Contrary to what a separated shoulder would indicate, Ravens wideout **Derrick Mason** is confident that he'll play this weekend against the New York Giants.
Mason, 34, is not expected to practice all week after falling hard on his left shoulder last Sunday in a 41-13 win over the Houston Texans.
"My body typically responds well whenever I have had injuries," Mason said Wednesday. "Just because I'm a little bit older doesn't mean it's not going to respond well again. So I'm not putting any pressure on myself.
"I'm going to make the trip to New York, and I expect to be on the field."
Head coach **John Harbaugh** was slightly more subdued, however. He prefers to take a wait-and-see approach to the Ravens' leading receiver.
"He's going to be day-to-day," Harbaugh explained. "It's going to be a game-time decision. What was hurt, he has a dislocated shoulder, so he's not going to practice this week. It'll just be a matter of whether he can go on Sunday or not."
Mason currently has 46 catches for 598 yards and two touchdowns. He was injured in the first quarter of the Houston game, but returned in the second half to catch three passes for 41 yards.
Mason feels like he is progressing towards better health.
"Sunday after the game it was sore, Monday it was sore," said Mason. "I went in and got treatment the last two days and now it's feeling a lot better than it did on Monday."
Moving On Without C-Mac, Dawan
One day after cornerback **Chris McAlister** and safety **Dawan Landry** were officially placed on Injured Reserve, the Ravens continue to feel comfortable with their secondary the way it stands.
McAlister (knee) and Landry (neck) had missed a combined 13 games this year, but Baltimore has still gone on to rank ninth in passing defense, allowing only 193.0 yards per contest.
That is largely the part of new additions this offseason, such as cornerbacks **Frank Walker** and **Fabian Washington**, and safety **Jim Leonhard**.
Harbaugh points to those acquisitions when asked why the Ravens didn't recently sign free agents DeAngelo Hall – who was inked by the Washington Redskins – and Ty Law, now a New York Jet.
"I think that's probably been the biggest plus for us this year, the way the corners have played, and the way the safeties have played," Harbaugh said. "You can name the guys, we all know who those guys are, but they've played extremely well.
"Credit, obviously, to secondary coaches] [**Mark Carrier** and **Chuck Pagano**, too, but our backup defensive backs have proven that they're starters in the NFL."
Walker thinks it is difficult to not be successful with the way Carrier and Pagano prepare each player in the secondary.
"Our coaches always told us that all of us are starters, and they feel that if they were to let one of us go, we could start for another defense," Walker stated. "The coaches have a lot of confidence in us around here. They prepare you well, so it's hard to mess up out there."
Meanwhile, Harbaugh said McAlister had surgery this week, and Landry was ruled out for the season after the team examined a second magnetic resonance imaging for his spinal cord concussion.
Injury Update
The Ravens did not have Mason, right tackle **Willie Anderson** (ankle), wideout **Terrance Copper** (shoulder) and safety Ed Reed (thigh) in Wednesday's practice.
Copper and cornerback **Samari Rolle**, who was limited with a neck injury, both wore red non-contact jerseys in position drills.
Anderson, a sturdy 13-year veteran, left the Texans' game in the third quarter. He wore a boot on his left foot in the locker room, sometimes walking with a cane for stabilization, but when asked about how many weeks he thought he would miss, Anderson feigned horror.
"How many weeks?" he said to reporters. "I'm going to play Sunday. I heal fast."
Notable
At 6-foot-5, Giants wideout Plaxico Burress is a master at using his height over smaller defensive backs. This year, he already has four touchdowns to go along with 32 receptions for 407 yards. Burress' secret? Part of it may be because he's so talented at pushing off without getting caught. "He does the Vlade Divac sometimes," said Rolle, referencing the Serbian basketball player known for phantom flops. "He'll just flop here and there. But he's having a great year. They've got a great offense." … As the Ravens try to win their fourth-straight road contest, quarterback Joe Flacco said he relished the chance to perform in front of a hostile crowd. "It's kind of good hearing everybody get real quiet," Flacco said. "But I can't say that. Our fans have been great all year. It's been a lot of fun for me." … Baltimore is 2-0 in the regular season against the Giants. And, the Ravens earned a 34-7 victory over New York in Super Bowl XXXV.
