Sleeper Watch

Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller showed signs of turning the corner at the end of the 2005 season (at least until his two-interception, no-touchdown, 31.1-passer-rating stinker in the finale against Cleveland). Nonetheless, when the dust settled on the 2005 NFL campaign, Boller’s QB rating stood at a rather lackluster 71.8, an increase of just 0.9 points compared with the previous season. Now, Baltimore’s patience with its young passer may be wearing thin. When reports surfaced that Minnesota might be preparing to part ways with Daunte Culpepper, one of the first rumors to pop up linked the Vikings QB with the Ravens…

The Culpepper-to-Baltimore rumor might be nothing more than off-season speculation, but it may also be indicative of the Ravens’ current state of mind. It seems that the team is seriously considering ways to upgrade at the QB position, and if that happens, one of the prime beneficiaries will be none other than veteran receiver Derrick Mason.

Mason certainly didn’t have a bad season in 2005. He finished seventh in the NFL in receptions last year with 86 (tied with Green Bay’s Donald Driver), and 16th with 1073 receiving yards. Both of those totals represent Mason’s lowest production since 2002, but it’s still a very solid stat line. What drove his fantasy owners up the wall, however, was his inability to find the end zone.

Baltimore finished just 23rd in the league with 17 passing scores last year, and seven of those strikes went to tight end Todd Heap. That didn’t leave much for the rest of the receiving corps, and Mason was only able to celebrate three times all year, his lowest total since the turn of the millennium.

Should Baltimore revamp its passing game this off-season, look for Mason’s touchdown total to bounce back in 2006. At age 32, the veteran still has a lot left in his tank,
and he might to be undervalued in quite a few of next season’s drafts, particularly in leagues with touchdown-heavy scoring.

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