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Derrick Mason was hit hard by tonight's 13-10 loss to the Steelers.
The veteran wide receiver sat in front of his locker in full pads for quite a while after the game, and finally, turned to address reporters.
What Mason said is probably what a number of Ravens fans are feeling at this point, after Baltimore scored just 10 points against the Steelers, and put up only 96 yards of offense in the second half.
Here are Mason's quotes in their entirety. Instead of breaking them up, I thought I'd just pass them along in full, so you can get a true feel for his frustration.
On being frustrated that he returned to play this season: "You wonder why you come back and play after stuff like this, because there ain't no way...I mean, Pittsburgh's a good team, can't take it away from them, but there's no way we should have lost this game. Seriously. This just makes me personally wonder why I came back. To play in a game like this and to lose a game like this, it hurts worse than any other game. We're just not...it's sad to say, but we're not a good offense at times. We're really aren't. For whatever reason it is, I don't know. But we're not a good offense at times. I'm not pointing any fingers at anybody, because I'm a part of the equation, but we're just not a good offense at times, and it showed up today."
On his frustrations with the lack of consistency with the offense: "All these people that we've got on offense - I'll get crucified for this one - but all the people that we've got on offense, we're not a good offense at times, we're really not. You just call it how you see it. Call a spade a spade. If we were a good offense, we'd be moving the ball up and down the field, especially with the people that we have and the quarterback that we have. I have a lot of confidence in our personnel, but we're just not a good offense at times.
On how to fix the offensive issues: "I don't know, I really don't know. We've just got to put this behind us and move forward. We can't allow games to get away from us like this. We make games tough for ourselves for some strange reason. I don't know if we like playing the tough games. Is that the model of the Ravens? I don't know. I'm tired of playing the tough games, man. Let's just go blow somebody out, because we're capable of doing it, and we just don't do it. Nobody says that we shouldn't be able to come out and put up 30 points against a very good team, especially with the personnel we've got. Heard it from me: We're not a good offense at times.
On how the Ravens' defense has a right to be frustrated with the offense: "Defense played lights out. They came to play. That defense came to play, man. They were buzzing around the ball, getting to Roethlisberger, making big hits. Offense didn't help them in the second half. I know it gets frustrating for those guys. I know it has to, because you could see their faces coming off the sideline. But, we're in it as a team, and we're going to fight. But, those guys get frustrated, and rightfully so, because we're not doing the job in the second half."
On not being able to put teams away: "It's the same old stuff every week. It builds character that you're able to fight through some things, and I understand that you've got to go through some things to be able to come out of it and know how to win, but it's got to come to a point where we stop all the [expletive] and just play football. Just put some points on the board and not allow teams to be able to come back in the second half. Not put the pressure on our defense to have to stop somebody in the last minute of the game. Let's just [expletive] put some points on the board and move forward."
On not blaming anyone in particular: "We're all in this together. I've never been one to point a finger, and I'm not going to do it now. All of us, collectively, all 11 guys on offense, plus the guys on the side, the backups, all of us. We've got to make up our mind - do we want to be a good offense or a great offense? We're neither right now at times. So, we've just got to make up our mind which one do we want to be? Because good offenses make it to the playoffs. Great offenses make it to the Super Bowl."
On not being consistent despite it being this late in the season: "It has to come to a point where after, what 10, 12, 13 weeks now, we have to be able to consistently be effective. We're not. We look great at times, and then other times, man, we look like the Bad News Bears sometimes. Honestly. I'm speaking. We do. And I'm a part of it. So, we've got to be able to, each and every down, each and every quarter, each and every half, be a great offense, and we're not there yet."
