TEMPE, Ariz. -- Playing the Arizona Cardinals isn’t a big deal anymore to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin.
He already had the emotional reunion in 2011 when the Cardinals played in Baltimore when Boldin was a Raven. Sunday’s game won’t be the same, however.
"It’s just another game for me," Boldin said. "It’s a divisional game.
“I barely know any of the guys there so it’s not a big deal for me.”
Boldin does not have a house in Arizona anymore and has made Florida, where he grew up and went to college, his home base.
In his seven seasons with the Cardinals, Boldin had 7,520 receiving yards and caught more than 1,000 yards in a season five times. He has yet to hit that mark since leaving the Cards after the 2010 season.
Former Cardinals and Florida State University teammate Darnell Dockett said Boldin, who he affectionately calls "Q," was one of the best players he has ever been around. But playing against Boldin on Sunday will be no different for Dockett than it was two years ago in Baltimore.
“Same way you see him in the Baltimore Ravens,” Dockett said. “Same thing.
“It’s no different. We got mutual respect for each other.
“It’s a game that has to be played.”