Mason returns despite speculation that the trade for Anquan Boldin diluted the Ravens’ interest and need for the 36 year old veteran.  Some members of the media suggested that Boldin and Mason’s style of play was too similar making Mason’s addition redundant.  I personally don’t think their styles are all that alike.  Sure they are both relatively slow and therefore not the classic deep-threat, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the same.  I see Mason as a rock-solid route runner and the perfect possession receiver, while Boldin is more of a Clydesdale.  Boldin is a violent runner who just needs the ball and a tiny bit of space to build momentum.  Mason will run the sideline routes and Boldin will slash towards the middle of the field.  I think the two will work well together. Boldin has been accused of being a diva in the past, but you know he doesn’t mind sharing the ball with other big name receivers.

The Ravens, a team traditionally focused on defense, have now made three offseason moves to acquire/retain three wide receivers.  Boldin, Mason, Stallworth, and Clayton sure sounds better than Mason, Clayton, Kelley, and Williams doesn’t it? 

So what does this mean for the upcoming draft?  I personally feel it gives Ozzie and the Ravens the freedom to do a number of things with the 25th pick.  They could trade down an increase their picks in this deep draft; they could address their defensive needs; or they could just pick best-player-available.  I don’t think there’s a wrong answer.  Personally I’d like to see them add a pure pass rusher, but I won’t be mad if Jermaine Gresham is available and the Ravens scoop him up.  What if Taylor Mays is still on the board?  Safety is not a crucial need for the Ravens, but it would be hard to pass up that kind of talent.  The thing I don’t want to see happen is the Ravens stretch to fill a need…that’s how teams pass up perennial pro bowlers for draft busts.  Before the recent offseason moves the Ravens might have been pressured to stretch for an Arrelious Benn.  It’s uncharacteristic for Ozzie and company to reach for any player, but without the recent acquisitions the emphasis to address the wide receiver position would have been overwhelming.  Now the Ravens have no reservations influencing what they do with their first selection in the 2010 draft.

What would you do if you were the Ravens GM?

~ Pat Cary

If you told me that the Ravens were going to outrush the Steelers by 127 yards; win the turnover and time of possession battles; and hold Big Ben to under 260 passing yards I would venture to say that they would be 9-6 and assured a playoff berth.  Good teams don’t lose in that scenario. 

Yesterday’s game was a microcosm of the Ravens’ 2009 season…a talented team that doesn’t play like a cohesive unit.  Undisciplined is another word you could use to describe this bunch that continually produces double digit penalty flags.  It’s hard enough to win in the NFL and this team isn’t good enough to give their opponents 100 plus penalty yards on a regular basis.  The Ravens’ dominant third quarter performance gave a glimpse of how good this team could be, but their fourth quarter self-imposed meltdown was more indicative of their true identity. 

My biggest concern going into the game was the ability of the Ravens makeshift secondary to stop Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh aerial attack.  The absence of Ed Reed for the fourth straight week didn’t help to ease my mind, but I have to say that the DB’s held their own.  I realize that Frank Walker’s late pass interference call negated Tom Zbikowski’s INT and effectively ended the game, but that’s not why the Ravens lost this one.  The DB’s and the defense as a whole played well and put the Ravens in a position to win on the road. 

I think the biggest help to the secondary was the pressure that the defense was able to apply.  Pittsburgh’s offensive line is not the strong suit of the team, but the same could be said for the Ravens’ defensive line.  The four sacks registered by the Ravens on Sunday was a lofty total compared to their normal output and helped keep the Steelers passing attack in check.  That being said, there were times that Roethlisberger had all day to sit in the pocket and surprisingly the coverage was able to hold up fairly well. 

To be honest I gave the Ravens little chance of coming out of Western PA with a victory, so I guess I can take some solace in the fact that they outplayed the Steelers.  If the Ravens had to lose that game I’d rather them lose it the way they did rather than be completely outmatched. 

As disheartening as the Ravens’ latest performance was they still manage to find themselves in the driver’s seat needing only a win over the 5-10 Oakland Raiders to assure them a wildcard spot.  The Ravens need to soundly beat the Charlie Frye or JaMarcus Russell led Raiders, so they can have some momentum going into the playoffs.  No one will call the Ravens a Super Bowl contender, but I assure you that they are a scary team to face when playing well. 

