Bennett retires; Ravens back in tough spot

WR Drew Bennett aggravated a knee injury during his tryout Friday, and decided to retired just two days after signing a one-year deal with the Ravens. “The Ravens are a first-class organization that I was truly excited to join,” Bennett said. “After an offseason of workouts and rehab, I thought I was ready to play again, but it became apparent over this weekend that while my mind is willing, my body will not be able to make it through another NFL season. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to play in the NFL for as long as I have, but it is time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life.”

Ravens WR Mason retires suddenly

WR Derrick Mason surprisingly announced his retirement on the website JOCKlife.com. Mason is due to earn $3 million in the final year of his contract, and was unable to agree on a multi-year deal with the Ravens during the offseason. He said he had been contemplating retirement since the end of last season, and that he decision wasn’t contract related.

"I have been thinking about this since [the] season ended," he told the website. "Emotionally I am just not that enthused. I have not been that enthused to get up and work out ... it was getting to that point. This decision has nothing to do with the contract situation; I have made enough money, more than enough money. Emotionally there are things that are more important. It's time right now. I don't know what's going to happen from here, but it's going to be really nice to see what life has in store for me. What I want people to remember about my NFL career is that I played hard ... played hard in practice and the game. I tried to make everyone better and would do anything to help."

If Mason truly does retire, it puts the Ravens’ offense in a serious bind. They weren’t able to pry Anquan Boldin away from Arizona, and haven’t had any serious discussions with Denver about Brandon Marshall. If they don’t make a move to acquire a veteran receiver before training camp, oft-injured Demetrius Williams would be thrust into the starting role opposite Mark Clayon.

Ravens senior vice president of public relations Kevin Byrne released a statement saying the 35-year-old receiver has not informed the team of his decision. "For any player to retire, he has to send a letter to the NFL stating this. Derrick Mason has not done that," said Byrne.

Mason also had surgery to repair his labrum and scapula during the offseason.

"This decision has nothing to do with the contract situation," Mason said. "I have made enough money, more than enough money. Emotionally there are things that are more important."

 

Lions & Giants NFC's paper tigers

A couple of NFC "contenders" got handed a heavy dose of reality Sunday.

The Lions and Giants, who entered Week 10 with 6-2 records, still have beaten a combined two teams that currently have winning records -- Detroit taking down Tampa Bay (5-4) and New York handling Washington (5-4).

Neither team's resume is particularly impressive, especially after Detroit was routed in Arizona and the Giants succumbed to Dallas for the second time this season. However, as the Cowboys and Packers continue to assert themselves as the only real class of the conference, the Lions and Giants exit the week still holding wild card spots.

The next litmus test comes when the Giants travel to Detroit next Sunday. But as two of only six NFC teams with winning records, even the loser at Ford Field has plenty of time to regroup for a playoff run.

"We know how good Detroit is," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin, "and we know that as the season gets shorter, all the games are tough. We have no excuses. We had our chances, our opportunities, and we just didn't play well enough to win. Not tonight. We were ineffective with the ball in the second half, we didn't get the quarterback pressure we wanted and it was a big game in our stadium and we couldn't control it."

There are a few quarterback situations worth keeping an eye on this week.

• Rex Grossman took over for injured Brian Griese and threw a game-winning touchdown for Chicago. Even if Griese's shoulder injury isn't serious, it will be interesting to see if coach Lovie Smith stick with Grossman.
• As the Ravens' season has unraveled, so has the play of Steve McNair. Coach Brian Billick declined to give him a strong vote of confidence, as he has in recent weeks. There's a good chance the Ravens make the switch to Kyle Boller this week.
• Getting knocked out of Sunday's lost to Denver was the only thing that kept the Chiefs' Damon Huard from being bench. Coach Herm Edwards is mulling starting Brodie Croyle in an attempt to spark his passing game averaging just 207.9 yards per game while throwing nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions.