TEMPE, Ariz. — Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin practiced Wednesday and said he will play in Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Eagles.
Boldin said a trip to a Dallas chiropractor has greatly improved his strained left hamstring. The injury kept Boldin out of the Cardinals’ 33-13 victory at Carolina in Saturday’s divisional playoff game.
“I’ll be out there Sunday,” Boldin said after practice. “I don’t see there being any problems, no hindrances or anything like that.”
Westbrook vows to play
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, who has battled a variety of injuries this season, sat out practice but said he will play Sunday against the Cardinals.
“It’s frustrating when you’re not 100 percent,” Westbrook said. “I’ve been battling all year. I continue to be positive. I can do the things I need to do to help this team.”
Westbrook missed one game with an ankle injury and another with broken ribs. He also has sore knees that make it difficult for him to climb four steps to reach the podium for his weekly news conference. It’s no wonder with the way he hobbles that coach Andy Reid gives Westbrook time off during the week.
“Just being able to get my legs, my knees, my ankles a little bit of rest, I think it continues to help me recover a little bit better, a little bit more every week,” Westbrook said.
Browns hire coordinators
CLEVELAND — Eric Mangini, who took over as Cleveland’s coach only a week after being fired by the Jets, hired Brian Daboll as his offensive coordinator, Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator and Brad Seely as special-teams coach.
Daboll was Mangini’s quarterbacks coach in New York the past two seasons. Ryan, twin brother of Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, came over after five seasons as Oakland’s defensive coordinator and Seely was the Patriots’ special-teams coach for the past 10 seasons. All four worked together with the Patriots from 2000 to 2003.
Footnotes.
In his first news conference since being hired as general manager of the Chiefs, Scott Pioli would go no further than to say he intends to visit with coach Herm Edwards and he’s “actually looking forward to it.”
• Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is scheduled to interview with Raiders managing general partner Al Davis today for the team’s head coaching vacancy.
• A civil court jury in Lebanon, Pa., sided with Plaxico Burress over a local car dealer who sought $19,000 in damages after a vehicle he let the Giants receiver use ended up being seized by New York City police in connection with a 2005 shooting incident. Burress will only have to pay $1,700 to the dealer.
• Several months after he was charged with raping a South Carolina woman, former NFL running back David Meggett, 42, was in jail on allegations of another sexual assault in North Charleston, S.C.
Denver Post wire services