~ Pat Cary

Another scattered cloud on an otherwise sunny weekend for the Ravens was the season ending injury suffered by rookie standout Lardarius Webb.  Webb is thought to have torn his right ACL during a punt return block.  As the injury list grows by the week for the Ravens the area where they can least afford to lose personnel is in the defensive backfield.  Webb has been the Ravens’ primary option opposite Domonique Foxworth ever since Fabien Washington went down for the season with his own ACL tear in the week nine loss to Cincinnati.  With cornerback Samari Rolle done for the foreseeable future the Ravens turn to the rotation of Chris Carr and Frank Walker to replace Webb.  The Ravens also acquired second year DB Marcus Paschal, who appeared in three games for the Eagles last season and played sparingly against the Bears.  I don’t know about you, but those options make me very nervous, especially when I think about the talented Steeler receivers.  I shutter when I imagine Frank Walker matching up against Hines Ward or Mike Wallace in the fourth quarter with the Ravens clinging onto a three point lead. 

Chris McAlister was recently cut by the Saints and could provide some much needed depth for the Ravens, but the odds of Harbaugh welcoming CMac back to Baltimore are slim.  I don’t think that CMac is the answer as a starter, but could definitely help the Ravens in their nickel and dime packages. 

As previously stated, the return of Chris McAlister is unlikely, so the Ravens will need to do a lot of little things better to effectively defend the pass.  They’ll need to mix their coverage and their pre-snap looks in order to cause confusion.  They’ll also need to find a way to consistently pressure the QB.  After recording just two sacks in their previous four games, the Ravens sacked Jay Cutler twice on Sunday and pressured him fairly regularly throughout the game.  The Ravens’ pressured better against the Bears, but their efforts will need to continue to improve against the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger is so good, because he extends plays and makes plays in the fourth quarter.  If the Ravens can’t pressure Roethlisberger better than they’ve pressure any other QB this season those corners could be in for a long day. 

A couple open-ended, quick fire questions for you:

• Will Webb’s injury hurt the Ravens’ defense or special teams worse?
• With over 850 receptions and nearly 11,000 yards is Derrick Mason a Hall of Famer?
• Could Michael Oher surpass Jared Gaither as the left tackle of the future?
• Will the Ravens beat the Steelers?

This Ravens team has fought through a lot of adversity this season, but they find themselves in a good position…win the next two and you’re in the playoffs.  All you have to do is get into the playoffs and anything can happen. 

~ Pat Cary

It’s an old football cliché, but when you settle for field goals, especially off turnovers, you set yourself up for failure.  The Ravens’ defense forced Peyton Manning and Indy’s offense into three turnovers, but only had six points to show for their efforts.  Toss in a fourth quarter Indy goal line stand and a Joe Flacco INT and you have a recipe for disaster. 

This game was so crucial for the Ravens who saw the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinatti Bengals unexpectedly fall to weak AFC West opponents. The Ravens had a prime opportunity to knockoff unbeaten Indy, improve their record to six and four, and stay atop the wildcard pack.  Instead the theme of the day was blown opportunity. 

The offense was able to move the ball fairly well against an injury bitten Indy defense, but couldn’t seal the deal with touchdowns.  Cam Cameron committed to running the ball with 31 attempts, but the o-line weren’t able to blow the undersized defenders back at the point of contact.  This marks the fourth straight week the Ravens rush the ball for less than a four yards per carry average.  Rice is a hell of a player, but we need that big bruising back to run in-between the tackles.  That person used to be LeRon McClain, but McClain has been underutilized as a tailback this season.  Frankly, I’m not quite sure McClain has the quickness needed to be a dominant tailback in the NFL

Another factor contributing to the Ravens lack of offensive production is the fact that our wide receivers get little to no separation.  I realize that Derrick Mason had a huge day, but many of his catches came under duress.  Outside of Mason the Ravens wide receivers had a total of two catches for 18 yards.  Bottom line, this offense would be a force if Flacco had a big fast option opposite Mason.  There’s no white knight receiver available to the Ravens at this point, so let’s continue this conversation in April.

Billy Cundiff looked to be a just what the Ravens needed, but instead of  turning in a five-for-five Matt Stover-like performance, he missed a chip shot that would have been the difference in the game.  I’m not blaming the loss on Cundiff though, because the Ravens’ offense left so many points on the field. 

In all honesty the season’s not over, but if we lose to Pittsburgh next week it will be.  Perhaps Harbaugh can get his first victory against the Roethlisberger-less Steelers.   

~ Pat Cary

P.S. Can someone on the Ravens’ coaching staff please tell Ed Reed that he is no longer allowed to lateral the ball on returns of any kind.  I realize that the Ravens would have had the ball on their own 41 yard line with about 17 seconds left on the clock, but at least they would have had a chance.

