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Boldin Not Shying Away From No. 1

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Anquan Boldin was surrounded by accomplished wide receivers last year.

He sat in the classroom alongside Derrick Mason, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Donte’ Stallworth.

Now with all three of those players gone from the Ravens’ roster, Boldin stands as Baltimore’s lone veteran wideout.

And he knows it’s his time to be the clear No. 1.

“I know why they brought me here,” Boldin said. “I don’t shy away from things like that.”

Anquan Boldin on Being the Veteran of a Young WR Group
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Part of that, Boldin said, means upping his production from a year ago.

Boldin caught 64 passes for 837 yards and seven touchdowns in his first year with the Ravens. The receptions and yardage were his lowest career numbers for a full-season’s work.

Affecting those numbers was that Joe Flacco had a familiar target on the other side in Mason, who notched a near-identical 61 catches for 802 yards and seven touchdowns.

While Mason had two seasons with Flacco, Boldin was trying to get accustomed to playing with a new quarterback. Their familiarity improved dramatically by the end of last year, but it’s still growing.

“We definitely feel the chemistry getting better,” Boldin said. “We’re starting to see the same things, we’re on the same page as far as this offense is concerned. I certainly see us having a better year together.”

The Ravens could add another receiver via free agency – including re-signing Mason – but for now Boldin is playing alongside six rookies, two second-year receivers, Marcus Smith, Justin Harper and Brandon Jones. Jones has the most experience (five years) outside of Boldin, but was out of football last season.

Second-round rookie Torrey Smith has spent time running opposite Boldin with the first-team offense. And fourth-rounder Tandon Doss has shown off his sticky hands with several fingertip grabs.

But they’ve still got a lot of catch-up work to do mentally. And Boldin has put in extra time trying to teach them the ropes.

It’s not something he’s unfamiliar with. The former Arizona Cardinal also tutored Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston and Early Doucet.

“I’ve been teaching since my rookie year. So I’m kind of used to that role,” Boldin said, adding that it’s good because it keeps him on his toes answering their questions.

“With Mase being gone, it’s like I’m that big brother of the wide receiver corps now.”


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