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Anquan Boldin is a special player, but that is nothing new for him to hear people say because people have been telling him that for years. Anquan grew up in the southwest part of the Florida panhandle in a small city known as Pahokee. Pahokee is a city located on the shore of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County and an agricultural haven for it's rich soil. Pahokee actually means 'grassy waters', but the locals simply refer to it as 'The Muck' and the only thing to do in the muck is either plant crops or play sports. Most kids growing up there were good at basketball because of their height and long arms, some were good at football because they were quick and tough, Anquan was great at every sport. He seemed to thrive at every athletic activity he tried. He played football, basketball, as well as one of his greatest passions still to this day, baseball. His value was his versatility and that he could be asked to play any position. In baseball he was a pitcher and played short stop and in football he played quarterback and wide receiver. However, he also returned punts, lined up at half back, and intercepted th balll four times on defense. Football was the sport where he made a name for himself and his skills all acrid the field led him to be named "Mr Football" in 1998. In his senior year, Anquan led his Pahokee Blue Devils to a 10-0 regular season record and to even defeat Glades Central 31-14 in the infamous 'Muck Bowl'. He was later named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team which selects the top 33 players in the past 100 years of high school football for the entire state of Florida. Even though he feels that his best sport growing up was baseball, he fell in love with the physical nature of football and wanted to showcase his toughness and athletic ability, but it was college coaches who saw his potential for elite ability in the NCAA. Anquan Boldin was highly recruited by almost every college program in the country and chose to stay in Florida and attend Florida State to become a Seminole. Anquan showcased his natural abilities during early practices and was only one of three true freshman to see time on the field and played in 10 games. He made an immediate impact in his first college game, catching two touchdown passes against Louisiana Tech in their season opener and one being the first seminole touchdown of the season. He also scored a rushing TD against Wake Forest when he lined up at quarterback and had three kickoff returns for 55 yards. He showed even more promise as a wide receiver with his first 100 yard game and six touchdowns for the season, but he took a major setback in his junior year when he sustained a season-ending knee injury during preseason drills. Boldin sustained a complete tear of his anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, medial menaces, and lateral menicus. Most players after receiving such a demoralizing injury might come back a little cautious or not go as hard as before, but not Anquan. Most players might come back already worn out from an intensive 20 weeks rehabilitation program, but not Anquan. He hit the weight room harder, he ran suicides harder, ran the steps of the steps of the stadium harder, and hit practices harder. He participated in all non-contact spring drills and did not miss a single practice, including two-a-days. In 2002, he was rewarded with his brash determination when he was awarded the Brian Piccolo Award for the "most courageous" football player in the ACC. This award truly epitomizes Anquan's character as he was still going through treatment and rehabilitation two to three times a day when the football season started. Anquan Boldin didn't just want to come back from injury, but he wanted to be the best. In his hard work he pushed himself to become one of the best college receivers in the nation and put up tremendous stats. In his senior year of 2002, Anquan led the Seminoles in receiving with a career high 65 receptions for 1,011 yards, averaging 15.6 yards per catch, and scoring 13 TDs. Now he ws being sought after by scouts and coaches for his elite ability in the NFL. Anquan's draft stock began to soar. He was a big bodied athlete who played extremely tough, had deceptively fast feet, and wasn't the type to miss practice. What brought Boldin back down to earth were his below average combine and Pro-Day measurable. He couldn't run a better time than a 4.70 40-yard dash and coaches began to wonder if he could get separation from NFL corners. He was beginning to hear the word every potential draft pick hates to be called, "tweener". This word brings the connotation that general managers can't see you definitely starting in the mold of a specific position. Many teams even started taking him off their wide receiver board and adding him to their tight end board. The problem with that is he doesn't have the prototypical height of bulk for the position, plus, he really though of himself as a wide receiver. Even the "Wizard of Oz", Ozzie Newsome, didn't foresee Anquan being as dominant as he was after his poor measureables. However, one team did. The Arizona Cardinals took Anquan Boldin in the middle of the 2nd round and Anquan who still though of himself as a first rounder was determined to make every team who didn't take him pay for their mistake. Anquan took the field against the Detroit Lions and no one at that game knew it, but they were about to witness history in the making. At the end of the game Anquan Boldin left the field with 10 receptions and 217 yards to set an NFL rookie record and have the best first game for a rookie wide receiver in the history of the NFL. He continued to perform the rest of the season with the sheer determination and playmaking ability as in the first when he finished the year with 101 catches, 1,377 yards, and 8 touchdowns. After his performance Boldin was the only rookie to be voted to go to the 2004 Pro-Bowl. Anquan has had four more 1,000 or more seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He has had over 80 reception and over 1,000 yards during the past two years even with a playmaker like Larry Fitzgerald on the other side of the field. In a press conference, the General Manager of the Baltimore Ravens, Ozzie Newsome, reveled that they had Anquan on their draft board, but unfortunately didn't take him when they had the chance. Ozzie regretted not having him on the team over the years, but still become a fan of Anquan and how he played the game. After Baltimore traded their 3rd and 4th round picks to Arizona for Anquan Boldin and their 5th round pick, Ozzie finally acquired the man he had coveted for so many years and was finally able to bring him to play for Baltimore. In Anquan's press conference on March 8th, 2010, Ozzie said, "When Anquan came out in the draft he was the subject of a lot of discussion in our war room and not too many times do you get to recover from a mistake. He continued to say, "And I think I made a mistake in that draft and to worrying more and more about measurables than worry about the football player. And what Anquan is, is a football player." Ozzie and head coach Harbaugh feel Boldin is the perfect fit for this team. He makes a tough catch, runs hard after the catch, is a willing blocker, and will put his team before himself. Boldin appears to have found a new home and a perfect fit for his unique talents. He has wanted out of Arizona as much as Baltimore fans have wanted an elite wide receiver on the team. Ozzie cracked a smile towards the end of the press conference as he reveled to the pack of media, "It took me 7 years, but I finally got it right." And right he did as physical joins physical and tough joins tough. Boldin should like his new home in Baltimore because right now he seems to fit this town like a glove. Posted by: Mark Prichep |
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