Anquan Boldin is BTSC's MVP So Far
by Blitzburgh on Nov 19, 2008 11:54 PM EST
9 comments
Not going to take too much time straying off subject from this oh so interesting 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers squad, but I wanted to take a moment to point out to those who may not be aware just how special a football player Anquan Boldin is. MVP talk is quickly gravitating towards Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner, and deservedly so. His numbers are flat out silly, and more importantly for Cardinals fans, he's got them in legitimate contention to not only make the playoffs, but to also secure a first round BYE and a home game in the Divisional Round.
I want to shift the spotlight to one of his WRs though - Anquan Boldin. Here are Boldin's stats for the year. For what it's worth as well, Boldin's also Football Outsider's #1 rated WR in both their primary metric categories.
The yards per game and TDs are tops in the league, and some of the other totals might be even more impressive had he not of course missed two game earlier in the year when he broke bones in his face! No, that's not a misprint, Boldin had to have his skin lifted back so that plates could be inserted! And then just a few weeks later he's playing fearlessly, going over the middle with abandon, and generally playing like the toughest WR in the game not named Hines.That kind of toughness is contagious on a football team that's trying to change its 'culture'.
His running-mate on the other side - Larry Fitzgerald - ain't too shabby either, but for my money, there may be no WR in the game that I'd rather have on the Steelers. With Ken Whisenhunt already thinking about ways to deploy him in some variation of the 'Wildcat' Boldin's impact on the Cardinals already explosive offense may grow even larger.
For the toughness and the production, Anquan Boldin is my pick for MVP at this point.
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Good pick ...
in a year when so many money receivers are dropping balls in key situations or flat out not dominating their position. It would be a good year to recognize the guys catching the ball vice throwing it and Boldin is a good choice at this point.
by tenthmtnman on Nov 20, 2008 8:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Warner vs. Boldin
Boldin’s been spectacular this year, there’s no doubt about that. He’s proving why he’s deserving of a new contract and all of the money in the world. I still have a hard time putting him over Warner though. QB’s normally beat out their WR’s in races like the MVP or the Heisman, but when both are in the race they also seem to hurt each other by splitting votes.
Either way, you can’t got wrong with Q or Warner.
by cgolden on Nov 20, 2008 9:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Interesting pick.
How much of Q’s success is due to the fact that defenses can’t even double-cover him because opposite him is Larry Fitzgerald who is as much, if not more, of a threat. Fitzy himself has 940 yards and 6 TDs on the year already.
I had to vote for “someone else” because this seems like a situation where I’d split the MVP between Warner, Q and The Fitz. I couldn’t choose between them; the three of them together are an offensive juggernaut.
by HinesField on Nov 20, 2008 9:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I understand this is a Steelers blog, but come on now...
Harrison w/40% of the vote? I don’t want to diminish the season he’s having, but he doesn’t have a chance at making MVP. If he finishes the season strong he has a great shot at DPOY though.
I agree w/Hines above. Boldin and Fitz are both such great weapons that it’s really hard to tell which guy should get the votes. I believe Fitz is the better deep threat, so he’s more likely to draw extra attention from the defense.
Boldin is probably the best WR in the league right now once the ball is in his hands.
by JHolmes on Nov 20, 2008 10:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Note that the vote is for “who’s your MVP”, and given as you said this is a steelers blog, I think it’s understandable that Harrison is the MVP. Who here has even seen a cardinals game? I sure as hell have not, and I’m not going out of my way to. I know that MVP’s are generally voted on by people who have rarely seen players play, but in this case we are all going with what we know. That’s great that warner has fantastic stats, I’m sure he’s awesome, but leave it to steelers fans to vote for an unlikely candidate on the defensive side of the ball.
The case for harrison? Why have the steelers won so many games this year? Has it been our dominating offense? No, it has been our dominating defense. And while it’s much easier to highlight the “star” of an offense, it is harder to give credit on the defense. Taylor has been playing mostly out of his mind this season, our D-line is ridiculous, Troy made a deal with the devil and is using his religion as a smokescreen. But Harrison is the easiest to pin the numbers on. He’s a machine and epitomizes what this defense is about. The dude can max bench almost 500 pounds, lift and practices hard, and has an unbelievable motor. He leads in sacks and forced fumbles, and he has grabbed an interception while dropping into coverage, a really nice one might I add.
Sure he’ll never be the MVP, but we as steelers fans can dream. We have won most of our games this year due to insane play by our defense, and if we take this season anywhere it’s going to be on their backs, not on Ben’s. It could easily be argued that Harrison deserves most of the credit for our wins against SD and BAL, and probably many others.
It’s easy and expected for a QB or a WR to step up and make plays. In fact, it’s expected which in my mind diminishes the value in MVP. You want to talk about a return on an investment? How about a OLB winning games. QBs and to a lesser extent WRs are blue chips in a bear market, an outside linebacker dictating how an opposing offense plays is a diamond in the rough.
by steelguy99 on Nov 20, 2008 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Interesting ...
James or Troy running wild and hitting the QB in the backfield is sexy all right, but who sets them up? Hampton, Hoke and the boys have been playing very well, but their efforts are hidden in the pile and nobody gets excited by that. Perhaps at the end of a wild season, i could say Harrison was MVP, but at this point there’s a whole lot of D going on.
Missed Troy’s religious smoke screen, but hey, if it helps him play the way he does, put the chapel on the sidelines and light them candles baby!
by tenthmtnman on Nov 20, 2008 4:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You could, but never do say the same thing on the offensive side of the ball. Eli Manning, Superbowl MVP and quarterback extraordinaire, a god amongst men. It’s a miracle he even managed to survive playing behind his porous and hideous O-line. Better luck to him next year when his line can actually piece together a game where he doesn’t get sacked.
by steelguy99 on Nov 20, 2008 4:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Collins
Its very likely he wont win the MVP award but until he loses im going to go with Kerry Collins. Collins has not had amazing numbers but he has won every game he has had too. With Vince Young playing QB i doubt the Titans would be anywhere near where they are now.
by archon095 on Nov 20, 2008 11:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Collins?
I heard that argument the other day on the radio and almost drove off the road. How many other QBs in the league can throw 8 TDs in 9 starts, complete less than 60% of their passes (for 6.5 ypa) and have a 82 QB rating? I could list a dozen. Albert Haynesworth deserves the MVP before Collins does.
Besides, it’s the Most Valuable Player award, not the a Good Player on a the Best Team award.
by cgolden on Nov 20, 2008 1:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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