Ravens re-sign Mason

[Sephy]

AW twitter:

RavensInsider

Ravens have reached a two-year agreement in principle with Derrick Mason, according to team spokesman Kevin Byrne.

Great move!

[Flipping Birdie]

Hallelujah! I was really hoping they would work something out.

[myfavoriteboxer]

Good to hear. Let's still draft another WR, though.

[bmorebirds_24]

:banana::rocking::thumbup:

[Sephy]

In ~3 days we went from Clayton as a #2 to Clayton as a #4. If that doesn't spell offensive improvement I don't know what does.

[StingerNLG]

In ~3 days we went from Clayton as a #2 to Clayton as a #4. If that doesn't spell offensive improvement I don't know what does.

This right here.

So who do you double now? :)

[Dade]

Hells yeah! :happyanim

Boldin, Mason, Stallworth... Ladies and Gentlemen we have a legit WR core.

[Galen Sevinne]

Wow! The Ravens have 2 receivers now to which an opposing defense must gameplan. 2. If we can still pick up a tightend and/or a legitimate deep threat, this could be a really interesting year for the offense. No more excuses for Flacco - this should be his time.

[Sephy]

Have to believe its all defense for the Ravens in rounds 1 and 2 now, unless someone like Gresham or Bryant falls.

[RavenDavey]

Hells yeah! :happyanim

Boldin, Mason, Stallworth... Ladies and Gentlemen we have a legit WR core.

GREAT PICTURE!!

even better is having Mason on board! I guarantee that Mason comes out on fire since the heat has been taken off of him......what a great offensive lineup for receivers.

[Dade]

Have to believe its all defense for the Ravens in rounds 1 and 2 now, unless someone like Gresham or Bryant falls.

No doubt. Secondary and a pass rusher in rounds 1 and 2. Then maybe a project WR in the 3rd.

[Losac]

Great news! I think Mason will put up some GREAT numbers with Boldin taking some of the attention off him. :thumbup:

[Raveninwoodlawn]

No doubt. Secondary and a pass rusher in rounds 1 and 2. Then maybe a project WR in the 3rd.

We don't have a 3rd...or a 4th

[czechm8]

Pro Football Talk.com has the story here.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/10/derrick-mason-returns-to-ravens/

They beat the Sun to the story (again).

Fran from Glen Burnie

[Sua Sponte]

This is awesome...

2 years and Boldin for 4.
We might pass on WR's this draft class unless someone worthy drops to the 2nd. I would love to see Bay-Bay Thomas in the 2nd but i doubt he falls that far.

[Flipping Birdie]

This is awesome...

2 years and Boldin for 4.
We might pass on WR's this draft class unless someone worthy drops to the 2nd. I would love to see Bay-Bay Thomas in the 2nd but i doubt he falls that far.

Welllll, what's the likelihood of Mason honoring the second year of his contract? How front loaded is it? We'll see.

[StingerNLG]

No doubt. Secondary and a pass rusher in rounds 1 and 2. Then maybe a project WR in the 3rd.

So have the Ravens given up on Paul Kruger then? I thought we spent a 2nd on him last year?

[Flipping Birdie]

So have the Ravens given up on Paul Kruger then? I thought we spent a 2nd on him last year?

I'm curious to see what they do with Kruger this year. I'd really like to see that they spent a 2nd on something.

[TL24x7]

Dade...nice pic!

Here's the official press release from the team:


For Immediate Release

RAVENS AGREE TO DEAL WITH WR MASON

The Baltimore Ravens have agreed in principle to a two-year deal with WR Derrick Mason, general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome announced Wednesday night.

"We know exactly what we're getting with Derrick, and that's production,” Newsome said. “Every Ravens fan knows what Derrick brings to this team. It's reliability, toughness, leadership, the fight to win and the want of the ball in the clutch times. He has a two-year history with Joe [Flacco] that says, 'We know how to produce together.' They are on the same page."

Mason, who joined the Ravens in 2005, is the franchise’s all-time leader in receiving yards (4,975). He also ranks second in career receptions (410) and receiving touchdowns (22). During his 13-year NFL career, Mason has played in 202 games, totaling 863 catches, 11,089 receiving yards and 59 receiving touchdowns. One of just 17 players to record 850 catches in a career, he ranks 14th on the NFL’s all-time receptions list.

