Now, after being traded from the Arizona Cardinals to the Baltimore Ravens this past off-season, Boldin has his own spotlight, and he is leaving corner backs in the dark.
In (2-1) Baltimore's 24-17 victory over the (0-3) Cleveland Browns, Boldin was unstoppable, catching 8 balls for 142 yards, including 3 touchdowns. Boldin even completed a pass, although it was for a 6 yard loss. Nevertheless, his performance in Week 3 was enough to be named the ManSpeak NFL Player of the Week.
Not only did Boldin have an outstanding week, but he also reached a career milestone by catching his 600th ball in his 98th game, the fastest in NFL history.
A game like this, even against a weaker opponent, is exactly why the Ravens acquired Boldin over the off-season and when asked if he can make a difference Boldin agreed.
"To go out and have a performance like that, it feels good. I guess so. I was told to come here and be myself, and whatever that entails, going out and making plays whenever they need it."
The Ravens not only acquired Boldin to go out and make plays, but to also provide a go-to target for their 3rd year quarterback Joe Flacco.
Flacco has struggled this season, including a 4 interception performance in a loss on the road to the (2-1) Cincinnati Bengals in week 2. Head coach John Harbaugh is happy to have Boldin as a target for his young, developing quarterback.
"I think he did what he does," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He's a very physical player. He's got deceptive speed. He's got really strong hands. He'll go up and get balls in traffic."
If the Ravens plan on making it to the Super Bowl this season, as many experts have predicted, Boldin will need help and Flacco will need to play better. Baltimore has received little production from Ray Rice (202 rushing yards) and T.J. Houshmandsadeh (2 receptions). These two will need to be better for Baltimore.
Either way. Boldin has learned to play in purple this season and is this week's ManSpeak NFL Player of the Week.
Follow Corey Rudd on Twitter @themanspeak
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