Boldin returns to practice, hopes to return Sunday

 Anquan Boldin was back working out with his teammates Monday after missing two games with a head injury, and hopes to play Sunday at Carolina.

Boldin said he hopes to get wires taken out of his mouth today and get clearance from doctors. He said he suffered a concussion from the helmet-to-helmet hit by New York Jets defender Eric Smith on Sept. 28 and had fractures on both sides of his face.

“I’m a lot better,” Boldin said, adding he’s regained the 10 pounds or so he lost after the surgical procedure he underwent to repair the sinus fractures.

Boldin reiterated that he won’t change his approach or the way he plays the game.

He also indicated he harbors no ill will toward Smith, who was fined $50,000 and suspended for one game because of the hit.

“It was an unfortunate incident. A guy hit me from behind so I couldn’t absorb the blow like I usually do from the front.”

He noted that player safety issues have been a point of emphasis this season, “But that’s football... I don’t blame anybody. I chose to play this game. I’ll continue to play it. That’s the risk you take.”

Boldin said he heard quarterback Kurt Warner musing about retiring in part because he found the hit emotionally trying.

“I hope that doesn’t play into his decision. It’s football. You have unfortunate incidents. This is the risk we all take. We all know what we’re getting into when we sign up for this game.

“I hope he doesn’t let anything like that end his career.”

CHANGE OF POWER

The structure of competition in the NFC West changed during the Cardinals’ bye week.

Now, the once-lowly St. Louis Rams sit in second place at 2-4.

With the demise of Seattle (1-5), the longtime division king, the Rams — winners of two straight — could be the Cardinals’ chief competitor for the title and accompanying playoff spot.

Along the same lines, “Seems like a couple weeks ago, there weren’t a lot of people saying many good things about us,” Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

After wins over Buffalo and Dallas, “then people started to notice a little bit. It changes week to week.”

SOLID PRACTICE

The Cardinals had “a lot of energy” on Monday, their first practice day after the bye.

“A lot of times coming off a bye week, it’s kind of hard,” Whisenhunt said. It’s like getting up on Monday morning for most people. ... It’s hard to get out of bed and get going.

“Our guys are excited about what we’ve done and what we can do. They seemed attentive and worked hard.”

INJURY UPDATE

Defensive end/linebacker Travis LaBoy has a sore groin. “We’ll see how he works Wednesday,” Whisenhunt said.