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Anquan Boldin made his mark in Super Bowl XLVII. The Baltimore Ravens wide receiver had six catches for 104 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown catch in the Ravens’ 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. The most significant play of the game came in the fourth quarter for the Ravens, who were holding onto a 31-29 lead. It was third-and-inches from the Baltimore 45-yard line. Joe Flacco audibled out of a running play and went for a back-shoulder throw to Boldin. How did Boldin react? He pulled in the jump ball to keep the drive alive. Now Boldin is a Super Bowl champion. Anquan Boldin joined WNST in Baltimore with Glenn to discuss the feeling of winning the Super Bowl, the maturation of Joe Flacco, knowing this Ravens team had the talent to win the Super Bowl, a Super Bowl victory changing his legacy and keeping himself motivated after winning a Super Bowl.
Can you describe the feeling of winning the Super Bowl?
“I don’t think I can describe the feeling. I worked hard especially after losing the Super Bowl about four or five years ago. That’s been the one thing that has driven me. If you go the extra mile and put in the extra work it will definitely be a motivator, but to get back and win it all was a great feeling and to even have that opportunity. I know of guys in places who haven’t been to one Super Bowl and I got the chance to play in two, and to win one is unbelievable.”
What’s it meant for you to see Joe Flacco play this well?
“It means a lot. Whenever you see a guy, like you said, go through all the criticism that he has received from all the naysayers week-in and week-out, but the thing I like about him is that he stayed confident. He didn’t change anything about his game. He just went out every week and prepared the same. As time went on people started to realize how good of a quarterback this guy really is. He came out early in the season and said he was an elite quarterback. Not only did he say it, but he backed it up with his play. I think now his critics can’t be found.”
When did you know this season that the Ravens could go on a Super Bowl run?
“Well I thought that from the beginning. I sat in front of my team and I told them, ‘This is our year.’ I know everybody says that every year because a new season brings on new opportunity, but I still believed in my team and said this is our year and I told them, ‘We are going to go through a lot and when we do experience those disappointments don’t let down.’ That will only increase my faith in this team because I knew the kind of team we had in the locker room — guys that I know wouldn’t quit and guys that would persevere. I think over the course of time, when we went through the three-game losing streak, we got better as a team. We dealt with a bunch of injuries. We had a lot of young guys playing at that time, but I thought that only made us better because in the normal situation those young guys would have never gotten the opportunity to play and there’s different times where we called upon different guys in the postseason and that’s because they had different opportunities to come in and play in the regular season.”
Have you thought about how winning a Super Bowl will change your legacy and how you are viewed?
“I never looked at it like that. I think personally, I feel more complete as a player. From day one I have come into this league I’ve put up numbers. That’s been the thing. I’ve put up numbers here and there, but for me I don’t play this game for that. I play this game to be a champion and to be named the one true champion. I think anybody that has ever played football that’s been the dream that they have had. For me I feel complete as a player now.”
Do you have more goals now after winning a Super Bowl?
“I think you always have to stay goal-driven. I think if you allow yourself to sit back and enjoy what you’ve done you kind of lose that edge. Not saying you shouldn’t enjoy it. I definitely think that you should enjoy the moment. You should enjoy the right now, but while I am playing I never want to take the time out and look at what I am doing in the moment because I don’t want that hunger to leave. I think for me, as long as I am playing this game, I am going to stay humble. I think that’s the thing that keeps me driven.”
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