Catching passes vs. catching flak

These are bad times for Anquan Boldin. You’d think — with his team going to the Super Bowl — that these would be good times. But no.

As his Arizona Cardinals were rallying in the fourth quarter to beat Philadelphia in Sunday’s NFC title game, Boldin was fuming because, in his mind, he was underused. At one point, he screamed at offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

After the game, instead of celebrating with his teammates, Boldin left by himself.

So far, we haven’t mentioned Boldin’s position. But do we really have to? Of course, it’s wide receiver, Diva Central. But although Boldin is a wide receiver, he’s not THE wide receiver, which I suspect is part of his problem.

THE wide receiver these days is fellow Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald, whose recent production has vaulted him to the very top of NFL pass catchers.

That’s been very good for Arizona’s playoff run; very bad for Anquan Boldin’s ego. It's also bad been for Boldin's public image, which has taken a pounding the last few days.

Trying to combat the bad PR, the Cardinals have gone into damage-control mode, insisting everything’s fine. Arizona cornerback Rod Hook said, “When we step on the field for the Super Bowl, I know he’ll be ready to play and give his best effort. That’s all you can ask.”

Actually, that’s not all you can ask. You can ask, and expect, a player to think of someone other than himself — his teammates, for instance — on his team’s biggest day in more than half a century.