My Anquan Boldin Blog

The Arizona Cardinals have elevated their play in recent years and turned into one of the more formidable teams in the National Football League. This is a proud franchise, but a franchise that has gone through some long losing sessions both in Arizona, in their previous home of St. Louis, and in their first home of Chicago. The success that the team is experiencing now is a direct result of some of the great players they have on their roster. Here then is a look at five fun facts about five Arizona Cardinals football players.

Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner has played a huge role in the turnaround of the Arizona Cardinals. The first touchdown pass that Warner threw in the NFL went to tight end Roland Williams and came in the 2nd quarter of a 27-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 while he was playing for the St. Louis Rams. His first touchdown pass with the Arizona Cardinals went to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and came in the third quarter of a 42-19 loss to the New York Giants during week one of the 2005 NFL season.

Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald is one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the National Football League and contributes in a big way to the Arizona Cardinals exciting style of play. During the 2008 season, Fitzgerald had 100 or more yards receiving in 11 of the 16 games he played in.

Anquan Boldin
Anquan Boldin has put up great numbers during his college career with the Florida State Seminoles and during his professional career with the Arizona Cardinals. He has gone to multiple Pro Bowls and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003. His receiving numbers in high school were not very good at all though. This is misleading though because in high school he played quarterback, led his team to an undefeated season, and was named the state of Florida's "Mr. Football".

Tim Hightower
Tim Hightower, with a reputation as a running back that lacked speed and came from a small college, has come on to be one of the bright spots of the Arizona Cardinals offense. His durability and production were put on display during his rookie year when even though he started only seven games, he would score ten touchdowns. The Cardinals can trace their franchise history back to the early days of the NFL in the first half of the 1900s. With all that history though, Tim Hightower is the first Cardinals rookie to score touchdowns in each of his first two games with the franchise.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
When looking at the success of the Arizona Cardinals, it would be a mistake to not also credit part of that success to the defense. One of the best defenders on the team is defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Rodgers-Cromartie is a cousin to San Diego Chargers star cornerback Antonio Cromartie and during childhood he had surgery to remove a non-functioning kidney.

With great players like this, it isn't hard to figure out why the Arizona Cardinals are riding such a great streak of success in the National Football League. As long as the team keeps an eye on their talent on the field, there is no reason to think they will return to their previous level of lack of success anytime soon.

Interested in more great Arizona Cardinals trivia and facts? Check out everything that is available at IQFB.com! IQFB has a wealth of info about the Cardinals as well as great football facts and trivia about other teams and players too. IQFB... Get Football Smart!

It's not a sin to root for the Arizona Cardinals in 2008 (even if you live in Tampa Bay)-and one has to give them some credit for at least improving their 5-11 record in 2006. Last year they finished the season 8-8. What do you know; Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt may be doing something right. Whisenhunt started coaching in 2007 and turned the team around working with relatively little to start with. The team's offense improved, and that's no surprise since Whisenhunt is known for his successful offensive strategies that he pioneered over at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

One question that remained for the 2008 season would be the NFL Draft. The team had plenty of holes to replace, including a top caliber athlete in positions of offensive tackle, linebacker and cornerback. Even before Whisenhunt jumped aboard this sinking ship, only to redirect it on course, the team had historically been very adept at choosing their draft picks over the last four years. How did the team fare this year?

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a cornerback from Tennessee State, received a good reception from fans and media critics. Experts speculate that his grand performance at the Senior Bowl probably moved him up a few notches on the draft-even if he remains relatively untested. Calais Campbell was also questioned, as he doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the team's defensive mindset. Few would go so far as to say that Arizona chose poorly; these are promising young athletes. The consensus is merely that they will have to be worked with at a faster pace than usual if Arizona is going to see a substantial change. The lack of big playmakers in the draft is still a concern, especially since Arizona is still going through a difficult growing pain stage.

What do you think? Will Whisenhunt bring the team together for a more competitive season or is the rebuilding process nowhere near started? The last couple of years have seen some amazing growth in the talent pool of this franchise. With veterans like Kurt Warner, Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald and third year superstar Anquan Boldin, you would think they would have all the necessary tools to compete. It looks promising that this year they could break their 8 and 8 finish of last year and be playoff contenders.