For the record, I don't remotely believe Derrick Mason is retired.

Sure, I believe Mason is emotional after the killing of his close friend and former teammate Steve Mcnair. I believe Mason is a bit beaten down by the health of his shoulder.

But most especially, what I really believe is Mason has been frustrated with his contract in Baltimore for a while now and "retirement" was an ultimate power play. Trust me — that's what the Ravens believe. And that's the wrong way for Mason to handle it.

I'm scheduled to be at Ravens training camp on August 11. I believe I will see Derrick Mason, Joe Flacco's security blanket, catching passes. And he'll at least be playing for the Ravens in Week 1.

Two-year veteran quarterback John Beck, released by the Miami Dolphins last week, has
reached agreement with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year contract. Financial details of
the contract, which is expected to be officially signed later this week, were not yet
available. The agreement was first reported by the Deseret News of Salt Lake City and
confirmed by a source close to Beck. With the Ravens, Beck will compete with veterans
Troy Smith and Todd Bouman for the No. 2 quarterback job behind starter Joe Flacco.

Baltimore Sun: Less than 24 hours after being wheeled from the AFC
championship game at Heinz Field on a stretcher, Ravens RB Willis Mcgahee was back in the team locker room at Owings Mills today
talking about the ferocious hit he had yet to see. "I'm all right.
Everything's OK," McGahee said after the team's final meeting of
the season with HC Harbaugh. "The MRI and CAT scans checked out
good, so everything's good." After catching a pass from QB Joe Flacco in the middle of the field and taking a few steps downfield
late in the 4th quarter of the Steelers' 23-14 win, McGahee was
drilled by Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark. It appeared that Clark's
shoulder and head hit McGahee's head. McGahee fumbled the ball and
the Ravens RB stayed on the ground motionless for many minutes
while being attended by medical staff. He was eventually strapped
to a stretcher and taken from the field. After an overnight stay
at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, McGahee returned to Baltimore this
morning.

4for4 reports: The Ravens and Titans use the same formula - run
the ball, control the clock, avoid turnovers, play strong defense
and score via a short field. Ironically, both defenses have to
much strength around the box to make that game plan a reality. In
turn, one or both of these teams could be forced to pass +60% of
the time. That should favor the Titans, as their QB owns a
significant edge when it comes to big-game experience. Kerry Collins has played in two Super Bowls and he's still capable of
making plays when called on. And that's taking nothing away from
Joe Flacco, a rookie who's had a special year. However, in a
defensive slugfest, Flacco's lack of experience might be the only
thing that separates these two like-minded teams.

FoxSports reports: The Ravens, who are fourth in the NFL
with 143.5 yards rushing per game, figure to use all three
of their running backs — Willis Mcgahee, Le'Ron McClain and
rookie Ray Rice — to help rookie Joe Flacco's passing game.

Baltimore Sun: Ravens coach John Harbaugh has given rookie first-
round draft pick Joe Flacco the starting quarterback job for the
rest of the season. It was previously unknown whether Troy Smith,
a contender for the starting job in the preseason, would be able
to compete with Flacco when Smith recovered from a tonsil
infection. But Harbaugh said yesterday that Smith would remain the
No.3 quarterback this week and would be able to vie this season
only for the backup job, which is held by Todd Bouman. "That'll be
[Smith's] role this year - possibly into a role where he can
contribute playing quarterback for us down the road," Harbaugh
said.