|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anquan Boldin is Exhibit A on the value -- or lack thereof -- of workouts at the NFL combine.
The receiver was slow in his 40-yard dash time. Scouts looked suspiciously at his surgically-repaired knee. So the Florida State star wasn't selected until the second round of the draft, by the Arizona Cardinals with the 54th choice overall.
Then he went out and had the best rookie season by a wide receiver in the NFL history.
ADVERTISEMENT
``Stop watches can't judge talent,'' Boldin's coach Dave McGinnis said.
A panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL were unanimous in choosing Boldin as The Associated Press offensive rookie of the year.
Not bad for the sixth receiver chosen in the draft.
``I have coached some great players in this league, Hall of Fame players, and this kid's foundation, as solid as he is, has all the attributes of all of them,'' McGinnis said.
Boldin was the only rookie elected to the Pro Bowl this season.
``I remember walking off the practice field in the dark Christmas Day,'' McGinnis said, ``and he came up and put his arm around me and said `Coach, I really want to take you and your wife with me to the Pro Bowl.' That's the kind of kid he is.''
Boldin wasn't even the first receiver picked by the Cardinals, who chose Bryant Johnson out of Penn State in the first round.
McGinnis, fired by the Cardinals on Monday, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that offensive coordinator Jerry Sullivan was adamant about drafting Boldin. From the first day of mini-camp, McGinnis said, the coaches knew they had something special.
``Just the way he approached everything,'' McGinnis said. ``He was so consistent from day one. He never missed a practice, never missed a weight session.''
McGinnis purposely held Boldin under wraps in the preseason, then unleashed him in the opener at Detroit. He caught 10 passes for 217 yards and two TDs, the best debut ever for a rookie receiver. Most impressively, six of the catches came on third downs.
Even though the Arizona offense was awful, and he was the obvious target of defenses, Boldin kept making plays.
He finished third in the NFL with 101 catches, tying the Cardinals' franchise record and easily breaking the NFL rookie record of 90 receptions set by Terry Glenn in 1996. Boldin's 1,377 yards receiving were the most by a rookie in 43 years.
``I just came in here expecting to succeed and help this offense go,'' Boldin said. ``As far as the numbers go, I never expected to have this type of year.''
Boldin is quiet and accommodating. He made an appearance during halftime at last week's Insight Bowl, then spent two hours signing autographs on the sidelines.
``Anquan Boldin as a person, through and through, as a football player, is the entire concept of what you want,'' McGinnis said. ``I absolutely love him.''
Boldin left town this week to return to Florida because of a death in the family. When he returns, he will begin work toward his second season. He has said he knows that to be mentioned with the best receivers in the game, he needs to have more than one good year.
Boldin was named Florida's Mr. Football as a high school quarterback, a position he expected to play at Florida State. But he was switched to wide receiver, then missed the entire 2001 season following reconstructive knee surgery.
He came back a year later with 65 catches for 1,011 yards, and won the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award for most courageous athlete. Pressed into duty as quarterback in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia, he threw for one touchdown and caught another.
``For me, it just shows
that hard work pays off,'' Boldin said. ``Since I've torn my ACL, I haven't
let up. I've been working out, continuing to try to get better and just progress.
For me, it just shows what hard work can do.''