“I’m getting myself ready to play football and help the Ravens win,” stated Mason, who registered 73 catches for a team-high 1,028 receiving yards for Baltimore in 2009. “But, the first thing I am going to do is take my family on vacation. I’ll see everybody back in Baltimore soon.”

Added Ravens head coach John Harbaugh: "This is outstanding – just great news for the Ravens. Our coaches are happy. Derrick's teammates are happy, and you know Joe is smiling.

“Way to go to Ozzie and Pat [Moriarty, vice president of football administration] for getting this done. We would have lost something special if Derrick had gone to another team. We have gotten better in the last couple of days."

[CRZA938]

Excellent move once again from Ozzie and the rest of the front office. Even at 36 I still not convinced he can be covered one on one...

[AirFlacco]

GOTTA LOVE IT.

GOD BLESS MASON.

Scott said yesterday, he will be #2 and Stallworth in the slot and
Clayton off the bench.

With Rice out of the back field. Boldin said he hopes to take a man or
two out of that 8 man box. He might force a safety up too.

Rice will have a whole lot of room to run.

Take your poison.

Joe now has the weapons.

[Dragz]

I'm hoping for AT LEAST the AFC North title this year...

[Mike B]

Have to believe its all defense for the Ravens in rounds 1 and 2 now, unless someone like Gresham or Bryant falls.

Agreed and if Dez falls we will be very lucky.

You have to love, Boldin, Mason, Stallworth and Clayton in that order. Weapons for Flacco. Great News about Mason.

[AirFlacco]

Pat Kirwan has Dez falling below us to Cowboys and we get one of the
best CBs in the draft - Pat Robinson of Fla St. Jermaine Gresham doesn't even make it to the first round.

We do need CB help - bad. This would be a typical Ozzie move, especially if a CB is the BAA.


____________________________________________

Posted on Sunspot. Also, Robinson was suspended from school for cheating and doesn't tackle so well.

25. Baltimore Ravens
Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State
Once the Ravens traded for WR Anquan Boldin, they turned their attention to the cornerback position. Robinson may be the best one left on the board.

This is where Bryant is now listed:

27. Dallas Cowboys
Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
Everyone projects Bryant much higher than this but he has baggage and some risk. The Cowboys could want an offensive tackle like Bruce Campbell here but the athletic grade on Bryant might be too good to turn down. A year from now, the Cowboys could be done with Roy Williams.

Once again Gresham does not make it into the 1st round


ref: nfl.com

[ravenjoe]

Simply AWESOME Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My favorite player back in the fold just where he belongs!

[Tspot-D-Ravenator]

:happyanim :thumbup::patriot::banana::rocking::cheeky::roll:

[highwater]

This is obviously really good news -- when was the last time we had two really high quality WRs like this? As long as the protection holds up, the passing game looks like it could be dangerous.

The Boldin/Mason combination could even open up some more opportunities for Heap as well.

Flacco should be feeling pretty good about this offseason so far.

[baltimore_hokie]

I'm thinking Flacco's completion percentage could be insanely high next year. YPA should remain modest, but he might complete 80% of his passes with all of these reliable targets around him.

Two of the best posession WR's in the NFL, a rock solid TE that catches everything across the middle, and Rice waiting for the check down if nothing else is there. I'm looking forward to it.

[Mad Puppy]

YES!
Though I'm not sold on Stallworth like the rest of you. I do think he is better than D.Williams. So we have definitely improved the receiving core.

[Stealthbirds80]

WTH I was about to hit the sack. We have WR's now? Someone give me a paperbag to hypervenilate in :bag: Good bless the USA :patriot: and Ozzie. I'm putting Boldin on my Madden as we speak.

[CR_Dingley]

YAY......Back to buisness lol...AS for the draft now... I think we should go for Jermaine Gresham in the First, And a DE in the second. There is not point in jumping in putting all our eggs in the WR basket, We can tackle a receiver next year(if there is a next year).

[Sephy]

YES!
Though I'm not sold on Stallworth like the rest of you. I do think he is better than D.Williams. So we have definitely improved the receiving core.

He doesn't have to do a lot. Stretch the defense deep, and catch it when he gets open. Stay healthy.

