LOWER THE BOOM!!!
Every once in a while, I worry that there might not be a good topic for my weekly LOWER THE BOOM post, but maybe I am naive to the foolishness of mankind and NFL wide receivers in particular. Anquan Boldin addressed the media on Thursday to try to quell the noise surrounding his blowup during the critical game-changing 4th quarter drive of last Sunday’s NFC Championship game, where his Cardinals won the right to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLIII.
In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, let me see if I can summarize. The surprising Arizona Cardinals were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. The Cardinals blew an 18 point first half advantage as the Eagles took a 4thquarter lead. With the Cardinals trailing, OC Todd Haley took Anquan Boldin out of the game. It is important to note that ‘Quan had pulled a hamstring two weeks before and was not operating at full strength.
As the Cardinal offense was on the move, Boldin decided it was a good time to blow up at his coordinator who was calling the plays on this crucial drive. The Cardinals scored the winning touchdown and held on to secure their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. While his teammates celebrated on the field with the fans, Boldin bolted early to avoid the media. Did I miss anything?
This quote from Boldin taken from a National Post article:
"“I was mad because they took me out of the game, and I think any competitor would have had the same reaction. A game of that magnitude, how close the game was, us potentially driving to score a touchdown, I want to be there. That’s just the type of guy I am.”"
This from azcentral.com:
"“For me, it’s hilarious. I mean, I don’t want to sit here and dwell on it because it’s in the past, but that’s something that goes on every week in the NFL, whether people know it or not.”"
Glad you think it’s so funny Anquan. It may go on every week, but last Sunday was not every week; it was the NFC Championship Game. And your team won. That’s right, somehow they pulled it off with you on the sidelines. In fact, they pulled it off while you were yelling at offensive coordinator Todd Haley while he was calling plays for the game-winning drive.
I guess the wide receiver fraternity (ΑΣΣ) was holding their initiation last weekend and you couldn’t pass on the opportunity to join the ranks of TO, Plaxico Burress, Chad Ocho-Cinco and the rest of the Prima Donna’s in making a complete ASS of yourself.
You’ve been clear about your feelings for the Cardinals since training camp. But as your teammates celebrated the unlikely victory, you pouted and hustled out of the stadium. Every kid that ever slapped on the pads from Pop Warner on up dreams of making it to the Super Bowl yet somehow, you thought it was more important for you to get your catches than for your team to win the game. Somehow you thought it was about you and not the team. Selfish much? Your behavior was comparable to a Pop Warner 8 year old who got sent to bed without dessert.
I had taken the position that the Bears work to get Boldin in the offseason, but perhaps I was mistaken. Ex-Chicago Bear great Doug Buffone, frequent contributor and personality on The Score 670AM , talks about the neanderthal gene being what made linebackers like himself and Dick Butkus great. Is there a jackass gene that all talented wide receiver have? Anquan, this wasn’t about you, it was about your team. Hopefully you figure that out on the way to the Super Bowl.