Joe Flacco doesn't remember exactly how the first conversation with his favorite receiver, Derrick Mason, went, but the Ravens' rookie quarterback has a pretty good guess at how it played out.
"It was probably Derrick being nice and talking," Flacco said, "and I was making grunting noises."
When it comes to the personalities in the Ravens' locker room, it doesn't get much different than Flacco and Mason.
Flacco is a quiet and reserved soul who might relax by turning on the radio. Mason is a verbose and animated leader who has his own radio show.
Mason comes from Detroit and played in the Big Ten. Flacco grew up in the New Jersey suburbs and threw passes in Division I-AA.
Flacco is 8 inches taller. Mason is 11 years older.
It's kind of the Ravens' version of The Odd Couple.
But when Flacco, 23, and Mason, 34, get on the field, two teammates who have little in common somehow find common ground.
Whatever critical situation - whether it's third down or looking for a big play downfield - Flacco always seems to be looking for Mason, who leads the Ravens in total receptions (33), third-down catches (13) and plays of more than 20 yards (four).
They will try to connect again today, when the Ravens (3-3) play against the Oakland Raiders (2-4) at M&T Bank Stadium.
"He's definitely the guy that is going to be able to win for me," Flacco said. "He's proven that throughout his career, and he's proven that this year."
Not surprisingly, Flacco's first career third-down conversion was an 8-yard pass to Mason.
In Pittsburgh, when Flacco ran to the left sideline before running to the other side of the field, he found an equally zigzagging Mason for 26 yards.
And last Sunday in Miami, when Flacco needed to convert a pivotal third down in the red zone, he hit Mason for an 11-yard touchdown.
It's a chemistry that has been built on Flacco knowing he can throw the ball even before Mason makes his break. Flacco can depend on Mason getting to the right spot and getting open.
"I think I gained Joe's trust by going out there and making plays for him," Mason said. "If the quarterback has enough trust in you, he says, 'When I need a critical play to be made, he's proven he can make it.' "
Flacco has thrown in Mason's direction 48 times, which is 21 more than he has thrown to any other Raven. The reason: Mason has caught the ball 68.8 percent of the time - which is tops among Ravens receivers.
