Boldin, Heap prepare to tangle with ex-teams

TEMPE, Ariz. Todd Heap and Anquan Boldin were polite in their comments about their former teams this week. Too polite. Heres Heap, the Cardinals tight end, on the Ravens decision to release him after the lockout ended. "It was something that obviously hit me out of left field. I had to take it all in stride, he said. Any time something like that happens, you look forward. Heres Boldin on the trade after the 2009 season that sent him and a fifth-round pick from Arizona to Baltimore in exchange for third- and fourth-round picks. "I can't speak for them, but I know it worked out great for me," the Ravens receiver said. "I definitely owe them a thank you." Cue Bill Cosbys Noah voice: Right! Heap and Boldin may be saying all the right things, but weve got a hunch those arent their full feelings on the topic. Boldin was downright miserable to be around his last year in Arizona the product of a protracted contract dispute. He wanted big money, reasoning correctly that hed been a warrior and a franchise player for the Cards since his rookie year of 2003. His rookie deal (2.6 million total) was set to expire after the 2006 season, but he made the unwise decision to renegotiate that deal before the 2005 season instead of becoming an unrestricted free agent. The Cards knew they had a contract renegotiation coming up with Larry Fitzgerald this season -- they agreed to an eight-year deal that could be worth 120 million -- and they knew they couldnt pay two receivers top dollar. So they dealt the unhappy Boldin. The Cards took receiver Andre Roberts with the third-round pick. The extra fourth-round pick allowed Arizona to trade for free safety Kerry Rhodes and still draft outside linebacker O'Brien Schofield. The whole reason behind the trade was because it was a good thing for both parties, said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, who believes its too early to judge the trade. I dont know that you can know that. Those young players really havent had an offseason, so the development of those guys sometimes has been slowed a little bit by that. Boldin hasnt slowed a bit. He caught 64 passes for 837 yards and seven TDs last season. Those numbers dont approach his five seasons with more than 1,000 yards in Arizona, but Baltimore ran the ball more effectively than the Kurt Warner-led Cards, with running back Ray Rice gaining 1,220 yards. Hes our veteran on offense, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Boldin. Hes a guy we want to make sure we keep involved in what were doing. Weve been a little inconsistent with that. We want to make sure we get him very involved, because when we do, we seem to do well on offense. Heap, who starred in high school and college in the Phoenix area, was a major part of that Ravens offense for 10 years, accounting for 467 catches for 5,492 yards and 41 touchdowns. The two-time Pro Bowler is the Ravens all-time leader in receiving TDs and is second in receptions and yards. So it came as a shock when he was released in a salary cap move that also took into account the fact that Baltimore had drafted tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta in 2010. We really had no choice, Harbaugh said. Im glad it worked out for him in terms of going back to Arizona. It was tough losing him. Todd, I am sure, was hoping to finish here. He handled it with class and grace, just what you would have expected. Heap isnt certain hell be able to play Sunday due to a lingering hamstring issue that has sidelined him for the past two games. But he hinted that he still hasnt let his release go completely. Any time youre let go or traded and you move to a different team, you feel like if theyre letting you go, they didnt have a need for you any more, he said. So you carry that with you a little bit. That was all he would reveal, which is far more than Boldin did. Im a Raven, and thats who I pay attention to, he said. Everything else is irrelevant to me. Maybe so, but if Heap can play Sunday, both players actions could say a lot more than their words.