Anquan Boldin: One of the Most Overlooked Wide Receivers in History

Detroit Lions wide receiver Anquan Boldin saw his 14^th season end last night with a loss in Seattle. However, the wide receiver continues to make an impact even in this late stage of his career. Not many casual fans know of how consistent and effective Boldin has been through his career. A few factors have contributed to him not getting the shine that he deserves. Playing alongside great future Hall of Famers and playing for multiple teams are just a couple of factors that have contributed to him being underrated. When it comes to the Hall of Fame, Anquan Boldin will be a lock once he becomes eligible for consideration.

Boldin started off his career in 2003 with the Arizona Cardinals. He was an immediate threat catching 101 passes for over 1,300 yards in his rookie season. This set an NFL record for most receiving yards for a rookie wide receiver. Boldin was the only rookie to go to the Pro Bowl in 2004. He did have a bit of a sophomore slump in his 2^nd year, however, this is mainly due to an injury he suffered. Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald formed a premier wide receiver tandem of the NFL causing defenders to have fits whenever defenses played Arizona. During his Arizona tenure, he became the fastest player in NFL history to catch 500 career receptions. Unfortunately, the casual NFL fan seems to forget how vital he was to Arizona’s offense, due in part to the great Larry Fitzgerald and the insane amount of success he has obtained throughout his career. However, Boldin’s story did not end in Arizona.

In 2010, Anquan Boldin found himself with the Baltimore Ravens. He immediately became a favorite target for quarterback Joe Flacco, catching 7 passes for 110 yards in his Ravens debut. His first year as a Raven was the year he caught the most touchdown passes in his Baltimore tenure receiving 7 touchdowns. Boldin eventually secured his first Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in 2012, after having one of the best games for a wide receiver against the 49ers. In the Super Bowl, he caught 6 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. This same season was the year Boldin had his highest amount of passing yards (921), since his final year in Arizona. Ironically, he was traded to San Francisco the following off-season. He was a key contributor for them as well. Boldin had over 1,000 yards receiving in 2 out of his 3 years as a 49er. Now he is playing for the Detroit Lions, which has made him a bit of a journeyman. He was a weapon for Matthew Stafford this year catching 8 touchdowns on the season.  Unfortunately, the amount of teams he has now played for may also have a part in him being overlooked. Nevertheless, Anquan Boldin is not a 1 time Super Bowl Champion and 3 time Pro Bowler for nothing.

Anquan Boldin makes an impact off the field as well. Last season, he won the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award. This award honors a player’s volunteer work while he excels on the football field. Despite playing with future Hall of Famer’s like Larry Fitzgerald, Joe Flacco, and Patrick Willis, Boldin’s skill-set has been massively underrated. Yes, the man is a bit of a journeyman, but in today’s NFL, that is fairly common anymore. Boldin’s resume boasts his accomplishments and shows why he belongs in the Hall of Fame one day. The man is a Super Bowl Champion, 3 time Pro Bowler, Walter Peyton Man of the Year recipient, and former Rookie of the Year, which tells why Anquan Boldin is one of the best receivers of our time.

Wes Unseld: The Best Outlet Passer the NBA has Ever Seen

Outlet passing is often the forgotten art in the sport of basketball. It is one of the most fundamental plays if executed properly, yet not many players know how to do it effectively anymore. In today’s modern NBA, the premier outlet passer that jumps to mind is Kevin Love. However, what if I were to tell you that there was a player from back in the day who was even better at it? What if I were to tell you that player actually inspired Kevin Love to be the effective outlet passer he is today? That player would be former Washington Bullet Wes Unseld.

Wes Unseld is one of the most underrated stars in NBA history. Not many common fans know about him because he played in an era that was dominated by elite big men like Wilt Chamberlain and Willis Reed. Surprisingly enough, Unseld was the second player ever to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season along with Wilt. Unseld became a leader for the Bullets throughout his career leading them to a title over the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1978 season. Before you ask, yes he did win Finals MVP. However, there was an aspect of his game that separated Unseld from the common star. Outlet passing was an art form in the game that Unseld had perfected. If you go on YouTube and look up some of his highlights, you can see some of his biggest highlights were throwing a beautiful outlet pass that led to a score. Kevin Love has even admitted that Wes inspired him to be the great outlet passer he is today for the Cavaliers. Not surprising considering how often we have seen him throw a pass to LeBron or Kyrie that led to an easy score. Rumor has it that Unseld used to be able to throw the pass the entire length of the court almost hitting the back board and still have it lead to a basket for a teammate. Unseld’s passing ability helped lead him to a career assist average of 3.9 per game which is actually not bad for a big man, especially when you consider how long ago he played. One season he even averaged 5.2 assists per game. His outlet passing became legendary and shaped the way players conduct outlet passing to this day.

Wes Unseld will always be one of the most beloved figures in Washington Bullets history. He was as good of a rebounder as they come and despite battling knee trouble throughout his career, he still managed to be elite. Nevertheless, the one thing that will always separate him from his other star counterparts in his era was his outlet passing. Never before had the NBA seen a big man be able to throw an outlet pass as smooth as he did and he ended up revolutionizing this aspect of basketball. Next time you are watching a game and see Kevin Love execute a perfect outlet pass, just remember that you can thank Wes Unseld for that part of the game today.