By Rich Campbell
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, January 15, 2007; E06
OWINGS MILLS, Md., Jan. 14 -- Frustration and uncertainty about the future lingered Sunday at the Baltimore Ravens' headquarters after Saturday's wrenching 15-6 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts in their AFC semifinal playoff game.
The team held its final meeting and many players cleaned out their lockers -- some, perhaps, for the last time. Players were still coping with the disappointment of Saturday's letdown while contemplating the possibility that several key players on this season's 13-4 team might not be in Baltimore next season.
All-pro linebacker Adalius Thomas, dressed in a brown sweat suit, said goodbye to wide receiver Derrick Mason after briefly stopping by his locker. Thomas will become an unrestricted free agent unless he signs a new contract with the Ravens before the start of free agency on March 2 or the team designates him its franchise player by the Feb. 22 deadline. Saturday's loss to the Colts might have been his last game with the Ravens.
"I had fun," Thomas said Saturday night when asked to reflect on his tenure in Baltimore. "It was a great seven years. I won a Super Bowl here. The guys were great. The coaches were great. It's a side of the business, though."
Running back Jamal Lewis's future with the Ravens also is in doubt. The seven-year veteran signed a three-year contract last offseason, but its salary structure will force General Manager Ozzie Newsome to consider whether Lewis is worth the pay raise he is due.
Lewis, 27, earned $1 million in base salary in 2006 but is scheduled to make $5 million in 2007. He rushed for 1,132 yards and nine touchdowns on 314 carries this season. Lewis's 3.6 yards per carry average was higher than his average last season, but it was still the second-lowest of his career. His nine touchdowns were the second-most of his career.
"For [Jamal] to leave, that would be a huge disappointment for me," said tight end Daniel Wilcox, a good friend of Lewis's whose locker is adjacent to his. "I'm praying that we can get as many guys back as possible and keep this thing going."
Pro Bowl left tackle Jonathan Ogden said that he will consider a number of factors before determining whether he will return for a 12th NFL season. The franchise's first draft pick was named to his 10th consecutive Pro Bowl this season and was a main reason why Baltimore set a single-season record of only 17 sacks allowed. Ogden, 32, played well against the Colts despite being hobbled by a hyperextended left big toe. He said the injury will not require surgery, but he doubts he will play in the Pro Bowl.
"A lot of things will play into what I do in the future," Ogden said. Saturday's loss "will play. How the season ended. Who is going to be back. How I'm feeling. Just a lot of things need to be looked at and thought about -- but not right now. It's way too early."
Mason has three years left on his contract, but his dissatisfaction with his role could lead to a change. A 10-year veteran, he is scheduled to make $3 million next season, and moving him could create salary cap space to re-sign Thomas or Lewis.
Mason, who turns 33 on Wednesday, voiced his displeasure after Saturday's loss and again Sunday. He was second on the team with 68 receptions, third with 750 yards and tied for fourth with two touchdowns. He maintained that he wants to stay with the Ravens.
"I know in this offense you're not going to catch eight, nine, 10 balls," Mason said. "But during the course of the game, as a player, I've been in this game long enough [where] if I come back to the sideline and say, 'I see this,' I think there should be some sense of, 'Okay, this guy does know what he's talking about. He's been in this league long enough. He's been out there playing,' and not just disregard what I say.
"I just felt a lot of times that's what happened. Maybe it was the tone and the manner I said it. It could have been. But I just felt at times when I came back and said something, it fell on deaf ears."
