldin said. “But more and more coaches and players around the league are starting to respect what I am able to do.”
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=1947
