ARIZONA - Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald is heading to Canton to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he hopes to some day be joined by a teammate he shared a room with for years in the desert.
While Fitzgerald was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, the same can't be said about Anquan Boldin , who is now past the minimum five-year waiting period and awaits his turn to step into football immortality.
With accolades such as a Super Bowl, multiple Pro Bowls, Walter Payton Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year and NFL All-Decade team honors, Boldin was considered to be one of the greatest receivers of his era.
His teammate in Fitzgerald didn't hesitate when asked on the In The Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu podcast who he would like to see in the Hall of Fame.
Feb 1, 2009; Tampa, FL, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) is congratulated by wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) after a catch in the second quarter of Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images
"Anquan Boldin, man. If I had to pick one guy that I played with, and I just absolutely loved this man as a human being and as a teammate, as a football player. Like from an offensive perspective, he was the toughest dude I've ever played against in my entire life, man. The way he played, he played like a running back. His game translates to any generation, any type of football. You roll it out in the yard, whatever," Fitzgerald said.
"That dude could play quarterback, he could have played linebacker, he could play running back. He could have played safety. You put him on a football field, he played quarterback at Florida State. He played in a national championship game at quarterback. This dude could do anything he put his mind to, and then the toughest dude you ever been around on the football field, and you get him off the football field. He's one of the most often generous, philanthropic, giving human beings I've ever been around."
Boldin spent the first seven years of his NFL career with Arizona after the Cardinals made him a second-round pick in 2003. He then joined the Baltimore Ravens and later won a Super Bowl with them in 2021.
Boldin also featured for the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions before retiring.
"You talk about examples and people who kind of paved the way for you, when I got there to Arizona in 2004 he was just in his second year, he made the Pro Bowl. He was the rookie of the year. I mean, the guy was dynamite. And so me getting drafted, third pick overall, coming in there - I know it probably felt disrespectful to him that they would take me at that position with all the needs that we had that they would take me, so he had every reason to not treat me well, to not be open and honest and transparent and forthcoming, and all the things that he was to me," Fitzgerald continued.
"So, that showed me a lot of just humility that he had, and so I just really hope he gets his flowers at some point, because I know I'm not in this position without him and his guidance. The way he practiced and showed up for me every day, and the kind of father he is, the kind of husband he is, the man that he is, he's the ultimate big bro. You look at what he did when he was in Arizona, we went to the Super Bowl. He goes to Baltimore, they won a championship.
"Wherever that man goes in life, he makes everything better. Most receivers, you only think about having to cover them in the passing game. Anquan, bro, you better strap your helmet up and have them chinstraps [tight], everything better be in. [Your] mouthpiece better be in, because the run game is gonna be just as violent."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/onsi as Larry Fitzgerald Believes One Former Cardinals Great Belongs in Canton .
