Cary Edmonson-USA TODAY Sports
When the Baltimore Ravens traded away wide receiver Anquan Boldin for a sixth round pick during the offseason, I wasn’t the only person scratching my head and thought that the Ravens waved the white flag on failing to pay the right players.
In this day and age of NFL football, offense is everything and the best teams in the league have exceptional players at each of the skill positions. Yes, playing defense is important too, but it’s not essential. After all, the New Orleans Saints have emerged as a Super Bowl contender now that Sean Payton is back at the head coach helm… and they were historically bad on defense in 2012. The Washington Redskins had a similar defensive effort in 2012 against the pass and they won their division.
Why?
The NFL today is about moving the ball through the air or using innovative offenses to catch defenses off-guard.
General manager of the Baltimore Ravens Ozzie Newsome made it clear during his offseason press conferences in March that the Ravens were looking to improve on the defensive side of the football, despite signing quarterback Joe Flacco to a six-year, $120 million contract. To his defense, Newsome did face a daunting task in terms of replacing key players on defense like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and he added cost-effective options like Chris Canty and Daryl Smith in the front seven. However, letting Boldin go for a sixth round pick that ultimately helped the Ravens move up to grab inside linebacker Arthur Brown, may have been a stretch.
This isn’t an indictment on Brown, but the Ravens already have a guy in Josh Bynes who possesses a similar skill set and is virtually the same age as he is. Basically, the Ravens already weren’t breaking the bank on defense and have some contracts for players like fullback Vonta Leach and return specialist and wide receiver Jacoby Jones that held them behind the eight ball in terms of bringing back players like Boldin.
Leach was cut and re-signed at a lesser value and Jones is out for 4-6 weeks with an MCL injury. Both came as to no surprise to most as Jones’ likelihood of injury has been increased significantly, given that the Ravens were set to rely on the 29-year-old more in the passing game as a receiver than in 2012. And to Leach? Yes, he is a Pro Bowl caliber fullback, but he was a part-time player for a one-back offense and didn’t warrant a multimillion dollar deal.
As for Boldin’s performance in San Francisco? It was just the second time in his 11-year career that the former Florida State Seminole amassed over 200 yards receiving. In fact, the first time he ever eclipsed the 200-yard receiving plateau was his first career NFL game as a rookie for the Arizona Cardinals as they fell to the Detroit Lions 42-24 on Sept. 7, 2003.
For a guy who was criticized in Baltimore for not being as productive as he was in Arizona, he certainly showed out as the No. 1 receiving threat for the 49ers with wide receivers like Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham missing in action due to injuries. Maybe it’s because the Ravens run the football significantly more than both the Cardinals and the 49ers. Maybe it’s because he played alongside Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona and a lot of pressure was taken off of his side. Or maybe the scheme with quarterback Collin Kaepernick is more effective for a guy like Boldin who doesn’t get separation using his athleticism.
Regardless, the 32-year-old is making a case that he is still a top-flight receiver and that the Ravens should be second-guessing their decision to part ways with the veteran wideout.
