Anquan Boldin update and other wide receiver stuff
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Anquan Boldin update and other wide receiver stuff
Paul Domowitch, Daily News NFL Columnist
For those of you fantasizing about Anquan Boldin playing for the Eagles next season, we bring you the latest in the saga of the talented Arizona Cardinals wide receiver:
First, there was the e-mail sent to NFL teams by
Anquan’s greasy agent, Drew Rosenhaus, announcing that Boldin
and two other wide receiver clients of his – Plaxico Burress
and Chad Johnson – were for sale, even though that came as
news to their teams.
Then, late last week, Rosenhaus talked to Cardinals general manager Rod
Graves and told him that Anquan had softened the
I-want-out-of-the-desert stance he’s had since last summer,
and would be willing to sign a contract extension with the Cards if the
money was right.
Then, Boldin went on a Phoenix talk-radio show Friday and said
there was a deadline that went with his willingness to sign an
extension – Tuesday. This Tuesday. If the Cards
didn’t fax Drewie an extension proposal by then, he would
return to his I-want-out stance.
Well, Graves, who is here in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine,
didn’t sound like a guy who was going to be sending Drewie
anything by Tuesday, except possibly a bag of doggie doo-doo.
"Our position with Anquan is still as it’s always been,’’ Graves said Saturday. "We respect Anquan’s abilities. We feel like he is one of the best players in the National Football League. He’s certainly a core player of ours. As we’ve stated publicly, we’d like to extend him when the best window of opportunity comes.’’
But Graves made it clear there is no urgency to get a new deal
done with Boldin, who still has two years left on his current deal.
"Right now, we have players whose contracts are due to
expire,’’ he said. "We have others with 1 year
left on their contract. Anquan has 2 years left on his contract. We
understand how he feels and we’re taking all of that into
consideration. And hopefully, we’ll address it over
time."
So, now Drewie will do what Drewie does best -- persuade his client to say as many nasty things as he can about his current employer until they finally get fed up with him and agree to trade him. But that probably won’t be for a while yet. So, you can stop fantasizing about Boldin in midnight green until at least mid-April.
On another note, as obsessed as many of you are about the Eagles getting the ever-popular "No. 1" wide receiver, the news that the draft’s best pass-catcher, Michael Crabtree, has a slight stress fracture in his left foot no doubt has you wondering whether the injury, which is going to require surgery and won’t allow him to run for scouts before the draft, might cause him to slide down into the Eagles’ first-round neighborhood. Well, wonder no more. It won’t.
Crabtree, who measured at just 6-1 at the combine rather than the 6-3 he was listed as, was expected to be a top 10 pick before the discovery of the foot injury and still will be a top 10 pick, league personnel people said. Last year, running back Jonathan Stewart had to have surgery for the very same injury prior to the draft, and still was selected with the 13th pick by the Carolina Panthers.
The discovery that he’s shorter than teams thought also won’t have a negative effect on his draft stock because he’s got long, long arms that offset those lost 2 inches.
Many people have compared Crabtree to Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald because of his amazing body control and ability to catch the ball at its highest point.
"The Crabtree comparison to Fitzgerald is a very interesting one," said NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock. "When Fitzgerald came out, the people that didn’t like him – and they probably won’t admit who they are right now – but the people that didn’t like him said, `Oh, he can’t run. He can’t separate.’ But his ball skills were so dominating. His ability to elevate and catch was so great.
"The biggest different between Fitzgerald and Crabtree is that Larry Fitzgerald was clean off the field. One hundred percent clean. He was a smart kid. Crabtree has to prove he’s that. Because with a top 10 pick, the worst thing you can do is throw it away on a non-productive guy."
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Paul, profootballtalk had all of the Anquan Boldin info days ago. If you are going to rip them, then you better pick up your game a little bit and not report stuff that has already been reported. This is why newspaper business is going down (sadly).— smush- We don't need another ME ME drama queen like Boldin. Rosenhaus, the worst agent to deal with in the world, already took us down that disastrous road. Have you noticed how many playoff games Dallas has won with T.O.? Hunh? How many? Righhhhhht. Nada.— jonnyB
- The kind of talent the Iggles need a WR will not be available to them unless they package at least three picks to get that talent. That will NOT happen because Andy feels< and I agreee, that the picks thsy have can help the O-Line, Fullback, Tight End, and possibly the D-Backfield (if needed). As much as I would salivate over having another burner as a pass catcher, other needs on offense MUST be addressed. If they can help at least two of those three needs, I think we can win the division next season. And would someone help me pass out these pills? They're yummy.— TBear
- I love that "catch the ball at its highest point" description. The ball at its highest point is probably 40 or 50 feet in the air. What is really meant is catching it at a point higher than the other guy can catch it.— Bobphxville