I’d hate to let my Baltimorean paranoia get the better of me by spouting off about conspiracy theories, but when did it become illegal to hit Tom Brady?  Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs were both called for roughing the passer during Sunday’s game.  Ngata drew a flag for lightly touching Brady’s helmet, which negated a third down and nine stop by the defense.  Suggs was called for stumbling forward and falling in the direction of Brady’s knee…Brady even prompted the ref to throw the flag.  All in all the Ravens had nine penalties called against them for 85 yards.  There were several flags thrown at critical parts of the game.   One of the more inopportune flags came on the Patriots first possession of the third quarter when Chris Carr was flagged for illegal contact on third down and ten.  I didn’t see an infraction and apparently neither did John Harbaugh as CBS camera’s caught him screaming, “that was a bullsh*t call!” to the line judge.  Harbaugh’s outburst resulted in a personal foul call against the Ravens, their third 15-yard violation of the day.

In addition to the untimely penalties the Ravens lost starting left tackle Jared Gaither, who was carted off the field in the second quarter, for most of the game.  Gaither appeared to suffer a head/neck injury, which caused him to be carted off the field and sent to Massachusetts General Hospital.  The good news is that Gaither has movement in all extremities, but we’ll have to wait to see how long the injury will keep him sidelined.  The news for Brendon Ayanbadejo, however, was not so good.  A game after being named the AFC’s defensive player of the week, Ayanbadejo will likely have to undergo season-ending surgery on his torn quadriceps tendon.  This injury has to be a huge blow for Ayanbadejo who was seeing his role with the Ravens expand from special teams ace to regular contributor on defense. 

Despite all the adversity the Ravens kept battling back.  On fourth and four, with less than a minute left in the game, Joe Flacco fired a strike right between the eight and nine on Mark Clayton’s jersey only to see the ball bounce off his chest.  If Clayton would have made that routine catch the Ravens would have had a time out and four shots at the endzone from within their own ten yard line. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Ravens would have punched in the go-ahead score if Clayton would have been able to convert on fourth down. 

This had game had the makings of a benchmark victory for the Ravens.  It would have been about as big as a non-playoff-berth-cinching regular season win could be.  Instead we, as Ravens fans, are left with our disappointment and thoughts of what could have been.  To me it’s on par with the disappointment I felt after the Ravens overtime loss in Pittsburgh last season…Okay, let me take a deep breath…The Ravens are 3-1 and playing the Cincinnati Bengals at home next week for sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

The Good:  The Ravens offense looked good with the exception of Flacco’s INT in the redzone to end the half and Clayton’s terrible drop to end the game. The Ravens outgained the Pats in total yards (363 to 319); they ran the ball at a 6.8 yard per carry clip; and they converted third downs at with a 64% efficiency.  Furthermore, Flacco and company were able to stay poised and composed on the road against a Bill Belichick defense. 

I would have liked to have seen the Ravens rush the ball more than 17 times in the game.  When you can run the ball effectively it’s always a more attractive option than passing, because there is less risk involved.  The Ravens, however, were able to take advantage of a young and inexperienced (with the exception of Shawn Springs) New England secondary on their first offensive possession.  During the Ravens opening drive Flacco accounted for 86 yards with his right arm alone, including a 20 yard TD pass to Derrick Mason.  The Ravens set the tone with the pass, but they might have been able to win the time of possession battle if they would have mixed in more rushing attempts. 

The Bad:  Special teams, with the exception of punter Sam Koch, have performed pretty poorly.  The kickoff and kickoff return teams are especially disappointing.   It be nice to see kicker Steve Hauschka send some kickoffs into the endzone…wasn’t that one of the major benefits in going with him over the weaker legged Matt Stover? 

In addition to his mediocre returns Chris Carr has now fumbled twice in this young season, both fumbles occuring on the road.  Carr’s first fumble, in San Diego, landed safely out of bounds, but that wasn’t the case when Carr coughed up the ball on the opening kickoff of Sunday’s game. Rookie Lardarius Webb, who had fumbling issues of his own in the preseason, replaced Carr as the returner late in the game and was able to give the Ravens a small spark. 

The Ugly:  I don’t think one aspect of the Ravens effort could be classified as “ugly”.  I hate to harp on the officiating, but it was terrible.  I saw Harbaugh mouth “it’s like 11 on 12 out there” to one of the officials.  The refs put the Ravens at an disadvantage with some of their calls, but they didn’t lose the game for them.  Every unit could have played better, but the bottom line is that the Ravens were a dropped pass away from marching into Gillette Stadium and earning a hard fought road win against one of the NFL’s best teams. 