[Rxdoxx]

Lets see, just how many days ago were the sports geniuses at the Sun reporting that Mason was no longer a priority? :insane:

I was pretty confident he would be back, just didn't expect it this quick.

Oz let him look at the market and he found the market sure looked nice here.
I'm tickled pink, mind puts one more concern to rest.

[baltimore_hokie]

YAY......Back to buisness lol...AS for the draft now... I think we should go for Jermaine Gresham in the First, And a DE in the second. There is not point in jumping in putting all our eggs in the WR basket, We can tackle a receiver next year(if there is a next year).

I gotta disagree with TE in the 1st round. It is not important enough of a position to spend that early of a pick on. We can find a Bren Celek-type in the later rounds.

I think this needs to be a defensive draft to replenish that unit with difference makers that haven't been added with such regularity in the past five years as they were in the previous five.

[Tspot-D-Ravenator]

I gotta disagree with TE in the 1st round. It is not important enough of a position to spend that early of a pick on. We can find a Bren Celek-type in the later rounds.

I think this needs to be a defensive draft to replenish that unit with difference makers that haven't been added with such regularity in the past five years as they were in the previous five.

:iagree:

[4G63]

I'd really like to keep Kelley Washington around.....but I've got a feeling he'll be gone. Dude did nothing but make plays.

[CR_Dingley]

:iagree:
I could go for that

[Stealthbirds80]

I'd really like to keep Kelley Washington around.....but I've got a feeling he'll be gone. Dude did nothing but make plays.

I would swap him for Clayton IMHO.

[Rxdoxx]

I think this needs to be a defensive draft to replenish that unit with difference makers that haven't been added with such regularity in the past five years as they were in the previous five.

Definitely.

We had to rebuild the OL. #1s used with Grubbs and Oher. Chester #2, Yanda #3, thankful that Gaither was only a supplemental 5.
We used more high picks on Flacco and Rice.
Looked like we were trying to build the D with flyers, and FO did a great stopgap job, but no special playmaker appeared. With the age now on Ray and Ed, we gotta get a difference maker for the D.

Mason's return gives us plenty of freedom to look at almost any position but I'm with you, putting the money on D also.

[baltimore_hokie]

Definitely.

We had to rebuild the OL. #1s used with Grubbs and Oher. Chester #2, Yanda #3, thankful that Gaither was only a supplemental 5.
We used more high picks on Flacco and Rice.
Looked like we were trying to build the D with flyers, and FO did a great stopgap job, but no special playmaker appeared. With the age now on Ray and Ed, we gotta get a difference maker for the D.

Mason's return gives us plenty of freedom to look at almost any position but I'm with you, putting the money on D also.

And our positions of need are CB, DE, and we can always use a pass-rushing OLB.

The 3-4 DE is not really asked to do much as far as rushing the passer, so you don't see many taken very high. The earliest I would be alright with grabbing someone for this position would be Tyson Alualu in round 2. I think it was Mike Ditka that said that you should never take a 3-4 DE early in the draft (don't hold me to that exact quote, but I'm pretty sure I remember him saying that before a game on TV last season). Guys like Dan Williams and Brian Price would be solid picks, but I am thinking they are long gone by the time we will pick (they aren't 5-technique guys, though).

That leaves CB and OLB for the first round. Haden will be gone at CB. That leaves Kyle Wilson and Devin McCourty, with Wilson being the only one that is good value at 1:25. I would be perfectly fine with taking him. I would love for Earl Thomas to fall to us, but I just don't see that happening.

But also be on the lookout the rush linebackers like Graham, Kindle, and Hughes. It would never hurt to have another guy that can get to the QB, and one of these guys could very well be the BPA at 25.

[808 Raven]

Per Adam Schefter on Twitter, the deal is 2 years for $8 million, including $3.5 million in the first year.

[Merlin]

The key for this to work out is Stallworth - with someone to stretch the field, this will be great.

Other issue is whether Heap and Mason can keep producing near their level or whether it falls off precipitously

[RavenScallywag]

Here is how I see us last year vs this year...

