Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Mackay from Pleasant Grove, Utah writes: Sandman - I find myself annoyed of my addiction to your blog, nonetheless you consistently do a fantastic job. I find myslef wanting in the mailbag section, though, because of the last two none have included "mail" about the Cardinals.
I have some general wonderings I hope you can resolve.
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1. Anquan Boldin - I think that he is a key player for my beloved Cards - but his injuries, attitude, and reported decline along with the amazing play of Larry Fitzgerald leads me to want the Cardinals to seek a lucrative trade. Do you feel that trading Boldin for a 1st and a 2nd or 3rd round pick would be a mistake for the Cardinals?
My thoughts are that letting Boldin go, who is a few years away(2-4)from major decline and acquiring a higher 1st round pick and say land Beanie Wells, and possibly Brandon Pettigrew with either a OT or DE in the second or third round be for the Cardinals, the greater good.
I know it is awesome to have such a wonderful receiving tandem, but a running game is more powerful than an absolutely elite receiving tandem.
Why not settle for one of the best, and a good running game instead of the best and a pitiful running game? Am I out in left field? Is the real issue the o-line and not the RB?
2. Linebacker - everyone but Dansby - they need help. Gerald Hayes is not the key player they need in the middle, and Okeafor is not very good. I think that picking up a great linebcker to help Dansby will help the defense in every aspect. Sometimes the quarterbacks had so much time to wander around that it would be impossible for any secondary to stop the pass. Wouldn't picking up an elite player like Peppers solve a huge problem on Defense?
Mike Sando: I think your item got cut off there because only so many characters are allowed via the mailbag tool. That's fine by me, though. I'll just re-read that opening part. Thanks much for that.
On Boldin, I don't think it's a sure thing the Cardinals would be able to command that much in return for Boldin. It takes only one team to do it and anything is possible, but I'm not yet convinced.
I also think Boldin has strong value to the Cardinals as long as Kurt Warner is the quarterback. Boldin has proven he'll play hard and remain a positive influence in the locker room and on the field. I've heard people suggest the Cardinals will "have to" trade Boldin to avoid going through another season with him being unhappy. Ken Whisenhunt correctly shot down that thinking by pointing to how well things went with an unhappy Boldin last season.
Boldin does not have a bad attitude, in my view. He didn't handle the situation with Todd Haley very well last season. He is frustrated. He could become increasingly vulnerable to his emotions as this stalemate continues. But for the most part, Boldin did handle himself professionally last season. He has such a long record of professionalism, in fact, that I would give him the benefit of the doubt.
On the linebackers, Chike Okeafor was better than you described him, in my view, but your overall thoughts seem well intended. The Cardinals could indeed use some young talent in their front seven.
While they would be better with Julius Peppers, they would have to trade draft choices to get him, probably, and then they would have to pay him big money. The Cardinals have enough work trying to re-sign their own guys, including Dansby and Boldin, without throwing a pile of money at another player who isn't happy with his current situation.
Note: I'll be responding to mailbag submissions throughout the weekend. Thanks much for getting in touch through the comments, the mailbag, our Facebook profile and Twitter account.
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