OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Time and time again during the Ravens' OTA on Tuesday, wide receiver Derrick Mason found himself wide open, an easy target for quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Troy Smith to pick out.It's amazing how easy football can be when no one's allowed to touch you.
Just four months removed from surgery to repair his right shoulder, Mason has been forced to sport a red "no contact" jersey at Baltimore's offseason workouts. He's hopeful that he will be able to shed that apparel and don his pads when the Ravens open training camp in late July, but his recovery may linger later into the summer.
"I still don't know if I'm ready," Mason said after Tuesday's workout. "That's no contact, I can do that just about all day. [The shoulder] still bothers me, but I'm trying to condition my body to get over it and get past it and try to get back on the field as soon as I can."
Mason originally injured his shoulder last Nov. 9 at Houston, but played the remainder of the season and playoffs.
He finished the year with 80 catches for 1,037 yards and five touchdowns -- a performance that he called "OK. It wasn't good, it was OK." The shoulder ailment left his playing status in limbo week-to-week, but he never missed a game. During Baltimore's run to the AFC title game, Mason reeled in 12 grabs for 190 yards, and did so playing essentially with one arm.
Baltimore was optimistic that Mason's February surgery would have him ready to go by camp. So far, though, Mason's unable to guarantee that will be the case.
"You never know with Superman," he told a group of reporters. "I could come out in the cape, it could be the first day, it could be the second week."
Big Step Forward For Senate Immigration Bill
Rescuers Continue Search For Tornado Survivors
Reports: Man Questioned Over Marathon Bombings Killed By Police
House Republicans Press On With Slashing Cuts
Garcetti Takes It
Sergio Makes 'Fried Chicken' Joke About Tiger
Weiner Throws His Hat In The Ring
Wolf Blitzer's Embarrassing Moment With Tornado Survivor
Inhofe: Oklahoma Aid Will Be 'Totally Different' From Sandy Aid
CBS Reporter's Grave Allegations
Knife Attack In China Wounds 6 Schoolchildren, 1 Adult
Pentagon Wants Millions To Maintain 'Inefficient' Facility
Take That, Citizens United!
Poll Shows National Support For Legalized Doctor-Assisted Suicide
Will She Get Life Or Death?
Two GOP Senators Battle 'Bizarre' Tea Party Demand
Business Tycoon: 'Corporations Should Pay No Taxes'
Atheist State Rep Shakes Up Prayer Session
Americans Feeling Effects Of Payroll Tax Increase
Best Buy CEO Claims 'Win-Win-Win'
U.S. Seized Phone Records For Fox News AND White House
LOOK: The Deadliest States For Tornadoes
IRS Inspector General's Staff Kept GOP Congressman Updated On Probe
Virginia GOP Candidate: 'I Don't Have Anything To Rephrase Or To Apologize For'
Many Insurance Payments Won't Cut It After Oklahoma Disaster
Portland Voters May Block Fluoridation
Moore Residents Take Stock Of Deadly Tornado's Full Horror
Leveled Schools Lacked Tornado Shelters Due To Haphazard Regulation
Military Rape Survivor Collects 113,000 Signatures Demanding Action
Student Debt Reaches New Heights
