Raising Zona
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The most famous confrontation in Arizona Cardinals’ history

By Jim Koch

Feb 5, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin speaks during the Walter Payton man of the year press conference at Moscone Center in advance of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin speaks during the Walter Payton man of the year press conference at Moscone Center in advance of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tempers went awry on national television during the most important touchdown drive in the history of the Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals’ offense was chugging along. It was January of 2009, and the team was down by one point to the Philadelphia Eagles, late in the fourth quarter. At stake was an NFC Championship and a trip to Super Bowl XLIII.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s head was buried in a play chart, directing an offense led by the great Kurt Warner. The last thing the coach needed was any kind of distraction. Apparently, Cards’ wide receiver Anquan Boldin never got the memo.

Upset about being replaced in the game by Steve Breaston, the wideout directed a tirade at Haley. Boldin’s emotions were running high, so high that he had to be restrained by teammates. The offensive guru barked at the receiver over his shoulder, all the while continuing to call the plays.

We all know how that game ended. The Cardinals triumphed, 32-25, and would go on to play in the biggest game in organization history. But after the franchise’s most significant victory ever, reporters wanted to know about the confrontation.

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The fact of the matter is that Boldin, one of Arizona’s most accomplished all-time players, acted like a spoiled brat. Instead of celebrating on the field with his fellow Cards, he chose to rush into the locker room. Not only that, he also avoided the media by ducking out a back door.

There’s no doubt that Boldin’s an ultra-competitor. Earlier in the season, his face was literally broken during a game against the New York Jets. The Cardinals’ 2003 second-round draft pick showed his toughness by returning just weeks later, a testament to that competitiveness.

Nevertheless, his actions during his club’s most important of games was inexcusable. Going at Haley like he did, at the time he did, showed a selfish side. What he displayed was the antithesis of a “team” player.

Boldin would play just one more season with Arizona, and was eventually traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Perhaps his tantrum during the NFC Championship was what persuaded Cards’ management not to give him the extension he wanted. But only the team’s brass at the time would know that.

The incident will not diminish the three-time Pro Bowler’s contributions to the Cardinals. But it did show a side of Boldin that most fans wish they never had to witness. And hope they never have to see from any more players in the future.

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