#1 - Boldin vs Mason - I think you could argue that AS A #1, Boldin gets the edge on this one. They are similar type WRs, but Boldin is younger, healthier, and does a good job of getting the YAC. Let's play it safe and we'll call this EQUAL

#2 - Mason vs Clayton - Do I even need to continue? EDGE THIS YEAR

#3/4 - Stallworth/Clayton vs Washington/D.Williams - Washington was mostly used on 3rd downs, to be our big target to move the chains. I think Boldin has taken over this role to a point. What we've lacked all along is a vertical threat. Williams was supposed to do that, but he never clicked. Stallworth has done that, he just needs to get in football shape. I'd call this one SLIGHTLY IMPROVED.

[3RDRowRaven]

I was happy to hear the news about Mason this morning while driving into work. I am very happy with all 3 signings of the WR's this off season.

With the running attack and now the WR's that we have, we should easliy be able to put up 27 to 35 points per game I would think.

:ww: :taz:

[baltimore_hokie]

The thought of Mason and Boldin single covered by the Steelers and their lousy CB's makes me smile.

[trailhiker85]

If this were any mid-30-something WR OTHER than Derrick, I wouldn't like the move at all. But Mason is special, has shown a lot of toughness, and hopefully will be just as productive for 1-2 more years. Glad to see him still in a Ravens uniform. Way, WAY, WAY better than the prospect of signing a Terrell Owens (shudder). Yep, we're nicely set in terms of veteran WRs.

[JimZipCode]

I must admit I was scared when the Sun posted that bullshit about how re-signing Mason was "no longer a priority" after the Ravens got Boldin.

This is so exciting.

[ravenjoe]

I think this needs to be a defensive draft to replenish that unit with difference makers that haven't been added with such regularity in the past five years as they were in the previous five.

I absolutely agree! We need a difference maker up front, to take pressure off the corners, who actually performed quite well towards the end of last year. Btw, go Hokies in the Big Dance!

[pro320]

I think the Ravens offense is pretty much solidified with the exception of a back up QB. The Ravens need another quality cornerback and some defensive line help...all of which... I think... they can address in the Draft. The Ravens should again be one of the top teams in league in 2010.
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[RavenScallywag]

I must admit I was scared when the Sun posted that bullshit about how re-signing Mason was "no longer a priority" after the Ravens got Boldin.

This is so exciting.

Let's be fair to the Sun...I think getting Boldin made Ozzie's stance with Mason's negotiations much easier...

It's simple supply and demand. Without Boldin, we have a HUGE demand to bring Mason in. So he would be able to demand a higher price tag. With Boldin here, yeah we still want Mason, but there's less need because we could get by with Clayton and Stallworth as our 2 and 3.

Boldin's acquisition allowed Ozzie to stick by the "Ray Lewis strategy"...We'll offer you the salary you are worth...if you don't like it, shop around and see what you can get. Mason and Ray both realized that we had the best offer on the table. Deal.

The Sun wasn't trying to say we valued Mason any less. It just meant that we could take a stronger stance on our negotiations with Derrick.

[pyite32]

I absolutely agree! We need a difference maker up front, to take pressure off the corners, who actually performed quite well towards the end of last year. Btw, go Hokies in the Big Dance!

I don't understand all the talk of needing a backup QB. First of all we still have Troy Smith and if someone takes him... whatever. He can run, that's the only reason I liked him as a backup QB.

Cam took Beck in the first round didn't he? Also Beck looked much better than Troy in Pre-Season last year.

I am very happy having Beck backup Joe the QB.

[Lee Van Cleef]

I must admit I was scared when the Sun posted that bullshit about how re-signing Mason was "no longer a priority" after the Ravens got Boldin.

This is so exciting.

Yeah, I really don't think it was "bullshit" per se. Mason wasn't a priority, they upgraded from him with Boldin, so they could have moved on and picked up someone else or drafted someone else. Mason was asking for more than they wanted, and their position strengthened so they could afford to not worry about him. He signed for what? 2 years 8 mill, sounds like they played the game fine.

[jonboy79]

I don't understand all the talk of needing a backup QB. First of all we still have Troy Smith and if someone takes him... whatever. He can run, that's the only reason I liked him as a backup QB.

Cam took Beck in the first round didn't he? Also Beck looked much better than Troy in Pre-Season last year.

I am very happy having Beck backup Joe the QB.

Early 2nd, but your point rings true just the same. We don't NEED 3 guys on the roster. If we lose Troy, I'd like to add a PS guy either very late in the draft, or Undrafted. If Troy stays(very likely) then we can wait until next year.