Anquan Boldin

At 31, Anquan Boldin is the oldest receiver on the Ravens roster by a few years (newcomer Jacoby Jones is closest in age at 27). Some of his fellow wide-outs were in middle school when he broke into the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals nine years ago, and they no doubt grew up watching him score touchdowns on TV. Boldin laughed Wednesday when asked about resuming his leadership role among the Ravens' relatively inexperienced wide receiving corps....

At 31, Anquan Boldin is the oldest receiver on the Ravens roster by a few years (newcomer Jacoby Jones is closest in age at 27). Some of his fellow wide-outs were in middle school when he broke into the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals nine years ago, and they no doubt grew up watching him score touchdowns on TV. Boldin laughed Wednesday when asked about resuming his leadership role among the Ravens' relatively inexperienced wide receiving corps....

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Ike Taylor, who Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin matched up with at times last Sunday, certainly does his share of talking on the field. However, Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan's reputation stands alone.  Finnegan, a Pro Bowl starter in 2008, has been disciplined several times by the NFL because of his on-field antics, including last November when he had a fist fight with Houston Texans star wide receiver Andre Johnson. His reputation as one of the NFL's biggest agitators is well documented.

Here's a look at recent media coverage of the Ravens. * In his weekly mailbag for ESPN.com, AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley discusses the odds of Anquan Boldin returning to Pro Bowl form next season with the Ravens . The odds aren't great that Boldin will become a Pro Bowl receiver in 2012. During the past two offseasons -- even during the lockout -- Flacco and Boldin spent time throwing around the ball in an attempt to improve chemistry. The addition of Boldin hasn't worked as planned.

Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald in August signed an eight-year, $120 million contract extension, one that has made him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. He's not very happy right now, though. He misses Anquan Boldin. Frustrated by Arizona's 1-4 start, Fitzgerald vented to The Arizona Republic about the lack of a legitimate wingman to keep defenses honest, something Boldin was doing before the Ravens acquired him in 2010. "Here's the one small thing that everyone forgets about when Kurt [Warner]

Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin doesn't talk a lot, but he is never at a loss for words. So when the Ravens were stinking up the Georgia Dome Thursday night in Atlanta, Boldin delivered a halftime speech to his teammates. Apparently, some of them didn't get the message, because after quarterback Joe Flacco threw an interception on the Ravens first possession of the third quarter, it was on. And Boldin went off. In front of a national TV audience, Boldin ripped into his offensive teammates in a speech that would have made Gen. George S. Patton proud.

Numbers no longer weigh on Anquan Boldin's mind. That's why the ninth-year veteran didn't make too much of his first 100-receiving yard day of the season in the Ravens' 29-14 victory over the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday. "I think, for me, I'm past stats," Boldin said. "My whole career has been built around that [not caring about stats]. I'm just to the point now where I want to win a championship. Whatever that takes, I'm going to do it. " Nonetheless, Boldin's eight-catch, 132-yard performance was a welcome sight for a receiving corps that played without fellow starter Lee Evans for the third consecutive game.

Anquan Boldin's toughness has been defined by one hit in September 2008 — a violent helmet-to-helmet shot while trying to make a touchdown catch over the middle that knocked him out and shattered his face. Multiple facial fractures had to be repaired by 40 titanium screws and seven plates. The wide receiver's displaced jaw had to be wired to realign his bite. Then, as if he were coming back from a broken finger instead of a broken face, Boldin returned to the field after two missed games to make nine catches.

If wide receiver Derrick Mason follows through on his retirement announcement - he told ESPN on Monday that he's "99 percent" sure - his unexpected departure would leave the Ravens with few options to replace him. It's like trying to shop on Christmas Eve - everything you would want is probably gone. Instead of having one of the NFL's sure things (Mason has caught at least 80 passes in five of the past six seasons), the Ravens face a situation in which they might have to gamble to fill the void he leaves as far as production and leadership.