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- Jeff Lurie and Andy Reid are too cheap to pick up a pro bowl receiver, those two guys are the reasons we don't have superbowl already. Give a pro bowl receiver for McNabb to throw to and you got a championship. Last play of the game versus Arizona was thrown to Curtis and was catchable. Here are the facts: McNabb has only had one year where he had a pro bowl receiver to throw to and we went to the Superbowl. Ackers should of had at least more points versus Arizona but he blew it for the team. The Eagles defense was outcoached against AZ and Jim Johnson was not on the sideline. Lurie should have spent the money to buy Johnson binoculars because in the first half against Arizona his game plan against Fitzgerald, a pro bowl player, but Lurie is too cheap.— laxcaptain14
- eaglesfan4life: dude, i can guarantee you are not a real athlete. oh yeah perhaps you played football in high school but you werent the star. i can beat you any sport or scholastic exam and i will win, guaranteed. McNabb is a classy guy and anyone whom is in the NFL would tell you that. You are not in the same class as McNabb, but you are one of the plenty in Philly whom are ignorant and give Philly a bad rap. feel free to email, i would really look forward to it.— laxcaptain14
- hey lax, your claim that you can beat someone at any sport or exam just shows how stupid you truly are. You can't even write a proper sentence! What happens if the "exam" is on the proper use of the English language? Will you guarantee a victory? The fact is, you should shut your trap and concentrate on talking about Eagles football, instead of compensating for your small tool. Now, lax, your "McNabb has only had one year where he had a pro bowl receiver to throw to and we went to the Superbowl" comment shows how clueless your are about football. How many PLAYOFF games did T.O. help the Eagles win? Zero, zilch, nada!! So your guarantee of a championship upon acquiring a "#1" receiver is as baseless as your guarantee you made to eaglesfan4life..... "i can beat you any sport or scholastic exam and i will win, guaranteed". Please lax, read that statement again and ponder why someone would call you out based on it. Feel free to email, I would really look forward to it too.— kzacher
- ****** ATTENTION ****** ALL YOU EAGLES FANS THAT KEEP CLAIMING WE NEED A "TRUE #1 RECEIVER" AND USE THE SAME ARGUMENT AS CAPTAINLAX THAT "THE YEAR WE HAD A #1 RECEIVER WE WENT TO THE SUPERBOWL" .... YOU NEED A REALITY CHECK. OUR #1 RECEIVER IN 2004 MISSED THE FINAL FEW GAMES OF THE REGULAR SEASON, AND ALL OF THE PLAYOFFS. HOW DID HE GET US OVER THE HUMP? HOW DID OUR #1 RECEIVER PERFORM IN 2005, EVEN BEFORE HE RUINED THE SEASON? PULL YOUR COLLECTIVE HEADS OUT OF YOUR COLLECTIVE COLONS, AND TAKE SOME TIME TO LEARN ABOUT FOOTBALL BEFORE YOU GO RUNNING YOUR MOUTH.— kzacher
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- I fear the word r o s e n h a u s has infected my computer with a virus. he is a carrier of the disease that is bringing this nation down— retzlaff
- All I ever read is how cheap Lurie is. Who spends more money the Eagles or let's say Phoenix or Pittsburgh? Since both were in the S.B. Get your facts strait before you post stupid remarks.— MIKEZ
I would prefer the Eagles get their O-line straightened out first. Resign Thomas, shift Herremanns to RT and sign a vet FA guard or two. Use the draft to get a few weapons. I'd prefer the big TE Pettigrew and Beanie Wells in the first round but skill positions are a must. They would both be big helps around the goal line and short yardage situations where the team floundered all year.— tpizza- The Eagles 3 main needs on offense are tight end, running back, and lineman. Leave the WR talk to the nuts that call WIP. Now if Bolden falls into their lap and they don't take him, then we can criticize.— bobbyd24
- Asante Samuel would disagree with the "Jeff Lurie is cheap" cry.— tbone pickins
- here's a very do-able and inexpensive steal of a move...the Rams are rebuliding and wasting fullback Brian Leonard...he can run, catch, and block and would give us a weapon we desparately need for a very affordable price— garyhod
- What exactly is an Anquan??? Don't think we need one!!!— Ranger Bud
- kzacher: T.O. got the Eagles to the point of sitting banged-up starters at the point of his injury with his SIXTEEN TOUCHDOWNS at the end of the season, moron. Loneowlf, you are and will always be a total d*uchebag who always seems to be on this site...so who should get a job? To say they don't need a number one or that they need guys who can "catch with their feet" are both ridiculous arguments: McNabb is staying and he is most likely wanting this meeting to talk about said number one. Anyone see McNabb's stats this year while also knowing the fact that this team had the most dropped passes? How about his touchdown to interception ratio? Or his average amount of receivers used a game? Or games played? WOW: "apologists" 4, Idiot Haters ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— elektrika
- I'll tell you if I'd make the trade for Anquan if you tell me what the Cardinals want. I'm not trading #1 picks for him. On Crabtree- I see a lot of Big 12 games since I got transferred to San Antonio for work (with all these stinkin cowgirls fans) and I don't think he's the next Larry Fitzgerald. I'm not sure he has the quickness in the pro game. if he falls into my lap at 21 I think you make the move but I'm not giving up what it would take to get a top ten pick to grab him. Pettigrew, the TE from Okie St. is a great talent but a bit of a head case.— KMG
- Maybe he can catch the ball at its highest point in the air, 40-50 ft up. Mayble Anquan is an X-Man.— stingo
- Let's get laxcaptain14 and eaglesfan4life together for a cheesesteak eat-off at Pat's. Loser has to admit he's dead wrong about Donoavan. next Tuesday at noon - how about it? You got game?— stingo
