a topical article... no question boldin is a tough dude... a lot of WRs wouldn't even be able to play on a high ankle sprain (they are about as painful as a broken ankle, and can sometimes linger about as long). i think it was on a sunday night game recently (after the sprain, possibly the very next week... he hasn't missed a game?), where warner overthrew a pass down the right hashmark in which it was clear boldin couldn't run at all.
it is important to point out that injuries can lead to injuries... don't think this is his first ankle sprain, & he has had multiple injuries to other parts of his body (knee also, upper body, too... the shot to his face in the end zone last year could have probably happened to anybody)... ligaments and tendons are like rubber bands & become less supple after repeated overstretching... and you can't really strengthen them like lifting weights...
that said, i can't think of any WRs that pop immediately to mind as having their careers wrecked by sprained ankles (certainly foot injuries, like O.J. mcduffie, countless due to knee injuries)...
i don't think it is a stretch to suggest boldin could have a shortened career due to his violent, collision-friendly, RB-like style, as F & L put it. on the other hand, hines ward is a pretty physical WR, and is playing well into his 30s (is boldin 29, going on 30?). he is also known as one of the most physical, best blocking WRs ever (boldin also a good blocker), but think maybe he picks his shots more as a WR, and not sure he initiates as many collisions, or as big, compared to boldin.
* boldin is bigger (220?) than ward, and probably faster at their respective stages. it would seem to be a physics-type corollary that a bigger body, moving faster, when it collides with another object, will inflict greater stresses on the body? certain athletes, though, like marcus allen, were masters at avoiding kill shots (subtle body twist or roll near the goal line leading to a glancing blow)... i attributed this to great vision, instincts, field awareness and body control.
http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/should-...an-boldin-down/
Should Cards Shut Injured Anquan Boldin Down?
Posted Nov 05, 2009 10:55AM By Matt Snyder (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Arizona Cardinals, NFC West, NFL Injuries
Email Print ShareText SizeAAAAnquan Boldin, when healthy, is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. This isn't a secret. He's been to three Pro Bowls, enjoyed four 1,000-yard seasons, caught more than 500 passes thus far in only 87 games and scored 41 touchdowns. He's a running back in a receiver's body, though, so he has endured his fair share of injuries -- missing 16 games in his first six seasons due to injury. This season, he's played every game, but he's done so at less than 100 percent.
Looking at his numbers, it's evident he's not himself. His per-game averages show Boldin's on pace for career lows across the board. And he just doesn't seem himself, either. Considering his ankle injury isn't going away without rest -- and the fact that the gamer Boldin won't voluntarily sit out -- should the Cardinals bench him until he's healthy? One Arizona columnist says they should.
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic has made a plea to head coach Ken Whisenhunt to take the decision away from Boldin -- who insists he's about 80 percent but definitely OK to play -- and bench him.
By playing at considerably less than optimal health, Boldin is hurting the team. It's hard to make him a big part of the game plan, because no one is sure how long Boldin's ankle will hold up. It doesn't appear he can accelerate as fast on his pass routes, or move quickly enough to evade tacklers when he does make the catch.
It's the age-old question: do you keep running a star out there when he's clearly not himself, or risk losing a game or two while he works himself back to health. If he was simply in pain and his performance wasn't impacted, that would be one thing. You can't tell a player to stop putting himself through voluntary pain, because it's his job to play football.
It's quite another animal when his performance is actually lacking. As I mentioned earlier, Boldin is having the worst season of his career. Sure, it's because he's injured, but he's still injured. And, as Somers points out, Boldin's altering the team's game plan by not being able to complete games. With the only way to fully heal the ankle being rest, it seems like the right move, even if it angers Boldin.
For now, Whisenhunt seems as non-committal as possible:
"That is certainly something we are going to have to consider because you don't want to go through the rest of the season with Anquan only being able to play a half or three quarters before his ankle flares up," Whisenhunt said.
"I can't tell you how impressed I am with Anquan's toughness and ... his desire to compete," Whisenhunt said. "That's a big part of our football team. That's something you lose if you try to rest him."
The Cardinals head to Chicago this Sunday to square off with a Bears team who, like Arizona, is a fringe-type playoff team. Conventional wisdom says they need Boldin on the field, but it's entirely possible they'd be better served with Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban and Early Doucet rounding out the receiving corps opposite star Larry Fitzgerald.
After all, the Cardinals did win four of five games without Boldin last year (including the playoffs).
though it isn't like he has an extensive body of work with the jets from which we could draw on?as i noted elsewhere in that post, it will be interesting to track edwards future numbers WITH cotchery in the lineup to see if they are more like his two previous games with cotchery, rather than his two games without. it lends itself to empirical verification. 
* edwards pedigree & triangle numbers are indisputable (other high pedigree WRs have failed... but some top 10 like david terrell and koren robinson weren't top 3... roy williams was around there, and would qualify as a disappointment, but he never had a season as good as edwards best... going way back, irving fryar very high pedigree with mixed results in NE, before enjoying a renaissance later in his career with PHI)... i just don't think because he failed in CLE means he is destined to in NY (nor have you said this - just stating my take)... there isn't anything to suggest he isn't happy with the jets, and is looking to play his way out of town... if anything, it seems quite the opposite. there are the drops, but so were there for TO. would you agree sanchez looks more promising in the early going than quinn & anderson have in 2009 (that of course wouldn't be saying a lot, or going out on much of a limb).
Never trade Calvin Johnson.
Never trade Calvin Johnson.
Strange you post this after Eli had his best game in weeks, perhaps all year.
Strange you post this after Eli had his best game in weeks, perhaps all year.112.6 rating215 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT76 % completionBeyond the stats he managed pressure very well moving around the pocket and sidestepping would be tacklers.
)...still curious as to your take on sanchez's relative upside compared to the CLE situation.
