Cardinals to play against former leader Boldin

The legend of Anquan Boldin began fairly early.

A 2nd round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, “The Quan” was the
second receiver taken by the team that April but quickly
ascended to folk hero status.

That must be what happens when a rookie follows up a good
training camp and preseason with a 10-catch, 217-yards,
two-touchdown effort in the season opener. You know, his
first career NFL game.

Boldin went on to finish his rookie season with 101
catches, 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns, the lone bright
spot on a team that won three games. The following April
netted the team Larry Fitzgerald, and from there the two
formed one of the best receiving duos in the NFL.

While Fitzgerald provided the grace and highlight-reel
catches it was Boldin who was going over the middle,
taking and delivering punishment. He did much of his
damage for bad – real bad – Cardinals teams.

Arizona won a combined 20 games in Boldin’s first four
seasons, even with the wideout recording 342 receptions,
4,605 yards and 20 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl twice
during that span and was essentially a great player on a
bad team.

And then things started to change.

An eight-win season in 2007 was followed by a nine-win
effort – and a trip to the Super Bowl – in 2008, and it
was about that time where things started to go south for
the Boldin/Cardinals marriage.

Prior to the 2008 season Fitzgerald received a monster
contract extension, something Boldin had long sought for
himself. The Cardinals seemed to have little interest in
inking the 28-year-old to another extension, not with a
few years left on his contract, something Boldin didn’t
take too kindly to.

But in a way, the Cardinals may have been right on this
one. Boldin played in all 16 games just twice in seven
seasons with the team, and was forced to miss Arizona’s
two playoff games in 2009 with ankle and knee injuries.

While his toughness in battling through injuries such as
the one he suffered against the Jets in 2009 was
celebrated, the fact that he always seemed to be fighting
through something gave the organization pause when
thinking about Boldin’s future in red. So, giving him the
kind of money he sought – after already paying Fitzgerald
top dollar – would have made little sense for the team,
but that didn’t matter.

Boldin thought head coach Ken Whisenhunt had lied to him
about a contract extension and, having already started to
show frustration by missing minicamps and OTAs with
various “injuries,” a sideline blowup in the NFC
Championship game with offensive coordinator Todd Haley
proved to be a damning blow to the proud Boldin’s
reputation in the Valley.

After all, up until that point Boldin was the heart and
soul of the team, a warrior who gave everything he had for
teams that probably didn’t deserve a player of his
caliber. But at a moment where the team was on the verge
of accomplishing its greatest success ever, Boldin was
upset because he wasn’t in the game. The Cardinals won the
game and celebrated on the field, but Boldin didn’t take
part in the festivities.

At that point the damage was done and though No. 81 spent
one more season with the team (a campaign where he caught
84 passes for 1,024 yards and four touchdowns), the idea
of “Anquan Boldin: Forever a Cardinal” was long gone.

So the Cardinals set out to trade Boldin who, while once
the face of the franchise, was now somewhat of a petulant
player, a receiver who wanted more: the ball, money,
whatever, knowing all the while he wasn’t going to get it
in Arizona.

And on March 6, 2010, a deal was struck with the Baltimore
Ravens that sent the franchise’s leader in receptions East
for a pair of draft picks. Boldin got his contract
extension and the Cardinals moved on.

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