I'm not sure what popular sentiment is about this Anquan Boldin news, but it seems pretty simple to me: If the Ravens have a chance, they must pull the trigger on the trade. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/toydept)

Terrell Owens didn't play in the NFL in 2011, and the 38-year-old is currently playing for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. T.O. said Wednesday that there is no question he can still help an NFL team. And he cited the Ravens as a team that proves his point (that sound you hear is the rumor mill beginning to churn). “I know I can play. That's not even a question that I can play. You look at the NFC Championship and the AFC Championship. You look at those games, especially the NFC championship.

It didn't take long for Anquan Boldin to make his presence known. The first ball quarterback Joe Flacco threw in the wide receiver's direction ended up as a 21-yard completion that led to a Billy Cundiff 48-yard field goal and a seven-point lead that the Ravens eventually turned into a 20-13 win against the Houston Texans Sunday in an AFC divisional playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium. It was quite an entrance for Boldin, who was playing in his first game after sitting out the final two contests of the regular season due to surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his knee.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin has won a court settlement after his former agent failed to pay back a $170,000 loan that the player gave him to start a sports business, according to federal court papers filed in Florida. But the case was complicated after the agent, Darrell Eugene Wills, declared bankruptcy, claiming he owed creditors, including Boldin, more than $1 million. Court papers filed in federal court in Tallahassee, Fla., say that Boldin sued Wills in April last year alleging default on the loan.

The anticipated return of wide receiver Anquan Boldin would seem to indicate that Lee Evans will surrender his starting role and line up as the Ravens' third receiver. Evans didn't seem to argue against that line of thinking Wednesday, but he seemed unconcerned about such a possibility. “Things may change,” he said. “They might try to do different packages, but I don't know. I don't know how it will play out. I think we'll certainly have a three-wide package, things like that, like we did before.

The Ravens finished the regular season by winning two games despite inconsistent gains from their passing attack. That problem could be remedied by the return of Anquan Boldin. The team's top wide receiver over the past two seasons is set to return this week from knee surgery in anticipation of the club's opening playoff contest AFC Divisional round Jan. 15, and Boldin said he has no qualms about the health of his knee. “I feel good,” Boldin said in the locker room under Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati after the Ravens' 24-16 win against the Bengals Sunday evening.

The Ravens finished the regular season by winning two games despite inconsistent gains from their passing attack. That problem could be remedied by the return of Anquan Boldin . The team's top wide receiver over the past two seasons is set to return this week from knee surgery in anticipation of the club's opening AFC Divisional game round Jan. 15. "I feel good," Boldin said after the Ravens' 24-16 win against the Bengals Sunday....

I wouldn't give up a first- and third-round pick for Anquan Boldin. He's a good player, and he could help the Ravens, but the Ravens have built through the draft and should continue to do it that way. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ravensinsider)

Terrell Owens didn't play in the NFL in 2011, and the 38-year-old is currently playing for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. T.O. said Wednesday that there is no question he can still help an NFL team. And he cited the Ravens as a team that proves his point (that sound you hear is the rumor mill beginning to churn). “I know I can play. That's not even a question that I can play. You look at the NFC Championship and the AFC Championship. You look at those games, especially the NFC championship.

The disappointment felt by Ravens fans after Lee Evans failed to make a catch in the Ravens' 20-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday was palpable. But it didn't exceed the amount of disappointment the wide receiver had in himself. Even five days later, Evans was still putting the onus on himself to make plays for the offense. “I expect myself to play well,” he said. “I have high expectations for myself, and I know what that looks like. So we're trying to get to that point.” The expectation is that Evans would be able to fill in for the injured Anquan Boldin, the team's leading receiver who is out until at least the playoffs after undergoing surgery to repair a slightly torn meniscus in his knee.

When coach John Harbaugh announced last week that Anquan Boldin was undergoing surgery to repair a slightly torn meniscus in his knee, Harbaugh said the Ravens wide receiver would not return until the playoffs at the earliest. Boldin is accelerating that timetable a bit as he has no longer been ruled out by the team for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. The team described Boldin as having participated on a limited basis in Friday's practice and changed his designation from out to doubtful.