During a recent radio broadcast, Ravens’ receiver Derrick Mason said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should stop worrying about blood tests and HGH and start worrying about getting a CBA deal done.

Oh, and Mason also called Goodell a joke.

Goodell said Monday that the new labor agreement will include rigorous testing for human growth hormone, with the possibility of a blood test as well.

Referencing Goodell’s comments, Mason said “He needs to stop crying about blood tests and HGH. He needs to try to get a deal done, that’s what he needs to do.

“To me, he’s a joke, because every time I look, he’s talking about performance enhancements instead of talking about trying to figure out a way to make sure football is played in August.”

Fair enough, although in Goodell’s defense if he wants to ensure that there will be HGH testing in the next CBA, this is the time to do it. It’s not like he can spend all of his time working on a new CBA deal and then turn around and say, “Ah crap, you know what I forgot? HGH testing. I swear, I’d forget my head if it weren’t bolted onto my neck!”

I think calling Goodell “a joke” was an irrational comment by Mason. Does he think that Goodell doesn’t want to get a deal done? Does he think that Goodell likes being perceived as one of the villains in this CBA mess? Does he think that Goodell isn’t focused or determined to ensure there’s a season next year? Does he think that Goodell wants to go down as a commissioner who couldn’t figure out a way for the owners and players to share billions of dollars?

Come on, we’re all fired up about the lockout but let’s relax and think rationally here. Goodell wants a deal done just as bad as anyone so things can go back to normal. Comments like “he’s a joke” are unconstructive.

Adam Schefter tweeted the details:

Ravens reached agreement with former Seahawks wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh on a one-year, $855,000 deal. More at espn.com.

Personnel-wise, this is a strange fit, seeing as the Ravens already have a couple of talented possession-type receivers in Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason. But Housh is a cheap upgrade at WR2/WR3 and he gives Joe Flacco another sure-handed route-runner.

From a fantasy standpoint, this probably hurts Derrick Mason more than Boldin, who will get his looks as the Ravens’ WR1. It gives Flacco a little boost because his receiver corps has more depth and could weather an injury to one of the aforementioned WRs.

As for Housh, he’s probably only worth a late round flyer at this point because he’s joining a new team and his role is unclear. It’s going to take him some time to get settled.

The NFL has become a pass-first league, and with that, wide receivers and tight ends have become more important than ever—not just in west coast style offenses but in all offensive systems. Here we take a look at the current active leaders in receiving yards. Being that most of the guys on this list are nearing the twilight of their respective careers, you shouldn’t use this as part of your fantasy football research. Instead, just read and enjoy…..

1. Isaac Bruce, free agent (15,208)—He doesn’t have the flash or the mouth that some of these other guys have, but it didn’t hurt that Bruce played on those great Kurt Warner/Mike Martz Rams’ teams about a decade ago. And he still has skills, so someone is bound to sign the guy.

2. Terrell Owens, free agent (14,951)—This guy DOES have the mouth but the skills to back it up. I’m kind of surprised he is team-less right now, but that should also change soon.

3. Randy Moss, New England Patriots (14,465)—That season he and Tom Brady put together in 2007 was absolutely ridiculous (1423 yards, NFL record 23 TD catches). And Moss is only 32!

4. Torry Holt, New England Patriots (13,382)—Sure, he’s getting up there in age and fell off a lot numbers-wise in Jacksonville, but he’s still got something left. It should be especially interesting to see Holt and Moss playing in the same offense.

5. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons (11,807)—Arguably the greatest tight end to ever play the game. Gonzo has four seasons with over 1000 yards, almost unheard of for a TE.

6. Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina Panthers (11,438)—Like Bruce and Holt, Muhsin Muhammad has quietly put up numbers for years, and his 2004 season for the Panthers remains his best (1405 yards, 16 scores).

7. Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens (11,089)—All Derrick Mason has ever done in his career with Tennessee and Baltimore is get open. He’s topped 1000 yards three straight seasons on the run-first Ravens, and is the epitome of toughness and durability despite being just 5-10, 190.

8. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers (10,947)—He’s consistently one of the game’s Top ten receivers, but how will he fare with Big Ben out for a few games to start the 2010 season?

9. Joey Galloway, Washington Redskins (10,777)—Galloway resurrected his fine career with Tampa from 2005 to 2007, and is really in the twilight of his career after struggling in Tampa and New England the last two seasons, respectively. Now he’s trying to latch on with the new-look Redskins.

10. Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals (9952)—One of the game’s most animated players is also one of its best receivers year in and year out. And it’s always good to be able to back up the talk.

Source: Pro Football Reference

Desperate to give quarterback Joe Flacco more weapons in the passing game, the Ravens signed receiver Donte’ Stallworth to a one-year, $900,000 contract. The deal also includes $300,000 in playing time incentives, according to ESPN.com.

