Ravens waiting on veteran stars

The Baltimore Ravens hope that two of their key veterans will both go back on recent comments suggesting that their just-completed season will be their last in the NFL.

Derrick Mason decided against retirement just before the start of the 2009/10 season and will again ponder his future. However, the news that key cornerback Ed Reed has admitted that the time might be right for him to hang up his cleats as well is a bigger surprise.

Coach John Harbaugh is hopeful that both will return, although there is the fact that Mason is a free agent and could receive offers from another team is a further complication, although he has already said he would not be particularly interested in ending his career with another franchise.

Reed’s return might be more unlikely as he admitted that the nerve impingement in his neck, a problem that has affected him for the last two seasons, might be bad enough for him call it a day.

Last season, the Ravens bagged the AFC Divisional playoffs but then crash out 20-3 to the Indianapolis Colts, the side many online sports betting experts now see as favourites to lift the Super Bowl.

After the game, Harbaugh said he had spoken to both Reed and Mason after they told reporters they might walk away from the sport.

He said: “I got the impression that they love football and they want to play.”

Reed’s potential loss is compounded by the ACL injury suffered by improving rookie Lardarius Webb late in the regular season - Webb would probably be his counterpart at cornerback next season if he was 100 per cent fit in time.

Although both Reed and Mason are coming towards the twilight of their professional sports career, losing both now would be massive blows for a team expected to challenge for the playoffs again next season and it would no doubt damage their standings in NFL betting markets.