"Derrick Mason turned 37 on Monday. But instead of opening birthday presents or blowing out candles on a cake, he was out at the Castle in Owings Mills, going through the sad ritual of cleaning out his locker at the end of another disappointing season.

Four teams still chase Super Bowl rings. But the Ravens aren't one of them, not after that soul-sapping 31-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field three days ago.

So here was Mason, snapping open a big plastic trash bag and emptying his locker of shoes and shirts and shorts as reporters wandered by to chat and other Ravens stopped by for him to sign their helmets.

"It seems like 'Groundhog Day,' " he said softly. "Seems like I have the same jogging suit on and the same hat as last year. I'm doing the same thing. It's disappointing, man. There's not much you can say about it.

"Yeah, we were in the playoffs. Yeah, we went 12-4 [in the regular season]. But it means nothing when you ultimately can't play in the biggest game of your life, and that's the Super Bowl."

If you drew up a list of the Ravens who took this latest bounce from the playoffs the hardest, Mason's name might be at the top.

After 14 seasons in the NFL, the veteran wide receiver wants a Super Bowl ring so badly he dreams about it.

Now, he's running out of time. He's the oldest Raven, at that age when injuries linger and the grind of the long season takes as much of an emotional toll on a player as a physical one.

What makes this season even more disappointing for Mason is that he feels he could have contributed so much more to the Ravens — especially down the stretch.

In the Ravens' two playoff games, he finished with just one catch for 11 yards, an astonishing total for the man who has been the Ravens' most reliable receiver since he arrived in Baltimore six years ago."