Baltimore is obviously hurting at receiver. Two of the Ravens’ top three leaders in receptions last year were Ray Rice and Todd Heap. Kelley Washington and Mark Clayton finished with only 34 receptions last year and neither receiver cracked the 500-yard mark. In his seven-year career, Stallworth has averaged over 42 receptions a season, which would have placed him second in that category last year behind Derrick Mason among Baltimore receivers.

That said, Stallworth didn’t play a down last year after being suspended for striking and killing a pedestrian with his car in Miami. Plus, the last time he was even semi-productive was three years ago in New England when he caught 46 passes for 697 yards and three touchdowns. He caught just 17 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown in 11 games with Cleveland in 2008.

Stallworth probably won’t make much of an impact in Baltimore this year and chances are the team isn’t done trying to upgrade the position either. But at the very least, it’s hard not to like this signing more than the Bengals’ decision to ink Matt Jones earlier this week. At least Stallworth still has something that resembles speed.

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/02/17/can-stallworth-make-an-impact-for-the-ravens/feed/ 1 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/09/17/derrick-mason-calls-out-keyshawn-johnson/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/09/17/derrick-mason-calls-out-keyshawn-johnson/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:00:58 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=24458

A season can’t go by in the NFL if Derrick Mason doesn’t bash loudmouth Keyshawn Johnson at least once.

From the National Football Post:

In the wake of Johnson’s recent harsh criticism of the Ravens’ wide receiving corps, Mason attacked Johnson immediately Wednesday before he could even be asked a question.

“Damn Keyshawn Johnson, because I heard he said something else,” Mason said. “Keyshawn knows where I’m at. He knows where the Ravens’ facility is at. So, if he wants to hash this out man to man or you want to stack up numbers man to man and talk about it, we can do that.

“Remember, Keyshawn, you were a number one pick in the draft and I was a fourth-rounder. And our numbers still pretty much stack up. Let’s go.”

The reason behind this drama?

During a conference call on Sept. 2, Johnson said, “You want a bum, you pay a bum,” in a reference to the Ravens’ receivers.

Mason has to learn to take what Johnson says in stride. He should understand that as long as Keyshawn has a microphone in front of him, he’s liable to say something to try and garner some attention.

The next time Johnson says something critical and Mason is asked about it, all he has to say is, “Who?” and be done with it. Besides, it’s not like Johnson is the only one saying critical things about Baltimore’s receiving corps. To me, there’s not much difference between Keyshawn referring to Baltimore’s wideouts as “bums” and someone from ESPN saying that the Ravens “have no receivers.”

Wide receiver Derrick Mason has reconsidered retirement and has decided that he will play for the Ravens in 2009.

“It was a tough decision, but I think it was a good decision for me to come back,” Mason said. “I needed to evaluate my life, football and my career. The last several weeks thinking about it and talking with my family was an important time for me and them.

“I still have an intense fire inside me, and I want to play. My family and I wanted to finish it out the right way. I felt like I had left something undone, and I wanted to finish it. I believe this is a good example for my son and my daughter on how to be thoughtful and also follow through.”

“I wanted to make sure that when I do retire, I won’t have any regrets,” he said. “As I’ve thought about this and talked about this with my family, I realized I would have regrets if I didn’t come back.
“I think I’m in great shape. I have been working out, and I was part of the offseason program. I’m ready to get out there with my teammates.”

This is great news for the Ravens, who would have been desperately thin at receiver without Mason. While he isn’t a spring chicken at 35 years old, Mason did haul in 80 passes last year for 1,037 yards and five touchdowns. He was Baltimore best playmaker in Baltimore’s passing game last year and Joe Flacco’s number one target.

Again, this is great news for the Ravens.

Even though it appeared a week ago that he had made his final decision, the Ravens remain optimistic that wide receiver Derrick Mason won’t retire.

After speaking with Mason on the phone Tuesday night, Harbaugh maintained hope that Mason would have a change of heart soon after the start of training camp next week.

“I think it’s real honorable what he’s doing in the sense that it would be easy for a guy to just come in and go through the motions. Derrick does not want to go through the motions,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “He wants to make sure he’s in the right frame of mind to compete at the level he’s competed at his whole career, which is a warrior-type level.

“He’s ready physically. He’s in good shape and he’s healthy. He just wants to decide if he’s mentally ready,” Harbaugh said. “It’s really open right now. I’m optimistic and hopeful that he’ll be there, but if he’s not there, we’ll be support and respect his decision either way.”

This just shows how thin (and desperate for that matter) the Ravens are at receiver. Mason had a solid season last year (80 receptions, 1,037 yards, 5 TDs) and has always been productive, but one would think that a team wouldn’t be too broken up about losing a 35-year-old receiver coming off shoulder surgery.

But then you look at Baltimore’s depth chart and understand why. The Ravens have a good young quarterback in Joe Flacco and a solid running game thanks to the trio of Willis McGahee, Ray Rice and Le’Ron McClain. But their top three receivers (Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams and Yamon Figurs) are severely lacking in playmaking ability so they either need Mason to play or they need to get creative and go after a guy like Anquan Boldin.