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.
Then there's this: Against the Steelers on Saturday, in the biggest game of the season, he didn't have a catch.
Think about that. Mason, who has maybe the best hands on the team, who runs maybe the most precise routes in the NFL, finished with zero catches.
This, in part, is why he paused Monday when asked about his future and whether he would be back for a 15th season — assuming some sort of dumb labor dispute doesn't doom the 2011 season first.
"Physically, I'm good. … It's just mentally," he said. "Do I want to go through the [grind] of another season and potentially getting to the point [where the Ravens finished this season] and coming up short? That's the biggest thing. I'm just going to sit back and think about it and go from there."
There is also this: Mason had problems with the way the Ravens ran their offense this past season. Big problems. And he wasn't shy about expressing that.
He was exasperated at times with the play-calling, and with the fact that the Ravens weren't more daring and creative with all their receiving talent, with Mason and a healthy Todd Heap and the new wide-outs: Anquan Boldin, Donte' Stallworth and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
He found the inconsistency of the offense maddening. And after the Ravens' heart-breaking 13-10 loss to the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium in December, he stood in the locker room and flatly declared: "Our offense is mediocre."
Not that he was going to get into all that Monday.
"We had our ups and downs," was all he said of the offense. "But we played well. I think it's well-documented what I said. I don't think we really have to go back and revisit that.
"Hopefully, next year, you add a couple pieces here and there, the offense will be consistent every week."
Oh, and another thing, said Mason. Don't blame Cam Cameron, the Ravens' embattled offensive coordinator, for all the problems the offense had.
"I've said this, and I'll continue to say it: Players are the ones who play," Mason said. "You can't blame Cam for three turnovers [against the Steelers]. You can't blame Cam for what happened in the third quarter.
"I would be surprised if he's fired. But they'll do a good job of evaluating the whole situation. If he is back, that'll be great. If he isn't, that'd be a shocker."
It would be a shocker if Mason isn't back, too. He loves the game too much to quit. And he cherishes his role as one of the leaders on this team.
He said he has few physical things to take care of in the offseason, mainly minor shoulder surgery. He also plans to rest, play with his kids and think long and hard about whether he'll be back with the Ravens.
"My one and only goal is to win the Super Bowl," he said. "And it has eluded me for the last 14 years. Do I come back another year and try it again? 'Cause I'm not coming back for anything else."
Listen to Kevin Cowherd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays with Jerry Coleman on Fox 1370 AM Sports.