Another day of NFL preseason, and there’s more bickering and disagreement coming out of Cardinals’ camp. Disgruntled wide receiver Anquan Boldin has reportedly reiterated a trade demand to Cardinals’ brass, who have told him he will not be traded.

Further reports indicate that the Cardinals’ last offer to Boldin was for roughly half of what Larry Fitzgerald’s new deal will pay him. What?

I have stated in the past that Anquan Boldin is, in my opinion, a better receiver than Larry Fitzgerald. The difference is miniscule at best. It’s like saying that Marisa Miller is hotter than Gisele Bundchen. Yeah, they’re both hot. It’s just a matter of personal preference. What the Cardinals are saying basically with their latest offer, is that Boldin is half the receiver that Fitzgerald is. I’m not backing Boldin in his quest for a new deal, either, but I have to admit, if I was him in this matter, I’d be pissed.

This whole saga has been a series of mistakes, and now has the potential to unravel a potential playoff season by the Cardinals. Let’s examine the mistakes.

Rod Graves is appointed the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals.

Anquan Boldin selects Drew Rosenhaus as his agent.

The Cardinals sign Larry Fitzgerald to a ridiculous contract as a rookie in 2004, that because of salary cap reasons, must be redone in the Spring of ‘08.

Boldin tells the Cardinals he’ll wait until the Fitzgerald deal is done to work on his new deal.

The Cardinals reportedly tell Boldin that he’ll be taken care of, yet have failed to do so.

Boldin misses ‘08 OTAs, and starts chirping in the press that the Cardinals lied to him, and he no longer wants a new deal, and would prefer to be traded.

The Cardinals reportedly offer Boldin a new deal worth half of what Fitzgerald is making. That sound you just heard was a slap in the face.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who is not the general manager of the team, for some reason, sits in on a meeting concerning the renegotiation of Boldin’s contract, creating a chasm between the coach and the player.

Boldin tells several outlets that he is not speaking with Coach Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt retorts that the pair talk every day at practice. Uh-oh, somebody’s lying.

I think that about covers it, and leaves us off where we are now, but there’s still a lot of questions floating around…

Why can’t athletes (yes, even football players) honor their original contracts?

If the Cardinals arrived at the fact that they were going to offer an extension to Boldin, how did they arrive at a figure worth half as much as Fitzgerald’s?

Do the Cardinals really want a disgruntled star player under contract for this year and two more?

So, I guess the answer to the question posed in the above headline is ‘nobody’. Everyone involved has dropped the ball in this situation, dropping the ball is not normal in the career of Anquan Boldin. His change of demeanor might be the most disappointing aspect of all of this. Nothing is ever easy with this football team. Should we expect anything different?

Join the discussion at The Fanster Forums. Arizona Sports 24/7.