Anquan Boldin
Anquan Boldin is a wide reciever for the Arizona Cardinals. He is number 81 and is 6'1 and 220 pounds.
Around the league tonight
Buffalo Bills founder Ralph Wilson Jr. has chosen ESPN personality Chris Berman as his presenter when he goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later this summer.
The Bills owner announced he had chosen his longtime friend Friday.
Other presenters include Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach for former wide receiver Bob Hayes; former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell for Bruce Smith; and former Chiefs president Carl Peterson for Derrick Thomas.
Randall McDaniel has picked his high school athletic director O.K. Fulton as his presenter, and Rod Woodson will be presented by business associate Tracy Foster.
The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio.
The Arizona Cardinals have signed two-time Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson to a new five-year contract that runs through the 2013 season.
Wilson is the hard-hitting leader of the Cardinals' defense and was a Pro Bowl selection in the 2006 and 2008 seasons. His old contract was due to expire after the coming season, and re-signing him was the Cardinals' top offseason priority.
The 29-year-old, entering his ninth NFL season, has 18 career interceptions and 18½ sacks. Only eight players in NFL history have at least 20 interceptions and 20 sacks.
Next on Arizona's list is a long-term deal for linebacker Karlos Dansby, who has been designated the team's franchise player for the second year in a row.
Once that happens, Cardinals general manager Rod Graves has said he will turn his attention to trying to work out a new deal with disgruntled Pro Bowl wide receiver Anquan Boldin.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will open training camp in Latrobe, Pa., on July 31 and will work out at Saint Vincent College through Aug. 20.
The first practice is scheduled for Aug. 1. Only afternoon practices will be open to the public.
The only evening practice will be Aug. 7 at Latrobe High School's stadium.
The Steelers will break camp before the second of their four exhibition games, shifting practice to their Pittsburgh training complex following their Aug. 22 game at Washington. Their first preseason game is Aug. 13 at home against Arizona, a rematch of last season's Super Bowl won by Pittsburgh.
Left tackle Joe Staley has agreed to a six-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers that will keep him with the club through 2017.
A first-round pick in 2007, Staley started every game at right tackle as a rookie before moving to the other end of the line last year to replace the injury-prone Jonas Jennings.
Staley has played every offensive snap in his first two seasons with San Francisco since joining the club from Central Michigan.
General manager Scot McCloughan lauded Staley's work ethic in commenting on a deal he says puts the Niners in a good position going forward.
Running back Patrick Pass is returning to the New England Patriots.
The team said today that it has signed a contract with Pass, who won three Super Bowls in seven seasons with the Patriots from 2000-2006.
Pass appeared in one game with the New York Giants in 2007 and was out of football in 2008. He's a longshot to make a Patriots roster that includes running backs Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
New England also released four players on Thursday: defensive lineman Kenny Smith, linebacker Angelo Craig, running back Omar Cuff and defensive back Marcus McClinton.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has returned to practice a day after he limped off the field following a collision with running back Willie Parker.
Roethlisberger had his left knee wrappedthe only sign of the mishap that occurred during the team's optional offseason workouts.
Roethlisberger apparently did not require treatment following the collision, although he was seen limping out of the Steelers' practice complex shortly after the workout ended Wednesday.
Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield is not participating in the team's offseason practices this week, a decision coinciding with stalled negotiations on a contract extension.
Winfield, who played in his first Pro Bowl in February, missed a mandatory minicamp last weekend to attend the funeral of a friend's mother. But he's been absent this week from organized team activities, the series of 14 non-padded practices held throughout the spring and early summer that aren't required but strongly encouraged.
Winfield wasn't the only one missing. Five other players from the 85-man roster weren't present Thursday, the only day practice was open this week to reporters. Running backs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor were among the absent, and coach Brad Childress said he wasn't sure if they'd participate in the remaining workouts this month.
"They have surprised me back and forth when they are in and out," Childress said.
Winfield's absence is different, considering he has entered the final year of the deal he signed with the Vikings in 2004 as a free agent. He skipped most of the offseason workouts in 2007, vaguely describing his reasons as a difference in communication styles with Childress and a frustration with the direction of the offense after lackluster production the year before.
Winfield missed six games that season to injuries, and said later that working out on his own was the wrong choice.
Childress said he spoke with Winfield on Tuesday after the cornerback's required physical exam. The coach declined to characterize Winfield's decision as contract-related or otherwise. He said he wasn't concerned "in and of itself" by the absence.
"He is the one that made the statement, 'I wouldn't miss again," Childress said. "And up until halfway through our offseason program he was perfect in his attendance. Like I said, it would be wrong for me to color it in any specific direction."
Winfield's agent, Ashanti Webb, didn't return a message seeking comment. Webb said last month that negotiations were at an impasse.
Safety Tyrell Johnson wasn't worried.
"There's so many moving parts. Antoine's a great player. He knows the system," Johnson said. "He's a veteran, so when he comes he'll pick up right where he left off last year."
Anquan Boldin Pictures
Anquan Boldin Articles
Featured Video Clip
About the Author
Top Sports Articles
 |
Hottest NFL Cheerleaders
Girls with short skirts and pom-pons root on their teams.
|
 |
10 Weirdest College Mascots
Sometimes it's better to just not have school spirit.
|
 |
So, Uh, Is Sammy Sosa Bleaching His Skin?
The slugger is looking significantly paler these days.
|
Popular Sports Zines
