I will follow up this brief post with a more extensive analysis of the Ravens current (and potential) receiving situation in the wake of Derrick Mason's bombshell announcement yesterday that he is retiring. But first, a few quick points:
- As the Baltimore Sun is already speculating, Mason appears to have left himself an "out" clause in this announcement (which apparently he did not make to Ravens officials, but rather to ESPN News and a website affiliated with his agent). He has not filed the requisite paperwork with the league offices, and in a statement to ESPN News, he spoke hypothetically rather than absolutely:
"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."
- If this is not in fact a ploy to pressure the Ravens into extending his contract, and Mason truly does intend to retire, I have to confess that I find his timing just a bit galling. Again, the Sun presented Ravens officials as being completely surprised by this announcement, and although Mason had already suggested he'd miss most if not all of training camp as he rehabs last season's shoulder injury, there had been no indication that he wouldn't be wearing his customary No. 85 come opening day. Waiting until July to retire appears to put G.M. Ozzie Newsome in a very difficult position. I'm not saying Mason shouldn't have the right to retire when he feels the time is right for him ... simply that, unless the Ravens were less surprised by this than they are letting on, it would have been nice had he dropped a few hints earlier. Maybe Newsome wouldn't have acted any differently in pursuing other options at receiver during the draft or free-agency ... but (as I will discuss in the later post) it's hard to imagine he's really content with our current crop, minus Mason.
- As far as second-guessing Ozzie, I certainly hope he has a contingency plan, and that this plan doesn't merely consist of HOPING Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams finally realize their potential. That said, I will always stand firmly behind Ozzie, who has more than earned himself the benefit of the doubt, and withhold my judgment until his moves can definitively be shown to have failed. Last year at this time (indeed, right up until Opening Day), the big concern was the Offensive Line. They came together much more quickly than anyone outside the Castle had imagined possible. I'm not going to rule out the possibility that the same thing happens with the receivers currently on our roster.
Keywords: Initial thoughts on Derrick Mason's retirement from the Baltimore Ravens
