We have all seen the immediate impact the signing of TJ Houshmandzadeh had on Mark Clayton's employment status with the Ravens.  With that out of the way, what is next for the Ravens' WR group - and specifically Derrick Mason - looking ahead to the 2011 season and beyond? 

Before I go into my thoughts on this subject, I want to make a couple things clear.  First, lets assume for the sake of the discussion that the CBA business will get worked out and consequently the 2011 NFL season will proceed as normal, as though the labor dispute never existed.  Second, I realize this is yet another TJ post on a blog that is already overcrowded with TJ posts.  However, this is a different twist on the overall subject - one that I believe has yet to come up in the media.  So don't bother "yelling" at me for writing another TJ post.  If you do yell at me, well, every party has a pooper and thats why we invited you!

Back to business.  I can think of a few different scenarios concerning Mason's future with the Ravens.  I'll list each scenario (in no particular order) followed by a brief 2-cents.

1.  Ravens win the Super Bowl and Mason retires, ending his career on the highest possible note.

This is absolutely the best situation possible, one that every Ravens fan is surely hoping for.  Mason is one of my favorite Ravens, and I would love to see him win a ring and walk off into the sunset.  For receivers, that would leave the Ravens with Anquan Boldin, the opportunity to resign TJ and/or Donte Stallworth, and the continued development of youthful Marcus Smith and David Reed.  TJ may want #1 WR money, which will likely mean his departure.  Stallworth, if he performs reasonably well this season, will be re-signed as the teams #2 wideout, and the rest will fall into place from there.  Who knows though, maybe Ozzie will put up the cash to re-sign TJ even if he wants to get paid like a #1, likely ousting Stallworth.

2.  Ravens don't win the Super Bowl and Mason retires.

Sure, Mason signed a two-year contract extension this off-season, but that is no guarantee that he plays through the whole thing.  He was contemplating retirement last off-season and the one before, so other than the extra money he could make, I wouldn't expect this coming off-season to be any different.  This scenario would leave the Ravens' WR group in the same position as Scenario #1.

3.  Ravens don't win the Super Bowl and Mason decides to play through the second year of his contract extension.

Equally as likely as Scenario #2, this situation could leave the Ravens' front office in a bit of a bind, albeit an enviable one.  If the team is committed to maintaining a stockpile of great weapons in Joe Flacco's arsenal, they will surely consider retaining one or both of TJ and Donte, but it won't be easy.  If either one of them wants a contract approaching the money the team is paying Boldin, that would likely be too much money to invest in one position group, forcing deficiencies in other areas.  If this Scenario becomes a reality, the WRs could be Boldin, Mason, Reed, Smith, possibly Stallworth, and a FA or draft acquisition.  

4. Ravens win the Super Bowl and Mason decides to play through the second year of his contract extension.

I see this scenario as highly unlikely, given Mason's past retirement considerations.  Regardless, it would put the team in the same position as Scenario #3.

Of the four Scenarios listed above, I believe that #2 is the most likely (I am way to superstitious to ever pick my favorite team to win the Super Bowl!).  This would leave the front office with the challenge of maintaining a strong offensive arsenal, possibly at the expense of other positions on the team.  This may be a somewhat of a simplistic view, especially when one considers the development of Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta along with the eventual retirement of Todd Heap, but nonetheless, the questions surrounding Derrick Mason's future are interesting enough for me to justify writing a long, wordy, and above all, speculative fan post.  Many thanks to those of you who made it to the end!

As reported on BaltimoreSun.com at around 11:30 this morning, Lardarius Webb is out for the season with a torn ACL.  See the article at http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/blog/2009/12/webb_out_mcalister_in.html

Speculation is circling around the team signing Ravens veteran and recent New Orleans Saint Chris McAlister to fill the void.  Nomatter who the Ravens sign as a replacement, this is a huge setback for the team as Webb was quickly becoming a huge asset as a starting corner and kick returner.

I'm sure I speak for the majority of Ravens fans when I say that I hope the Titans beat the living snot out of the Steelers during Thursday night's kickoff game.  Nothing would make me happier than to get to watch footage of disappointed Steeler fans leaving Heinz field after all the buildup and anticipation of the first game of their title defense.  A little more towel-stomping wouldn't hurt either.

However, being in Pittsburgh will be a major advantage for the Steelers.  Its hard enough for visitors to win at Heinz Field under normal circumstances.  I'm sure it will be all the more intense being a season opener and the first game after the Superbowl.  You know that stadium is gonna be all juiced up.

Prediction:  This will be a defensive battle, with both teams playing very similar smash-mouth, ball control offensive styles.  Pittsburgh's defense will bring a little more pressure than the the Titan's will, but the Titans offensive line will handle the pressure better than will the Steelers' line.  Willie Parker finds some running room and scores a touchdown in the absence of Albert Haynesworth.  Collins moves the ball consistently but the Titans fail to score a touchdown, settling for a few field goals instead.  Polamalu forces a turnover that leads to another score for the Steelers.  Steelers over the Titans 10-9.

After watching Monday night's game against the Jets, I am a little bit concerned about the Ravens' ability to defend against the faster running backs in the league.  I have not had a chance to look at the game stats yet, but I would bet that Leon Washinton averaged 5+ yards per carry against the Ravens' starters.  He just seemed to beat the linebackers through the hole on every carry.  It looked similar to what Chris Johnson was able to do in the first quarter of last seasons playoff game against the Titans, but this time we can't justify it by saying our defense was tired.  After all the talk about how much faster our defense is supposed to be this year compared to last, it didn't show up last night in the run game.  Am I over-reacting, or should we really be worried about defending backs like Washington, Willie Parker, Sproles, etc.?

In a Baltimore Sun story about Ravens wider receiver Justin Harper, Ken Murray reports that Mark Clayton's hamstring injury is actually a tear, rather than a minor strain that is keeping him out for precautionary reasons.

"Ironically, it was Clayton's hamstring tear nine days ago that opened the door for Harper, 24, and other young receivers like Marcus Smith and Ernie Wheelwright. Clayton's absence gave Harper more chances to impress with the first unit."

This is the first I have heard of the injury being a tear, and I sure hope its just an error in the paper's reporting/editing process.  That could be a serious injury that possibly could keep Clayton out of the lineup for more than just a few preseason games.