ONCE AGAIN, Brian Billick may be overstating things a bit. "The most substantial move to date we've made, particularly in free agency, particularly at wide receiver"? Made you want to look around the castle in Owings Mills for Jerry Rice, circa 1989.
Not to diminish Derrick Mason as an impact player, but what the Ravens coach said yesterday on the occasion of Mason's agreeing to terms says less about the credentials of Mason himself than it does about what the Ravens need. Or, for that matter, about what the Ravens are convinced they need.
That position was the most glaring need this team had as free agency officially began yesterday; no one could dispute that. Mason should fill it pretty well. He absolutely fills it better than the alternatives in the open market.
In and of itself, it's a great signing, and it's a signing the Ravens had to make. If they hadn't made it, they would have run the risk of having an Oriole-esque offseason, full of ranting from the faithful about why they didn't do this and why they couldn't do that.
In that context, bringing Mason aboard is "substantial."
In the context of what else the Ravens have to do - not just for the entire team, but just for the offense and for the passing game - it's a first step.
Even while Billick and general manager Ozzie Newsome were lavishing Mason with praise, the two acknowledged they weren't done yet. It was a dose of perspective that was just as needed as a top-notch wide receiver. The Ravens still have money to spend, they said, and there are still good receivers on the market and why not keep open the possibility of matching the two?
Making those kind of moves would definitely allow everybody to look back in September or October (or even December) and say that adding Mason ranks up there with the best free-agent moves the Ravens have made since Billick came to town.
For even more context, think of the big moves they have made, Shannon Sharpe and Rod Woodson and Sam Adams. They were brought in to put an emerging team over the top and make it a serious contender - and that's exactly what came about, very quickly. Think, also, about the big splash they made on the eve of last regular season: Deion. Why'd they bring him out of retirement? He was to be the final piece to a Super Bowl-caliber defense.
