Before every game, Derrick Mason picks out a Bible verse and writes it on his shoes.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, Mason jotted down earlier this preseason, a reminder to never take anything for granted.
"A lot of people get caught up in me, me, me," Mason said.
In a career grounded by patience and endurance, Mason doesn't seem to fit in this generation's group of star receivers. Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he doesn't have the stereotypical big body or the big ego.
He is the anti-Randy Moss, one who goes all-out on every play. He is the anti-Terrell Owens, one who scores touchdowns without the self-promotion.
All Mason does is catch the ball, and he does it without the flash or the notoriety.
He has averaged 86 receptions and seven touchdowns during the past four seasons and received just one invitation to the Pro Bowl. In what may come as a surprise to many, Mason's 191 catches the past two years are second only to the St. Louis Rams' Torry Holt's 211.
But it still seems everybody covets a Moss or an Owens. Even the Ravens attempted to trade for both Moss and Owens before signing Mason, a salary-cap casualty from the Tennessee Titans, on the first day of free agency this year.
"Everybody talks about the people making headlines, doing stupid [stuff]," cornerback Chris McAlister said. "[Mason] is just a quiet, hard worker. He doesn't cause any attention to himself off the field.
"[But] he's definitely among the upper echelon receivers in the league. He hasn't lasted this long and had these numbers for no reason."
Mason is the epitome of the workmanlike receiver, a hard-nosed veteran who is willing to take a hit across the middle, shake off a tackle to break off a big play or make a block to spring a long run.
It's a mind-set that comes from having to earn a starting job.
He waited until the fourth round to get drafted in 1997, watching eight other receivers go before him. He waited three years until he received his chance to start, biding his time as a kick returner while the Titans acquired veterans such as Carl Pickens and Yancey Thigpen.
"I didn't enjoy practice. I didn't enjoy playing anymore," Mason said of his time as a backup from 1997 to 1999. "You know you can play, but there's a lot of guys ahead of you and you think you'll never get your chance."