~ Pat Cary

According to Coach Harbaugh we should be optimistic that Mr. Mason will grace us with at least one more season in the purple and black. I’ve never been much of an optimist, so I’m already thinking of life after Mason. I’ll stick by my previous sentiments that the problem with the Ravens receiving corps is one of depth not lack of talent form the starters. Frankly though, I didn’t realize how much of a depth problem we had at the wide receiver position. In a league where you’re almost guaranteed multiple starters will miss games due to injury you have to have depth at every position. Depth in today’s NFL is a feat not easily accomplished in light of free agency, salary cap, and 53 man rosters.

My fears were lulled by gleaming OTA performance evaluations of Demetrius Williams, Kelley Washington, and Marcus Smith and the fact that we had trusty ole number 85 anchoring the crew. The news of Mason’s retirement, however, woke up those old apprehensions very quickly. Do I see potential in Marcus Smith despite him not catching a pass last season? Yes. Do I think Williams can return to his rookie season form and be a relevant slot receiver? Yes. Bottom line, however, Mark Clayton is the only proven receiver who hasn’t announced his retirement on this Ravens’ roster. And even Clayton is considered by some to be a bust. I personally thought Clayton was due for a breakout season in ’09 opposite Mason, but I have my doubts if he is our number one option.

The crew of second and third rate of receivers… ‘A few has-beens and a couple never-will-bes’…that the Ravens are considering as replacements aren’t setting my world on fire (see Drew Bennett, D.J. Hackett, and Joe Horn). I do think Marvin Harrison could serve as a adequate bandage for a season, in fact, I think the Ravens should make him an offer even if Mason decides to unretired…depth my friend, depth. I am pleased to see that the team doesn’t appear to be readying themselves to be the victim of a fleecing at the hands of the Cardinals, or Broncos. We’re too young/solid a team to broker significant pieces of our roster and/or draft picks on a misfit or a 28 year old diva.

John Harbaugh is confident that with or without Mason the Ravens will be a very good team in 2009. That’s exactly what he is supposed to say and exactly what I hope he truly believes. Being a good team in 2009 is nice, especially in this age of parity, but it’s not good enough. We were a good team last season; this is our year to be a serious Super Bowl contender. Now I know we came just one game short of the Super Bowl last season, but even I, a die-hard Ravens fan, knew deep down that we weren’t getting past the Steelers on the road. That game was impossible for us to win. The black birds had a rookie quarterback, rookie head coach, and a banged up team who enjoyed their bye week in mid September. The odds were stacked against us last January, but this team…this team is the right mix of explosive young talent and veteran leadership. We need Mason to come back and play hard for one more season.

~ Pat Cary

After 12 seasons, 790 receptions, 52 touchdowns, and over 10,000 yards, wide receiver Derrick Mason is calling it quits. This shocking news comes less than 10 days after long-time friend and teammate Steve McNair’s tragic murder. Moreover, this comes just a few months after Mason lobbied the Ravens’ brass for a contract extension. Mason cites a lack of enthusiasm as the reason behind his decision.

Mason’s decision really puts this 2009 Ravens team in a tough spot. After addressing talent and depth issues in the defensive backfield the weak spot on this Ravens team shifted to a thin receiving corp. Many fans felt like we needed to add a deep threat receiver even with Mason still on the team. I was of the opinion that our starters (Mason and Clayton) were above average, Clayton due for a breakout year, and that we just needed a slot receiver to develop. I was not ready to hit the panic button…that has now changed.

Mason was a rare player, a workman-like receiver. He was also a consummate professional and Joe Flacco’s security blanket/developmental tool.

What will the Ravens do now? Are we at the mercy of the Cardinals and/or Broncos?

According to his agent, Lamont Smith, Mason came to this decision last Friday, but held the announcement out of respect for Steve McNair who was laid to rest over the weekend. Mason made his decision last Friday, yet was working out at Ravens’ headquarters just hours before he publically announced his retirement??? Mason’s decision; however, may not be completely finalized, “If I do change my mind, it won’t be because of the Ravens. It’ll be because of some other things – my family and talking with other people. I still got to talk with some coaches over there. As far as financially, I don’t think they can do anything to sway me.” Harbaugh, Ozzie, and company better have a serious heart-to-heart with Mason, maybe even lay a guilt trip on him…hell, they might need to get their beggar’s cup out.

If Mason does decide to make his retirement official the Ravens would gain $3 million of cap room.

~ Your sad sad Brother in the Nest, Pat Cary