THE LEAGUE^©

By now we’ve all seen Anquan Boldin’s spat with Todd Haley on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the NFC championship game when the Arizona Cardinals were driving for what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown versus the Philadelphia Eagles, and the soap opera that is evolving from to it. We’ve heard and seen the damage control and the paralysis by analysis that has ensued. One can only wonder what will happen on Super Bowl media day in Tampa next Tuesday.

One faction maintains that it was business as usual, and that sidelines encounters are nothing new in the world of the ultra-competitive, extremely intense world of the NFL. Another view is that Boldin should not have been getting in the face of his offensive coordinator while the OC is trying to call the plays that could propel them to the title game. Still another brings in the fact that Boldin’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has an unsavory history of clients who are malcontents. And well-paid ones at that.

The opinion with the most perceived accuracy is that Boldin is just another selfish wide receiver who thinks the world revolves around him. And herein lies the rub; the fact that the confrontation occurred, and occurred when it did, is not the most damning piece of anti-Anquan evidence. Rather, it’s the fact that Boldin – who was on the field for the game-winning touchdown – left the field and then the locker room abruptly. That was his biggest mistake, and could be viewed as selfish indeed.

But that may not be an accurate assessment either, at least not in the long-term. By skipping the celebration and leaving relatively unnoticed, Boldin hurt no one but himself. If his intent was a selfish one, it is one he will rue the rest of his days, especially if he isn’t part of another title run. If, as he maintains, he left to avoid being a distraction, that explanation may be a little hard to swallow. A hasty decision and rash judgment on his part? Probably. But this scribe with a keyboard in front of him is not about to condemn the man.

The exact reasons for the flare up and what was said may not be known for quite some time. Probably for several years until the game appears on ESPN in their NFL Classic Games lineup, at least. Which it most surely will. But the speculation runs rampant nevertheless.

It would be easy to criticize Boldin for setting himself up to be the main topic at the afore-mentioned media day. If the incident has already gotten this much attention, it’s downright scary what Tuesday will bring. But really, isn’t media day at the Super Bowl always about something being overblown, whether worthy or not? Let’s face it, if it wasn’t Boldin vs. Haley, the infinite number of scribes and broadcasters would simply move on to the next issue – which as often as not are non-issues – and the world would rotate on schedule, complete with 25 minute halftimes consisting of yet another unnecessary “show”.

Ever since Anquan Boldin landed in The Valley (author’s note: the locals call it “The Valley”, short for “The Valley of the Sun”. Or maybe “The Basin”, as former Cardinal and current color analyst Ron Wolfley declares it to be. But no one here calls the team or the state ‘Zona’, which I’ve seen more in the last two weeks than I have in 23 years of living here), he has been nothing short of a warrior. The heart and soul of many Cardinal teams who were planning their off-season get-togethers by Thanksgiving due to the lack of Boldin-like talent and desire. In fact, I doubt nary a thought was given to the possibility that the recent Fiesta Bowl might interfere with a first-round playoff game, or vice versa. They were played two days apart on the same field. Boldin was that fastest receiver to 400 catches in the history of the league. He was carted off the field on a stretcher in the Meadowlands this season with a broken face, only to return with several plates in his face after missing only two games. While that was one of numerous deposits he has made in the bank of the fan base, his pre-season issue and last week’s scene have taken a couple debits from that. Still, there’s enough left that he deserves the benefit of the doubt rather than the wrath of anyone who has not played the game at any level past high school. (Uh, that would be me. But I was pretty good back in the day. As a quarterback, I went 10 for 25 one year. So there. And with a guy like Boldin, who knows? I might have been 18-25, and had a few more touchdowns. Those types of receivers don’t grow on trees.)

For those not familiar with the Cardinals, a huge underlying factor in all of this is the history of the organization and how they have treated their players. While they have a long way to go to be one of the better-run franchises, it’s gotten much better since Mike Bidwill took the reins from Bill Jr. At least they’ve now moved ahead of the festering sore that is Jerry Jones in Dallas. If Boldin said that the team promised him a new deal last off-season, one can’t help but believe him, all things considered. Yes, the Rosenhaus factor must apply, but so must the years of ineptitude regarding player relations by the Cardinals.

In a weird sidenote, the Boldin/Haley shouting match may have done more for Haley’s head coaching qualifications than anything. If the offensive coordinator can focus enough to call the plays to win an NFC championship game with a disgruntled receiver in his face, how can you doubt him? Whether right, wrong, or otherwise, it’s all about perception, isn’t it.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Posted by Ricko on Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at 11:09 pm.